Substance
Almost any form of substance may be amenable to sublingual administration if it dissolves easily in saliva. Powders and aerosols may all take advantage of this method. However, a number of factors, such as pH, molecular weight, and lipid solubility, may determine whether the route is practical. Based on these properties, a suitably soluble drug may diffuse too slowly through the mucosa to be effective. However, many drugs are much more potent taken sublingually, and it is generally a safer alternative than administration via the nasal mucosa. Due to the high cost of pharmaceuticals, some people opt to split their pills and take them sublingually in order to obtain the same therapeutic effects of oral administration while utilizing half the dose. This method is also extensively used by people attempting to abuse certain psychoactive drugs. One drawback, however, is tooth discoloration and decay caused by long-term use of this method with acidic or otherwise caustic drugs and fillers.
Read more about this topic: Sublingual
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—Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592)
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—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882)
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