Administration routes sublingual

Oxytcxrin preparations are widely used with or without umniotomy to induce and stimulate labor. Although injection Is the u.sual mute of administration, the sublingual route is extremely effective. Sublingual and intranasal spray (Oxytocin Nasal Solution. USP) routes of administration also will stimuliile milk letdown. 

Sometimes other routes of administration are necessary. Thus, suppositories are used for rectal delivery and sprays for the nasal route. Sublingual delivery can be advantageous, e.g., for nitrate esters. For asthma the use of inhalators has increased considerably as reliable hi-tech delivery systems have been developed. Flere, the uniformity of the inhaled dose (usually a few micrograms), as well as the narrowness of the particle size distribution, must be safeguarded. 

Opioids maybe administered in a variety of routes including oral (tablet and liquid), sublingual, rectal, transdermal, transmucosal, intravenous, subcutaneous, and intraspinal. While the oral and transdermal routes are most common, the method of administration is based on patient needs (severity of pain) and characteristics (swallowing difficulty and preference). Oral opioids have an onset of effect of 45 minutes, so intravenous or subcutaneous administration maybe preferred if more rapid relief is desired. Intramuscular injections are not recommended because of pain at the injection site and wide fluctuations in drug absorption and peak plasma concentrations achieved. More invasive routes of administration such as PCA and intraspinal (epidural and intrathecal) are primarily used postoperatively, but may also be used in refractory chronic pain situations. PCA delivers a self-administered dose via an infusion pump with a preprogrammed dose, minimum dosing interval, and maximum hourly dose. Morphine, fentanyl, and hydromorphone are commonly administered via PCA pumps by the intravenous route, but less frequently by the subcutaneous or epidural route. 

When the first-pass effect of a drug going through the liver must be avoided, a parenteral route of administration is usually chosen, although a sublingual route or dermal patch will also avoid the first-pass effect. 

Many technicians may not be famihar with terms such as sublingual (under the tongue), buccal (between the cheek and gingiva), otic, and so on. A clear description of each of these nontraditional routes (i.e., other than gavage routes) should be discussed with technicians, and instructions may also be written down and given to them. Demonstrations are often useftd to illustrate selected techniques of administration (e.g., to use an inhaler or nebulizer). Some chemicals must be placed by technicians into body orifices (e.g., medicated intrauterine devices such as Proges-terset). 

Lamey PJ, Lewis MAO (1990) Buccal and sublingual delivery of drugs. In Florence AT, Salole EG (eds.) Routes of Drug Administration. Butterworth Co. (Publishers) Ltd., Norfolk, pp 30-47... 

Unlabeled route of administration - Sublingual clonidine, using a dosage of 0.2 to 0.4 mg/day, may be effective in hypertensive patients unable to take oral medication. The onset occurs within 30 to 60 minutes and blood pressure appears to be maintained on a twice daily regimen. 

Nitrates are required for symptomatic relief of chest pain they are not proven to improve hard outcomes such as MI or death. Nitrates should be given initially sublingually or by spray, followed by oral or transdermal routes if pain is relieved. Lack of pain relief mandates i.v. administration. Beta-blockers such as metoprolol are used and may reduce the risk of subsequent MI. Calcium channel blockers such as dilfiazem, verapamil, or long-acting di-hydropyridines can be added for symptom control if nitrates and beta-blockers do not suffice they do not improve outcomes. In fact, they may worsen outcomes in the presence of left ventricular dysfunction or CHF in acute coronary syndrome. 

Short-acting nitrates, such as nitroglycerin, are predominantly used for the suppression of acute anginal symptoms. The well-known sublingual (oro-mucosal) route of administration is characterised by... 

Nitroglycerin, the prototype of the nitrates is characterized by a rapid onset and short duration of action. It is usually administered sublingually (via the oro-mucosal route), which allows a rapid and efficient absorption and avoids the strong first pass effect after oral administration. Nitroglycerin is available as tablets, capsules (for sublingual administration) but also as transdermal preparations, sprays, and ointments. 

Drugs are administrated by intravenous routes or ex-travascular routes including oral, sublingual, subcutaneous, intramuscular, rectal (by enema or suppository), and transdermal. Available dosage forms include suspensions, immediate-release capsules or tablets, sustained-release capsules or tablets, and enteric-coated capsules or tablets that resist dissolution in the acidic pfi of the stomach. 

Most BZs are completely absorbed from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The one exception is clorazepate, a pro-drug that undergoes acid hydrolysis in the stomach and is decarboxylated to form N-desmethyl-diazepam, which is then completely absorbed into the bloodstream (Bellantuono et ak, 1980 Hobbs et ak, 1996 Chouinard et ak, 1999). In contrast, most BZs, with the exception of lorazepam and midazolam, are not consistently absorbed from intramuscular injection (Chouinard et ak, 1999). Lorazepam is available as a sublingual form that reaches clinical effect at the same rate as an oral dose. In general, intravenous administration is used only for anesthesia or for the acute management of seizures. When BZs are given via this route, the onset of action is almost immediate (Chouinard et ak, 1999). 

Buprenorphine is a semi-synthetic derivative of thebaine, one of the opium alkaloids. It is approximately 30 times as potent as morphine. A dose of 0.3 mg intramuscularly has a duration of analgesic action of 6-18 h. Buprenorphine is also effective sublingually. The average bio-availability by this route is about 55%, but absorption is slow and the time to achieve peak plasma concentrations is variable, with a range of 90-360 min. The onset of action is rather slow (5-15 min) after both intramuscular and intravenous administration, possibly due to slow receptor association. Buprenorphine binds to and dissociates from the p receptor very slowly, which may account for its low potential for physical abuse. It also means that buprenorphine-induced respiratory depression is difficult to reverse with naloxone, even with very high doses. Doxapram may in these circumstances be useful. Drowsiness and dizziness are the most common side effects, although they rarely... 

Intracoronary, intravenous, or sublingual nitrate administration consistently increases the caliber of the large epicardial coronary arteries except where blocked by concentric atheromas. Coronary arteriolar resistance tends to decrease, though to a lesser extent. However, nitrates administered by the usual systemic routes may decrease overall coronary blood flow (and myocardial oxygen consumption) if cardiac output is reduced due to decreased venous return. The reduction in oxygen consumption is the major mechanism for the relief of effort angina. 

Because of the prominent first-pass effects and their tendency to inhibit MAO in the gut (resulting in tyramine pressor effects), alternative routes of administration are being developed. For example, selegiline is available in both transdermal and sublingual forms that bypass both gut and liver. These routes decrease the risk of food interactions and provide substantially increased bioavailability. 

Routes of administration are either enteral or parenteral. The former term denotes all routes pertaining to the alimentary canal. Therefore, sublingual, oral, and rectal are enteral routes of administration. All other routes, such as intravenous, intramuscular, subcutaneous, dermal, vaginal, and intraperitoneal, are parenteral routes. 

Fig. 2. Plasma radioactivity profiles obtained in 2 healthy volunteers after administration of123I-Parj 1 by sublingual (a) or intranasal (b) route, respectively. 123I-Parj 1 was administered at time 0 for sublingual administration the subject swallowed at 30 min. The radioactivity is expressed as percent of the administered dose. 

The most simple method should above all consist in comparing sublingual desensitization with subcutaneous desensitization only, taking into account that the latter has widely proved its efficacy. However, the fact that this efficacy is not recognized by everyone further complicates studies, as not only is it necessary to demonstrate the efficacy or lack of it of desensitization to mites via the sublingual route, but it is also necessary to demonstrate the principle itself of desensitization, using the administration via the sublingual route. 

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