An emulsion-solvent evaporation procedure involving the dispersion of an alcoholic solution of an active in liquid paraffin was used to prepare microspheres of water-soluble pharmaceuticals using ethylcellulose as a carrier. The effects of surfactant, plasticizer, drug loading, and agitation speed on drug release rate from the microspheres were evaluated. The release rates of water-soluble drugs from microspheres, ranging from 100 and 500 microns in diameter, were sustained over an extended time and were found to be related to the ratio of drug to polymer in the final product.