Oral administration is a route of administration whereby a substance is taken through the Human mouth, swallowed, and then processed via the digestive system. This is a common route of administration for many medications.
Oral administration can be easier and less painful than other routes of administration, such as injection. However, the onset of action is relatively low, and the effectiveness is reduced if it is not absorbed properly in the digestive system, or if it is broken down by digestive enzymes before it can reach the bloodstream. Some medications may cause gastrointestinal side effects, such as nausea or vomiting, when taken orally. Oral administration can also only be applied to conscious patients, and patients able to swallow.
Terminology
Per os (;
P.O.) is an adverbial phrase meaning literally from Latin "through the mouth" or "by mouth". The expression is used in medicine to describe a treatment that is taken orally (but not used
Oral medicine such as, for example,
caries prophylaxis).
The abbreviation
P.O. is often used on medical prescriptions.
Scope
Enteral administration includes:
-
Buccal, dissolved inside the cheek
-
Sublabial, dissolved under the lip
-
Sublingual administration (SL), dissolved under the tongue, but due to rapid absorption many consider SL a parenteral route
-
Oral (PO), swallowed tablet, capsule or liquid
Enteral medications come in various forms, including
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Tablets to swallow, chew or dissolve in water or under the tongue
-
Capsules and chewable capsules (with a coating that dissolves in the stomach or bowel to release the medication there)
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Time-release or sustained-release tablets and capsules (which release the medication gradually)
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Powders or granules
and oral liquid dosage forms:
-
Teas
-
Drops
-
Liquid medications or syrups
Facilitating methods
Concomitant ingestion of
water facilitates in swallowing tablets and capsules.
[ TheFreeDictionary > oral administration of medication Citing: Mosby's Medical Dictionary, 8th edition. 2009] If the substance has disagreeable
taste, addition of a
Flavoring may facilitate
ingestion.
[ Substances that are harmful to the human tooth are preferably given through a drinking straw.][
]
See also
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Nothing by mouth
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List of abbreviations used in medical prescriptions
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List of Latin phrases
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Medical prescription
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Thin-film drug delivery
