Which route is administered by mouth and typically takes more than an hour to absorb?

Which route is administered by mouth and typically takes more than an hour to absorb?

• A. Oral administration
• B. Intravenous injection
• C. Sublingual
• D. Inhalation

Answer: (A)

Absorption rate depends on the route of administration. When a drug is taken by mouth, it must dissolve in the gastrointestinal tract and pass through the intestinal lining, with most absorption occurring in the small intestine. This process is slower and more variable, often taking more than an hour to reach systemic circulation because of factors like gastric emptying, intestinal transit time, and first-pass metabolism in the liver. That slower, digestion-driven pathway distinguishes the oral route from others that deliver drugs more rapidly. Intravenous injection delivers the drug directly into the bloodstream, so onset is immediate or extremely fast. Sublingual administration places the drug under the tongue for rapid absorption through the oral mucosa and bypasses first-pass metabolism. Inhalation brings the drug into the lungs for very fast absorption through the alveoli.

Absorption rate depends on the route of administration. When a drug is taken by mouth, it must dissolve in the gastrointestinal tract and pass through the intestinal lining, with most absorption occurring in the small intestine. This process is slower and more variable, often taking more than an hour to reach systemic circulation because of factors like gastric emptying, intestinal transit time, and first-pass metabolism in the liver. That slower, digestion-driven pathway distinguishes the oral route from others that deliver drugs more rapidly.

Intravenous injection delivers the drug directly into the bloodstream, so onset is immediate or extremely fast. Sublingual administration places the drug under the tongue for rapid absorption through the oral mucosa and bypasses first-pass metabolism. Inhalation brings the drug into the lungs for very fast absorption through the alveoli.