Specifically, why can’t we get all our medicine/immunizations in pill form? The only plausible answer I can come up with is that stomach acid might destroy the stuff before it gets a chance to get into the bloodstream, but I have no idea if that’s accurate. Anyone?
(I hate getting shots)
That’s exactly it. Our digestive system does a decent job of killing things. We want the body to be exposed as directly to the weakened / neutralised pathogen as possible, so into the bloodstream it goes.
Hm, come to think of it, though, why couldn’t we inhale vaccines for respiratory illnesses? Why no “flu snort”?
Good point. I’d definitely rather inhale some nasty vapor than have a needle shoved into my flesh.
It was my needlephobia that prompted the idea!
We’ll make millions with this idea (I’m claiming partial credit for indirect inspiration). Millions, I tells ya!
Not a doctor or nurse, but - shots are not all the same. Some go subcutaneous. Some go intramuscular. Some have to go into a vein.
Some need to be diluted into the bloodstream fast enough that they don’t irritate the blood vessel wall. Those are sent through a tube that’s been snaked into the aorta, at least in one method. The thought gives me shivvers.
(Got the above from an IV therapy nurse. Any corrections are welcome.)
Doesn’t freaking matter to me, it’s still a shot.
Might work for live vaccines, but anything else might not be absorbed properly that way - the reason it’s different from catching flu that way is that we catch flu by it infecting us, not by absorbing it.
They do have a “flu snort” now. My understanding is that it’s somewhat more dangerous because it’s a live vaccine.
I’ve had quite a few central venous lines, but I draw the line at a PICC line. Any treatment requiring one of those is a treatment I’m not having.
Worst experience I ever had was an attempted venous cutdown, I was only 7 and my parents weren’t around. Luckily for me a passing anaesthetist saw what was going on and intervened. He inserted the canula himself with almost no effort, and then gave the SHO an absolutely soul-destroying bollocking infront of all the nurses and patients.
There is an oral polio vaccine; I remember getting it as a kid. (They lied to me. They said I’d be given the vaccine on a sugar cube, and then they just dripped it down my throat anyway. Batiges.) However, because oral polio vaccine (OPV) uses a live attenuated virus, there is a small but real possibility that the person getting the vaccine can either contract polio or pass the live virus onto someone else. To avoid that risk, an improved version of the original inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) is now widely in use. It has to be injected.
I just recently got discharged from an almost 5 month stay in the hospital (as I mentioned in a previous message I had a decubitus ulcer that I was foolish enough to neglect for so long that it got infected down to and including the bone). I had a PICC line for antibiotic administration most of that time. It was changed once, so each was in about 2 months. No big deal for me - I was taken down to radiology; local anesthetic was injected, and the tube was inserted and followed by X-Ray. My arm was a little uncomfortable for a day or two and it usually stung (sometimes a lot) when they changed the dressing over it weekly and used antiseptic to clean the area. I didn’t have any other problems with it.
Funny you should phrase it like that, it’s actually called flumist.
There is one. It’s called FluMist. It’s harder to find than flu shots, unfortunately. I got it once, and I recommend getting a big bottle of water or soda to drink afterward- some of it goes down into your mouth and tastes nasty.
It’s the only way I will get a flu vaccine. I’m needle-phobic enough that I’d rather have the flu for a week than get a shot. I only get shots for things that could kill me or cause permanent damage.
Vaccines are about getting an immune response - your immune system just needs to see some bacterial/viral antigens, so it can build up defenses against them in case they ever come back. Your skin is absolutely loaded with immune cells, since it’s the primary barrier between your body and all the nasty bugs outside, so injecting something into the skin is going to be a good way to introduce it to the immune system. The gut is also loaded with immune cells, but as mentioned before, stomach acid will have an effect on the vaccine, especially since it’s usually bacterial/viral proteins that are used as the immune trigger, and that’s what the stomach destroys best.
As for why some medications are administered through IV, some orally, etc:
It’s not so much your stomach acid that’s a problem. The bad guy here is your liver.
Everything that comes in through your digestive system is taken through the blood vessels around the intestines straight to the liver, where a whole bunch of different liver enzymes will work on all the different compounds you’ve just ingested. When it comes to drugs, some of them are “activated” by how the liver changes their chemical structure, and some get “deactivated”. These enzymes can be induced (turned up) by different foods, which is why sometimes your doctor or pharmacist will tell you to avoid grapefruit while taking a certain medication. Alcohol will also affect the liver’s actions, which is why it’s a bad idea to mix it with many drugs. Tylenol (acetaminophen), for example,is acted on by the same enzyme in your liver that’s needed to break down alcohol and its by-products in your blood, so mixing the two can lead to some nasty liver damage.
Injecting, inhaling, or applying a medication to the skin are all ways to bypass the liver completely, so often the more “fragile” compounds (liver-ly speaking) are best administered this way.
Very interesting. Thanks for all the info, guys!