Many of us take medication for one thing or another, whether for a short duration such as antibiotics taken for a chest infection, or long-term medication such as statins to control blood pressure. But did you know that there is a surprising range of ways that medication can be administered?
If you are involved in administering medication, whether as part of your job role or when caring for a loved one, it can be reassuring to undertake helpful training on the safe handling of medication, via courses such as those offered by accredited training providers. You can visit Tidal Training to find out more. NHS safe medication guidelines encourage all staff to keep their skills up to date.
Medication by Mouth
Of course, the majority of medication is taken orally – that is to say, it is swallowed. This may be in the form of tablets that should be swallowed whole, liquid medicines, or tablets which are dispersed in water and taken as a drink. This is often the case with dispersible aspirin.
Inhalers
Medicines designed to prevent and cure respiratory conditions such as asthma are often taken via inhaler. Inhaling allows the medicine to get directly to the lungs where it can take effect.
Drops and Sprays
Medicines taken as drops or sprays are known as instillations. Eye drops, antihistamine nasal sprays and ear drops fall into this category.
Injections
Injections are a way of administering medication directly to the bloodstream, like vaccinations and emergency medications such as EpiPens for severe allergic reactions. Injections may be intramuscular or straight into muscle, intravenous or into the blood, or subcutaneous, such as injections of insulin to treat diabetes.
Transdermal
In our final category, we can also consider transdermal medication. This may take the form of patches, creams or gels which enter the bloodstream via the skin and take effect this way. This may suit people who do not like to swallow tablets. It is a type of medicine often used for hormonal treatments such as HRT.