# Dissolving pills under tongue **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 14, 2005, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dissolving-pills-under-tongue/308202 "2005-06-14T12:35:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chairman\_Pow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Chairman\_Pow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chairman_Pow)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dissolving-pills-under-tongue/308202/1 "2005-06-14T12:35:40Z")
I’ve noticed that some medicatins ask that you dissolve the pills under your tongue before swallowing. Why is this? I imagine that it has something to do with making sure that the pill is fully dissolved before it enters your stomach and is thus absorbed faster (and letting the enzymes in the mouth work on it as well). Or perhaps the membrane under the tongue is thin enough to absorb stuff directly? ---
**Author:** ![Pjen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Pjen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pjen)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dissolving-pills-under-tongue/308202/2 "2005-06-14T13:05:14Z")
> [@Chairman Pow](#): > > Or perhaps the membrane under the tongue is thin enough to absorb stuff directly? Correct- sub lingual adminstration is quicker than gastric and as quick as suppository. In both sub-lingual and rectal form the medicine passes through thin skin directly into inerstitial fluid surrounding venul;es and arterioles and hence straight into the blood supply. Additionally it also bypasses what is called first pass elimination- everything going into the stomach and absorbed into the bloodstream there goes directly to the liver which may work frantically to get the chemical out of the blood stream on its ‘first pass’ through the liver. Glyceril Tri-Nitrate is given sublingually- fast adminsitartion and misses first pass, therefore going directly to the heart and having a quick and major effect there. Note: Chewing tobacco works in the same way! ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dissolving-pills-under-tongue/308202/3 "2005-06-14T14:32:29Z")
> [@Pjen](#): > > Note: Chewing tobacco works in the same way! Skoal can fight angina? ---
**Author:** ![Pjen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Pjen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pjen)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dissolving-pills-under-tongue/308202/4 "2005-06-14T15:02:02Z")
> [@adam yax](#): > > Skoal can fight angina? ho ho ho 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mathochist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c89c15/32.png) [@Mathochist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mathochist)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dissolving-pills-under-tongue/308202/5 "2005-06-14T18:49:55Z")
> [@adam yax](#): > > Skoal can fight angina? I’ve never known someone with an 'gina who liked tobacco chewers. ---
**Author:** ![Chairman\_Pow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Chairman\_Pow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chairman_Pow)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dissolving-pills-under-tongue/308202/6 "2005-06-14T23:34:25Z")
This is getting out of hand. Thanks for the answer though. Suddenly all those bizzare directions to swish stuff in my mouth make sense. Does this work with anything, or is it only things that are prone to being absorbed? Like, would it work with my liquid vitamins, or alcohol? ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_Bowe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@Doug\_Bowe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_Bowe)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dissolving-pills-under-tongue/308202/7 "2005-06-14T23:38:45Z")
Vitamins? Well, I’ve had bariatric surgery and have to take B-12 sub lingual once a week. It’s either that or take an hour and a half a month and pay VNA for a b-12 shot. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dissolving-pills-under-tongue/308202/8 "2005-06-15T00:24:05Z")
no tastebuds under tongue 😛 ---
**Author:** ![I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_can_t_believe_that_s_butter)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dissolving-pills-under-tongue/308202/9 "2005-06-15T00:39:03Z")
Can this be done with something like aspirin in the event of a horrible migraine, and so forth?