Drug Administration Routes

The route of drug administration can be referred to as where or how the drug is being taken. There are eight different routes for drug administration. The three most common types of routes are by inhalation, oral and by injection (subcutaneous, intramuscular, and intravenous. In a brief summary I will discuss each route. Firstly the oral administration being the most common type, which is taken by mouth or by swallowing, is usually in the form of a pill, capsule or liquid. Oral administration is usually the safest, most convenient way to take a drug. Subcutaneous is the easiest of the three injection routes, it absorbs faster than the oral yet slower than intramuscular and intravenous. The intramuscular may be painful while injecting and it have a high risk of infection if associated by someone that is untrained. Intravenous being one of the fastest absorption rates because the resulting of the drug can be immediate. (Maisto, page 67-68, Table 4.2). …show more content…
Inhaling a drug results in rapid and effective absorption, the blood leaves the lungs directly to the brain in less than eight seconds. Intranasal is a powered drug taken through the nose, also known as sniffing. It can cause damage to the nose septum and the lining of the nose. Sublingual is a drug table that is taken under the tongue then dissolved from saliva. It results in faster and more effective absorption than the oral administration; however it is not used as often due to the unpleasant taste. Lastly, the last type of route administration is the transdermal also known as through the skin; it is not used for many drugs because the skin it not effective for many because the skin acts as a barrier to some chemicals. (Maisto, page 67-68, Table