Women intuitively know the pill won’t solve all their hormone-related woes – such as acne, cramps or heavy periods – nor prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
IUDs (intrauterine devices) and implants are long-acting and reversible forms of birth control that don’t need to be switched daily – they provide pregnancy protection as well as ease menstrual symptoms.
Troches
Troches are medicated lozenges designed to dissolve quickly in the mouth, and are frequently used to administer bioidentical hormones to patients. You can flavor them to mask any bitterness caused by their base. In patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome as they limit how much medication enters their digestive tract at one time; elderly individuals who struggle to swallow pills also often benefit from using troches as dosage forms.
Hormones that are swallowed go directly to the digestive system for processing by digestive acids, making them less effective – particularly with hormones used for bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. Slow dissolving troches are designed to bypass this step and allow hormones to enter the bloodstream more gradually, helping avoid spikes and troughs in hormone levels.
Gummies come in various flavors and can be administered by placing them under the tongue or cheek cavity and dissolving on their own or with some water assistance.
Injections
Injectable medications may be better suited for drugs that would otherwise be destroyed by stomach acid if taken orally, or when immediate action is required. Insulin injection is one such example; long-acting reversible contraceptives such as implants and IUDs also often benefit from being administered this way.
Many injections are designed for single dose (known as bolus injections) or continuous medication delivery, for example in some psychiatric medications administered through long-acting depot injections that release slowly over weeks or months.
Participants of a clinical study and participants surveyed who currently used injections reported they preferred pill therapies over parenteral therapies for all drugs or diseases regardless of frequency, and this includes those injecting weekly or monthly. Pills offered more compliance and less reminders, making it easier to remember taking their medication on time without missing or forgetting doses – which could have serious medical repercussions if missed or forgotten doses occurred.
Sublingual (under the tongue)
Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) may be recommended by your doctor as an effective form of allergy treatment. This involves placing drops daily under your tongue which expose you to small doses of allergen, helping your immune system adapt so it no longer responds negatively. A dose-escalation process may also be implemented whereby gradually increasing the strength of drops day-by-day is employed by your physician.
Sublingual medications or those taken sublingually between your cheek and gum can be quickly absorbed. Bypassing your gastrointestinal tract, they enter your bloodstream more quickly while also bypassing first-pass metabolism and enzyme degradation processes in the digestive tract.
Compound sublingual GLP-1 medications are specially prepared by compounding pharmacies to be placed sublingually for absorption. They offer an alternative to injections for those who dislike needles or don’t wish to self-inject their medication; typically shaped like regular oral tablets but dissolving under the tongue instead of being swallowed.
Topical (on the skin)
As our skin is one of the largest organs, pharmacists utilize it as one of their delivery systems. Common examples are ointments and creams; patches, sprays and powders may also be employed. Some topical medications target local treatment while others aim to affect our bodies as a whole via absorption through our skin – these may include corticosteroids to decrease inflammation or anabolic steroids that increase muscle mass.
Whenever your doctor prescribes a topical drug, be sure to follow its label instructions exactly. Excessive application won’t speed up treatment and could potentially irritate your skin instead. Furthermore, inform your physician of all of the medicines, vitamins, herbs, dietary supplements and other health products you are using as these may interact with these topicals; this is particularly pertinent if taking anti-inflammatory or steroid cream medications.
