Medications administered by subcutaneous injection include drugs that can be given in small volumes usually less than 1 mL but up to 2 mL is safe. Insulin and some hormones are commonly administered as subcutaneous injections. Other drugs that need to be given very quickly can also be administered via subcutaneous injection. Some pain medications like morphine and hydromorphone Dilaudid can be given this way as well. Drugs that prevent nausea and vomiting like metoclopramide Reglan or dexamethasone DexPak can also be given via subcutaneous injection.
Some vaccines and allergy shots are administered as a subcutaneous injection. Many other vaccines are administered as an intramuscular injection — into muscle tissue rather than under the skin. The location of injection is important for subcutaneous injections.
The drug needs to be injected into the fatty tissue just below the skin. Some areas of the body have a more easily accessible layer of tissue, where a needle injected under the skin will not hit muscle, bone, or blood vessels.
Wash your hands. Wash your hands with soap and warm water to prevent potential infection. Be sure to thoroughly scrub between fingers, on the backs of hands, and under fingernails. Clean and inspect the injection site. Alternate injection sites to prevent damage to an area with repeated injections. Then you should clean the skin with an alcohol swab. Let the alcohol dry thoroughly before doing the injection.
Prepare the syringe with medication. Use a new needle and syringe with every injection. Remove the cap from the vial. If the vial is multidose, make a note about when the vial was first opened. The rubber stopper should be cleaned with an alcohol swab. Draw air into the syringe. This is done because the vial is a vacuum, and you need to add an equal amount of air to regulate the pressure. This makes it easier to draw the medication into the syringe.
Insert air into the vial. Remove the cap from the needle and push the needle through the rubber stopper at the top of the vial. Inject all the air into the vial. Be careful to not touch the needle to keep it clean. Withdraw the medication. Turn the vial and syringe upside down so the needle points upward. Then pull back on the plunger to withdraw the correct amount of medication.
The absorption of the aqueous is fast and the depot form is slow. The advantage of the depot form is that it can provide a sustained dose over an extend period of time. The absoroption of subcutaneous injections is slower than that of IV route and it needs absorption similar to Intramuscular injection. However it minimizes the risks associated with IV injections.
This route is used for gaseous drugs or those that can be dispersed in an aerosol, and is produces an effect almost as fast as with IV. It provides rapid delivery across the mucous membranes of the respirateory tract. It is used for asthmatic drugs, and anesthetics. Drug administration directly into the nose. Includes agents such as nasal decongestants or cocaine by abusers. Drug administration through the skin. It can achieve systemic effects but rate of absorption can vary markedly depending on the physical characteristics of the skin at application.
Drug administration into the cerebrospinal fluid CSF. Used in cases of CNS cancers, cryptococcal meningitis etc. Itching makes people want to scratch. See also Itching. Normal skin owes its soft, pliable texture to its water content. To help protect against water loss, the outer layer of skin contains oil The drug is mixed with inactive substances.
Depending on the consistency of the inactive substances, the formulation may be an ointment, cream, lotion, solution, powder, or gel see Topical Preparations Topical Preparations Topical drugs drugs applied directly to the skin are a mainstay of treating skin disorders. Systemic drugs are taken by mouth or given by injection and are distributed throughout the body Some drugs are delivered bodywide through a patch on the skin.
These drugs are sometimes mixed with a chemical such as alcohol that enhances penetration through the skin into the bloodstream without any injection.
Through a patch, the drug can be delivered slowly and continuously for many hours or days or even longer. As a result, levels of a drug in the blood can be kept relatively constant. Patches are particularly useful for drugs that are quickly eliminated from the body because such drugs, if taken in other forms, would have to be taken frequently. However, patches may irritate the skin of some people. In addition, patches are limited by how quickly the drug can penetrate the skin.
Only drugs to be given in relatively small daily doses can be given through patches. Examples of such drugs include nitroglycerin for chest pain , scopolamine for motion sickness , nicotine for smoking cessation , clonidine for high blood pressure , and fentanyl for pain relief.
Merck and Co. From developing new therapies that treat and prevent disease to helping people in need, we are committed to improving health and well-being around the world. The Manual was first published in as a service to the community. Learn more about our commitment to Global Medical Knowledge. This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here. Common Health Topics. Oral route.
Injection routes. Sublingual and buccal routes. Rectal route. Vaginal route. Ocular route. Otic route. Nasal route. Inhalation route. Nebulization route. Cutaneous route. Transdermal route. Administration and Kinetics of Drugs. Test your knowledge. Which of the following is described as the study of genetic differences in the response to drugs?
More Content. Drugs are introduced into the body by several routes. They may be. Taken by mouth orally. Placed under the tongue sublingually or between the gums and cheek buccally. Placed in the eye by the ocular route or the ear by the otic route. Sprayed into the nose and absorbed through the nasal membranes nasally. Applied to the skin cutaneously for a local topical or bodywide systemic effect.
Delivered through the skin by a patch transdermally for a systemic effect. Other routes of administration are required when the oral route cannot be used, for example:. When a person cannot take anything by mouth. When a drug must be administered rapidly or in a precise or very high dose.
Administration by injection parenteral administration includes the following routes:. Subcutaneous under the skin. Through the Skin Sometimes a drug is given through the skin—by needle subcutaneous, intramuscular, or intravenous route , by patch transdermal route , or by implantation.
0コメント