Sublingual or Buccal?

[helvella]

There have been many posts talking about various sub-lingual B12 products. Obviously, the very word sub-lingual means that the lozenge (or whatever you want to call it) is placed under the tongue.

Some years ago, I had some Prochlorperazine 3 mg Buccal Tablets. Rather than under the tongue, the instructions state: Place the tablet high up along your top gum, under the upper lip either side of your mouth as indicated above.

medicines.org.uk/emc/PIL.28...

When I decided to try taking B12, I almost automatically followed the same instruction as for Prochlorperazine - only later thinking that this is obviously not what is meant.

Does anyone have any evidence, or even just opinion, on whether buccal is as good as sub-lingual, or even if it might be better? Certainly I find it almost impossible to keep a lozenge sub-lingual for as long as they need.

[fbirder]

I'm pretty sure that your last comment is the reason why buccal is preferred to sublingual.

[Pastille]

The answer to this is to do with the glands under the tongue and in the inner cheek and the chemical and enzyme differences. I remember someone explaining it to me but that's all I can remember. I would have thought they would dissolve more quickly under the tongue though due to more saliva. Sorry-no evidence

[Gambit62 Administrator]

I don't have problems with sublinguals which may be because I tend to pop one in my mouth about 1/2 hour before I get up and just dose until it is gone.

I use a triptan for migraines - which is left to dissolve on the the tongue for a few seconds and is absorbed through the tongue so possible that there are differences with different chemical preparations and compounds.

[helvella in reply to Gambit62]

I am rather assuming there are differences by substance - and, though it might not be as clear as I would have wished, I was specifically asking in relation to B12!

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to helvella]

mentioned the triptan as another example of a way that oral membranes are used parallel to Buccal.

[Pastille in reply to helvella]

ah I apologise. I thought you meant does it really matter which method that you use and are there any real reasons or evidence to say that one is more effective than the other. I was saying that the different glands and what they produce are required for each method. So a sublingual would not be as effective on the gum. never mind, I shall leave this discussion as I'm just waffling now

[Sunnyduck]

I use a spray