What are Compounded Sublingual Medications?

So what exactly is compounded sublingual medication?

Basically, it’s a medication that is placed under the tongue. It is absorbed through the soft tissue underneath your tongue before being absorbed into your bloodstream. This allows for quicker absorption of the medication.

Although sublingual drugs often appear like their oral counterparts, they are not swallowed. The term ‘sublingual’ comes from Latin and means “under the tongue.” Sublingual administration is a way to deliver medication to the body via the oral mucosa rather than through swallowing.

Sublingual tablets can be readily formulated to avoid the swallowing of a pill. Sublingual offer a successful alternative for people who sorely dislike taking their medicine in the usual way. This article will provide a deeper understanding of the oral medication issues and how sublingual solve them, as well as information about the types of sublingual medicines available, how one should take a sublingual drug, and which drugs can be taken sublingually.

Many medications deliver high doses of medicine to the bloodstream by passing through the lining of the gastrointestinal system and into the smallest blood vessels there—capillaries that work to absorb nutrients and oxygen from food. The medication spreads throughout the circulatory system via a full network of blood vessels. In essence, for medications to be effective, they must withstand highly acidic conditions in the stomach, pass through cells lining the intestines, and resist being filtered or eliminated by the liver before reaching the rest of the body.

Sublingual drugs, due to their administration under the tongue, offer a number of advantages over traditional formulations of the same medicines. Among these advantages are:

Rapid absorption: Sublingual medications are absorbed by being placed under the tongue—right on the mucous membranes. Drugs in this form don’t need to undergo chewing, digestion, or absorption via the gastrointestinal system before they enter into the bloodstream. Instead, they dissolve rapidly on the mucous membranes and enter directly into tiny blood vessels beneath. Via these capillaries, sublingual drugs can enter the bloodstream much more quickly than oral medications.

Potency: Certain oral medications are inactivated when they come into contact with gastric fluids or hepatic metabolism. By administering a sublingual tablet, the drug bypasses the digestive system and gets absorbed directly into the bloodstream without having to undergo liver processing. This allows for lower doses that are nonetheless equally effective.

Although sublingual medications offer a convenient alternative to oral consumption for certain medications, the fact remains that the sublingual method of drug administration is not without drawbacks. For optimal treatment outcomes, however, you must still adhere to a few sublingual medication best practices.

One of the most common misconceptions about sublingual medication is that it is only appropriate for liquid medications. While you may believe that pills are too large and bulky to be administered under the tongue, this simply isn’t true. Most pill-based sublingual medications utilize enteric coatings and compressed pellets designed to dissolve quickly in your mouth, ensuring that the medication reaches your bloodstream in a timely fashion.

Sublingual medications are also not appropriate for those patients who require ample doses of medication. Due to space limitations, sublingual medications can only hold limited amounts of active ingredients. Whereas an oral dose might contain hundreds of milligrams worth of active ingredients, it’s not uncommon for a sublingual dose to only contain tens of milligrams worth.

Additionally, patients with certain health conditions or immune deficiencies should avoid taking sublingual medications if they also take other drugs or supplements. Certain substances can interfere with how your body absorbs drugs and other substances via the mouth.

Pharmaceutical manufacturers may need to modify medications for their patients who use them sublingually in order to find the ideal delivery format for them. The process of modifying medication can be done by a compounding pharmacy like NPLabs International Compounding Pharmacy, which is a specialized pharmacy that is trained to mix and create unique formulations. The compounding process can include tablets, troches, films, sprays, and liquids.

• Tablets are the most common form of delivery for medications. They are typically shaped like traditional pills, with some medication tablets appearing as an oval or a diamond. A tablet can be placed under the tongue and will dissolve for quick delivery of the medication, which is convenient for administration at any time or place.
• A troche is a small lozenge designed to dissolve between a person’s cheek and gum over a period of time; typically 30 minutes. As the lozenge dissolves, the medication is absorbed through the oral mucosa and gradually absorbs into the bloodstream (usually within two hours).
• Films are made from a thin, paper-like material and placed immediately on the tongue for rapid absorption. This form of film is considered one of the fastest delivery methods.
• Sprays deliver medications in liquid form sprayed directly into the mouth onto the surface of the cheek or tongue. In many cases, sprays allow for more rapid absorption as they are spread across a larger surface area of the mouth.
• Liquids delivered in sublingual forms offer another alternative to pills or tablets. Sublingual liquids are specially formulated to quickly dissolve under the tongue and pass through oral tissues into circulation where they can be rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream.

Medication delivery systems can be tricky. Some medications are available in more than one format, each with its own unique benefits and drawbacks. It’s important to consider your medical needs with your doctor when deciding which delivery system is best for you.

NPLabs International Compounding Pharmacy is a pharmacy specializing in customized medications. We can compound your medications into sublingual forms that are easier to administer, and which address issues like dosing, interaction, gastrointestinal irritation, and administration. Our medications can be made with different strengths or dosages to fit your needs and preferences. We also specialize in removing undesirable inactive ingredients, including lactose and gluten.

If you have any questions about our services contact us at contact@nplabs.online or call us at +30 210 68 15 190