From what I’ve heard a lot of drugs go rectally, they diffuse across the rectal wall which doesn’t have the protective layer of skin(why you shouldn’t have unprotected anal sex) the liquid passes across the capsule wall and through the tissue and then into the bloodstream.
Is this correct?
I suppose if that was correct, it would be good for drugs that get broken down in the stomach.
I don’t know your answer, but your last comment makes me wonder if you’re considering whether it’s okay to take oral medications rectally.
Is this what you’re getting at?
Im talking about illicit drugs. or prescription drugs that are usually taken orally… only to then be abused by a drug addict who decides instead of taking it the natural way, they go a bit unconventional and take it rectally.
As long as it is something which can be absorbed through a mucus membrane (I believe anything water soluble will work) it should work. Things like cocaine and ecsatsy should work. Some people like to do this for various reasons, one of which is what you mentioned, avoided the loss of some of the drug to reactions in the stomach.
Ecstasy is taken rectally by some because more of it is absorbed into the body through the membrane wall. I have never heard of cocaine being done that way, snorting seems to be the most effective delivery method for coke.
Snorting X is not pleasant at all, so some users will either 1)pop a pill up their rear, or 2)crush a pill, put it in a capsule, and insert it.
Some drugs are administered rectally because they have a slower processing time. Chloral Hydrate is given to babies as a sedative rectally because of it’s bitter taste. Sometimes the doses are as large as two grammes.
I think another advantage of rectal absorption is reduced “first pass” clearance by the liver. Many drugs are broken down by the liver, reducing their effect. If you swallow a pill and it gets absorbed by the stomach or small intestine, the first place the drug-laden blood goes to is the liver. The liver detoxifies this blood before it is ever seen by the rest of the body (thus “first pass”).
The lower end of the anal canal (below the pectinate line, for enthusiasts) does not have its venous drainage directly connected to the liver. Instead it drains to the inferior vena cava, which goes directly to the right side of the heart. Thus, componds absorbed there can do their good (or harm) without a first go-round with the liver.