Benzathine is a long-acting form of penicillin, often used to treat syphilis and other bacterial infections. It's not technically a drug itself, but rather a salt that helps penicillin stay in the body for a longer time.
The half-life of benzathine penicillin G is approximately 14 to 28 days. This means that it takes about two weeks for the amount of benzathine penicillin G in the body to decrease by half.
Here are some key things to remember about benzathine:
- It's a long-acting form of penicillin: This means it stays in your body for a long time and only needs to be given once every few weeks.
- It's not the same as penicillin: Benzathine is a salt that helps penicillin stay in your body longer.
- Its half-life is longer than other forms of penicillin: This is because it's slowly released from the injection site into the bloodstream.
