Sustained release
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Sustained-release (SR), extended-release (ER, XR, or XL), time-release or timed-release, controlled-release (CR), or continuous-release (CR or Contin) tablets are pills formulated to dissolve slowly and release a drug over time. The advantages of sustained-release tablets are that they can often be taken less frequently than instant-release formulations of the same drug, and that they keep steadier levels of the drug in the bloodstream. Sustained-release tablets are formulated so that the active ingredient is embedded in a matrix of insoluble substance (various: some acrylics, even chitin, these are often patented) so that the dissolving drug has to find its way out through the holes in the matrix. In some SR formulations the matrix physically swells up to form a gel, so that drug has first to dissolve in matrix, then exit through the outer surface.
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