Ways to Administer Medications

Ways to Administer Medications

There are many different ways to administer medications that are used to treat diseases, combat the symptoms of allergies and reduce fever and pain.

Different medications are administered depending on what route delivers the medication faster, or more effectively.

Orally is the most common method of administering medications because it is convenient, cheap, can be used to keep medications sterile or pure and there are a wide variety of forms of oral medications such as tablet, liquid, gel, dissolving in water, and under the tongue.

There are disadvantages to the oral method of medicating someone such as patients who have difficulty swallowing tablets or capsules.

Oral medications may also take too long to be absorbed by the body, which would mean that it might take too long for the medication to work.

Oral medications may also be destroyed as they go through the digestive system.

Sublingual medications can be considered to be oral medications because placing them under the tongue absorbs them.

Buccal drugs are administered by placing them between the cheek and the gum.

Buccal and sublingual medications are absorbed directly into the bloodstream, which makes them quicker than oral medications that have to go through the digestive system to get to the bloodstream.

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Parenteral are the injectable medications which are the ones that are usually pure, sterile, or pyrogen-free and are in liquid form.

There are several different methods of delivering parenteral medications such as subcutaneous, intradermal, intramuscular, intravenous, intrathecal or intraspinal.

Subcutaneous drugs are injected just below the skin's first layer called the cutaneous layer. A drug that is given subcutaneously is insulin used to treat those with diabetes.

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Intradermal drugs are injected into the next layer of skin, which is called the dermis layer. A drug that is given intradermally is purified protein derivative (PPD). Intramuscular drugs are often antibiotics used to treat infections, one such drug is procaine penicillin G.

Intravenous drugs are given directly into your vein and include those drugs that are given by intravenous injection (IV). Intrathecal and intraspinal drugs are given into the subarachnoid space of the spinal cord. Anesthesia is often given this way for moms about to give birth.

Individual with asthma are familiar with drugs that are inhaled, as this is the method of choice for delivering drugs to the lungs.

Inhaled drugs are given through the respiratory system and are in the form of vapors, gas, and nebulization. Powders can also be delivered by inhalation. Steam inhalation is another way of delivering drugs to the respiratory system.

Topical drugs are used because of their local effect such as those intended to bring relief from itching, burning, or to treat skin conditions without being absorbed into the bloodstream.

Topical drugs are also used because they can be applied to the skin and have a systemic effect by being absorbed through the skin and into the bloodstream.

Ointments, creams, lotions and also shampoos are examples of topical medications.

Rectal and vaginal medications are not usually popular with individual who have to have them.

These drugs are inserted into the body cavities known as the rectum and the vaginal usually in the form of preparations, suppositories and enemas, creams and douches.

Rectal drugs are used instead of oral drugs when the individual is unconscious or when the individual is vomiting. Vaginal drugs have a local effect and are usually given for vaginal infections or conditions.