Sublingual tablets are tablet medications designed to be administered through the mucosal membranes lining the floor of your mouth. Sublingual tablets differ from oral tablets because sublingual tablets are generally absorbed more quickly than oral ones. Sublingual tablets are more quickly absorbed due to their permeability, dissolution rate and concentration. Because sublingual tablets are absorbed quickly, the dose and frequency of administration are affected.
Sublingual Dissolution Rate
A study published in a 2011 issue of "The Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology" examined how quickly sublingual tablets dissolved and their effect on absorption. The study involved the use of rabbit test subjects and sublingual perphenazine tablets. The study compared dissolution and dispersion rates of sublingual perphenazine with oral perphenazine and intravenous perphenazine. The results of the study showed that sublingual tablets are designed to dissolve quickly in a small amount of saliva. Oral tablets are absorbed via the digestive tract and generally do not dissolve as quickly as sublingual tablets. This explains why oral tablets take longer to dissolve and be absorbed by your body compared to sublingual tablets.
Permeability
Sublingual tablets are quickly absorbed because of the permeability of the sublingual oral mucosa. Generally speaking the permeability of your inner cheek is up to 4,000 times greater than your skin, according to a 1998 article in the "Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences". This means that something absorbed via your sublingual oral mucosa enters your blood stream much faster because of its higher permeability.
Plasma Concentration
Sublingual tablets take longer to reach full plasma concentration than oral tablets, according to a 1988 study published in the "International Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, Therapy and Toxicology". The study involved 20 patients undergoing minor gynecological surgery. The study measured the plasma concentrations of both sublingual and oral medication over a period of eight hours after administration. The results showed that oral medications took 40 min to reach maximal concentration, while sublingual medications required 60 minutes. Another study published in a 1997 issue of "Obstetrics and Gynecology" examined how long sublingual tablet medication remains in your system. The study showed that sublingual medication levels start falling rapidly within the first six hours of administration.
Frequency of Dosing
The absorption rate of sublingual tablets affects how often you are dosed. The typical nitroglycerin adult dose to treat or prevent angina is between 2.5 mg to 6.5 mg oral tablets. Oral tablets are administered three to four times a day. It is possible to administer sublingual tablet doses of nitroglycerin at a rate of one tablet every five minutes as needed up to 15 minutes.
References
- Drugs.com: Nitroglycerin (Oral Route, Sublingual Route)
- "International Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, Therapy and Toxicology"; Plasma Concentrations Following Oral and Sublingual Administration of Lorazepam; P. Gram-Hansen, et al.; June 1988
- "Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences"; Buccal Mucosa As a Route For Systemic Drug Delivery: A Review; Amir H. Shojaei; January 1998
- "Obstetrics and Gynecology"; Single-Dose Pharmacokinetics of Sublingual Versus Oral Administration of Micronized 17 Beta-Estradiol; T.M. Price, et al.; March 1997
- "The Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology"; Fast-Dissolving Sublingual Solid Dispersion and Cyclodextrin Complex Increase the Absorption of Perphenazine in Rabbits; E. Turunen, et al.; January 2011
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