Why take medication sublingually

The other day, I got such a question that became the topic for this week's post: just why do we take certain medicines sublingually under the tongue? It made me pause for a second, because it's not something we think about all that often. But yes, we DO take certain medicines under our tongue. And I know the one obvious answer off the top of my head -- "because then the medicine gets absorbed by the body faster" -- but then that brought up more questions like "why?

And is the medicine then more effective? So I figured this would make an interesting topic to discuss here. Indeed, almost everyone knows the surface answer -- "the medicine is absorbed by the body faster.

Well, I'll tell you And because of the plethora of capillaries there, the medicine has a fairly direct route into your bloodstream. This results in the medicine working faster, and oftentimes, better which you'll see why in a minute. Good question -- here's the answer: When you swallow a pill, it must go through your entire gastrointestinal tract.

Home Blog What is Sublingual Administration. What is Sublingual Administration. Sublingual Medicine Administration Sublingual Administration is a way of giving medication through the mouth.

When to administer Sublingual Medication These drugs may be prescribed by your doctor under the circumstances below: You experience trouble in swallowing or digesting drugs The drugs need to be absorbed quickly into the system The medication is not absorbed as required in the stomach Digestion would decrease the effects of the drugs Advantages Medicine is absorbed quickly into the bloodstream. It is important when the doctor needs the drug to work immediately, such as during an emergency or during a heart attack.

These drugs are easy to take for patients who experience trouble in digesting or swallowing medication. These drugs are not metabolized in the liver since they are not passing in the digesting system.

Therefore, you may take a lower dosage and still get equivalent results. Disadvantages Smoking, drinking or eating while using sublingual medication can affect the drug absorption and how efficient the results would be.

Drugs that need to be absorbed slowly into the system could not work well in this form of administration. Many liquid medications, including both prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs, are made for children and are flavored to mask the taste of the medication.

Additionally, many pharmacies can add different flavoring to liquid medications without an additional prescription by the healthcare provider. Most often, you'll be given medication measurements in teaspoons remember that teaspoons are smaller than tablespoons.

In medicine, a teaspoon means exactly 5 milliliters ml. Your household teaspoons may hold more or less than 5 ml. Ask your pharmacist for a spoon, medicine cup, medicine dropper, or a syringe without a needle meant specifically for measuring medications.

They can show you how to properly use these. Many over-the-counter liquid medications come with a small medicine cup attached to the top of the bottle. If the medication has been prescribed for an infant or young child, make sure to speak with your pediatrician about the proper dosage, or amount, of liquid medication for your child.

Certain medications are placed under the tongue sublingual or between the teeth and the cheek buccal. These medications are absorbed quickly into the bloodstream through the lining of the mouth and are used to relieve symptoms almost immediately. Although most oral medications are swallowed, some are released in the mouth by chewing, dissolving slowly or melting on the tongue. Many of these medications are sold over-the-counter. Chewable tablets should be chewed until they have completely dissolved.

They're not meant to be swallowed whole. Chewing gum medications have a minimum time that they must be chewed to ensure that the entire amount of drug has been released, often up to 30 minutes.

Examples of medicated chewing gums include Nicorette Gum nicotine and Aspergum aspirin. They should not be swallowed. Examples of medicated lozenges include Commit nicotine and Cepacol benzocaine. Softchew medications are meant to melt in your mouth or to be chewed. An example of a Softchew medication is Rolaids Soft Chew calcium carbonate. Sublingual and buccal medication administration are two different ways of giving medication by mouth.

Sublingual administration involves placing a drug under your tongue to dissolve and absorb into your blood through the tissue there.

Buccal administration involves placing a drug between your gums and cheek, where it also dissolves and is absorbed into your blood. Both sublingual and buccal drugs come in tablets, films, or sprays. The cheek and area under the tongue have many capillaries, or tiny blood vessels. There, drugs can be absorbed directly into the bloodstream without going through your digestive system.

Sublingual or buccal forms of drugs have their advantages. Because the medication absorbs quickly, these types of administration can be important during emergencies when you need the drug to work right away, such as during a heart attack.

This means you may be able to take a lower dose and still get the same results. Drugs that are absorbed under the tongue or between the cheek and gum can be easier to take for people who have problems swallowing pills. On the other hand, sublingual and buccal drugs also have some disadvantages.