Oral administration

Oral administration is a route of administration where a substance is taken through the mouth. Many medications are taken orally because they are intended to have a systemic effect, reaching different parts of the body via the bloodstream.

Adminstering oral medication

Overview

Oral administration is the most convenient and commonly employed route of drug administration. Medications given by oral administration are slowly absorbed into the systemic circulation due to the slow digestive processes of the stomach.

Advantages

Oral administration has several advantages including safety, good patient compliance, ease of intake, and cost-effectiveness. It also requires no sterile conditions and is perceived by many patients to be less invasive than other forms of administration such as intravenous administration.

Disadvantages

Despite its advantages, oral administration also has several disadvantages. Not all drugs can be administered orally - this can be due to reasons such as degradation of the drug in the stomach, inability to absorb the drug in the digestive tract, or the drug's potential to cause harm to the stomach lining.

See also

• Route of administration
• Intravenous administration
• Subcutaneous injection
• Intramuscular injection