An IontoPatch rating of 80 mA·min describes electrical charge, not 80 mg of medication. Its technical specifications answer questions about the delivery device; they do not, on their own, measure the drug concentration reached in a patient's tissue.
This guide examines the charge rating, current profile, electrode design, and published test methods behind our IontoPatch STAT, 80, and Extra Strength options. For an introductory explanation of medication transport, start with how IontoPatch works.
We supply the delivery device. The prescribed medication and treatment directions must be arranged separately. Our first-order IontoPatch guide explains the distinction between the product order and the separately arranged medication.
Read the quantity before comparing the number.
Electrical current, accumulated charge, and drug mass answer different questions. A larger number in one column is not a substitute for the information missing from another.
| Quantity | What it describes | What it cannot establish by itself |
|---|---|---|
| Current: mA | Rate of electrical charge flow at a particular moment. | Total charge over a changing treatment period. |
| Electrical charge: mA·min or coulombs | Current accumulated over time. | Milligrams absorbed or the amount reaching a target tendon or joint. |
| Current density: mA/cm² | Current relative to conductive contact area. | A universal skin-safety guarantee from total current alone. |
| Voltage: V | Electrical potential difference driving current. | A guaranteed penetration depth or a constant current. |
| Loaded drug mass: mg | Concentration is multiplied by the liquid volume loaded when the units match. | The fraction transported through skin or a clinical result. |
The electrical units follow the SI relationship between current and charge. The drug-delivery distinction is supported by research on how competing ions share iontophoretic current. An electrode's adhesive outline should not be substituted for its conductive contact area.
How to interpret 80 and 120 mA·min
The dot in mA·min means multiplication: milliamps times minutes, not milliamps divided by minutes. At an unchanging current, charge is current multiplied by elapsed time. With a changing current, the calculation must accumulate the current throughout the interval.
Constant current: Q = I × t
Changing current: Q = ∫ I(t) dt
Unit conversion: 1 mA·min = 0.060 coulomb (C)
Therefore: 80 mA·min = 4.8 C; 120 mA·min = 7.2 C.
These are unit conversions, not measurements of a worn patch or proposed treatment settings. Use amperes and seconds to obtain coulombs, or milliamps and minutes to obtain mA·min.
A single current reading multiplied by the entire wear period is not reliable when current changes. Nor does dividing a labeled capacity by an average delivery period reveal the current that a particular patient receives at every moment. The resulting quotient is an arithmetic average under the assumed conditions.
Compare the three models by electrical capacity.
The table places the published capacity beside its equivalent charge and approximate delivery period. It is a technical comparison, not a recommendation to exchange models or change a prescribed removal time.
| Model | Labeled capacity | Equivalent charge | Average delivery period |
|---|---|---|---|
| IontoPatch STAT | 80 mA·min | 4.8 C | About 4 hours |
| IontoPatch 80 | 80 mA·min | 4.8 C | About 14 hours |
| IontoPatch Extra Strength | 120 mA·min | 7.2 C | About 8 hours |
Capacity and timing references: the manufacturer's STAT, IontoPatch 80, and Extra Strength pages. Coulomb values are calculated from the listed capacities.
STAT and IontoPatch 80 share a charge rating, not an identical delivery schedule. Extra Strength has 50% more labeled electrical capacity than the 80 mA·min model; that does not establish 50% more absorbed medication. Equal total charge also does not establish an interchangeable treatment plan.
Keep average delivery time separate from removal instructions. Use our wear-time and completion guide for those questions, and the clinician's directions and supplied labeling for the actual treatment.
Built-in power is not the same as constant-current control.
The manufacturer describes zinc oxidation and silver-chloride reduction within the electrode system. Its published design description identifies approximately 0.98 V from those reactions, with an additional 3 V source on applicable designs. These are design values, not a user-adjustable output or a promise of a fixed voltage across living skin.
Skin and electrode contact are part of the electrical circuit. Changing resistance can change current; a current profile must therefore be evaluated over time rather than inferred from the battery description. Do not try to speed delivery by adding heat, pressure, liquid, or an external power source.
A reusable ActivaDose II controller offers a different operating arrangement with clinician-set controls. That difference is not proof of better treatment for every patient. Our patch-versus-wired iontophoresis comparison covers the equipment and workflow decision.
What limits the patch's electrical capacity?
The manufacturer's Principles of Operation letter explains that electrode coatings are consumed during use. Their depletion limits current flow. This is an electrochemical limit, not a sensor measuring medication in a tendon, blood sample, or tissue compartment.
A completed electrical process and a successful clinical treatment are separate conclusions. The current profile alone cannot show whether the intended symptom or functional goal improved. Keep those outcome questions with the treating clinician and our IontoPatch clinical-research guide.
Why charge cannot be converted directly into absorbed milligrams
In solution, the intended medication ion is not necessarily the only charge carrier. Transport number describes the fraction of current carried by a particular ion. It is not the percentage of liquid emptied from the reservoir or the percentage of medication that reached the clinical target.
Laboratory transport-number experiments demonstrate competition among ions. Separate dexamethasone-phosphate experiments using pig skin show why formulation composition and ionic mobility matter. Those experiments do not supply a validated absorption factor for every IontoPatch model, medication, or patient.
Faraday's relationship connects ionic charge with the amount of an ion transported, but using it for a drug requires information about the drug's share of current and charge state. Total device charge is not enough. Passive diffusion and transport of solution also complicate the relationship between electrical charge, reservoir loss, and tissue exposure.
For formulation and polarity background, use our iontophoresis medication guide. Do not dilute, combine, or reformulate a prescribed solution to imitate a laboratory experiment.
What the published engineering tests actually measured
The manufacturer's technical overview describes different tests for capacity, current, and model-compound transport. Their results are most useful when the test conditions remain attached to them.
| Published test | Reported observation | Interpretation limit |
|---|---|---|
| Manufactured-lot capacity | 200 patches; 80 mA·min label; mean 81.4 mA·min; standard deviation 3.8 mA·min; coefficient of variation 4.7%. | Describes that electrical test sample. It is not a measurement of patient drug absorption. |
| Human-wear current observation | Eight 40 mA·min patches, 1% saline, and four-hour monitoring; average 0.09 mA. | The test article is not automatically the same as today's STAT, 80, or Extra Strength. Patch count is not a reported participant count. |
| Model-compound transport | Laboratory membrane testing and a volunteer residual-content method. | A surrogate compound and the amount remaining in a patch do not directly establish concentration at a clinical target. |
A coefficient of variation is not a guaranteed tolerance.
The reported 4.7% is the standard deviation divided by the mean, expressed as a percentage. It does not mean that every patch falls within ±4.7% of its label, nor is it a confidence interval for an individual's drug dose. The published lot summary should not be described as a certificate for every box currently sold.
Measured results and estimates should not share the same label.
The overview identifies its STAT and Extra Strength current figures as estimates derived from earlier observations. Keep that label visible. An estimated current is not an independently measured result for each marketed model, and a typical average is not a minimum, maximum, or continuous reading.
Why different bench tests can produce different percentages
The manufacturer's lot-capacity method uses 10% saline and a 10-ohm series resistor. In contrast, ActivaPatch's published comparative evaluation describes a 10-kilohm resistor between silver plates with hydrated material and prepared patches. These are not the same test arrangement.
Before comparing a percentage, ask whether it describes capacity under the stated load, charge delivered by a deadline, elapsed time to an endpoint, or drug measured in a receiving compartment. Also check the model, liquid, resistance, sample size, and stopping rule. A difference in results cannot be resolved merely by choosing the percentage that favors a preferred brand.
Electrical performance evidence can be relevant to product selection. It does not become direct evidence of superior pain relief without measuring that outcome. Our IontoPatch-versus-ACTIVA patch comparison handles the cross-brand purchasing decision without treating matching mA·min ratings as permission to substitute treatments.
Current density and pH are separate skin-interface questions.
Average current density equals current divided by conductive contact area. The same total current distributed over a smaller effective area has a higher average density. The calculation does not show every local contact condition, so neither the total mA nor the patch's outside dimensions is a complete skin-safety assessment.
The manufacturer attributes its pH-control approach to reactive electrode coatings rather than relying on added patch buffer salts. That description does not establish that a separately prepared medication is buffer-free, that every ion in the circuit is medication, or that irritation cannot occur. Drug formulation and the skin interface remain separate considerations.
Follow the supplied contraindications and preparation instructions. Do not use the patch on damaged skin or around the eyes, and remove it before MRI. Unexpected burning or pain requires stopping treatment, removing the patch, and contacting the treating clinician; do not wait for the nominal capacity to run out. Our discomfort and skin-reaction guide provides the next support route.
Local application also does not guarantee exclusively local exposure. The federal iontophoresis-device labeling requirements warn that delivered drugs or solutions may enter the bloodstream and cause systemic effects.
Use the technical information to verify the order.
Confirm the exact model and electrical-capacity requirement with the clinician before changing products. A useful order description identifies the model, medication arrangement, and applicable instructions; it does not rely on the word "stronger" or an isolated mA·min number.
Use our IontoPatch product listing for current model options, package quantities, and prices. Our IontoPatch application guide covers preparation and placement, while the iontophoresis collection provides access to other delivery systems. For help matching a product reference to an order, contact our product-support team without posting patient-identifying information in a general inquiry.
This is a source-linked technical explanation, not an individualized prescription, a report of testing performed by us, or a substitute for the instructions supplied with the device. Laboratory electrical measurements, drug transport, and clinical outcomes are distinguished throughout.
Copyright © Balego Inc. Referenced manufacturer documents and research retain their respective ownership.
