How fast do drugs work

See also Introduction to Administration and Kinetics of Drugs Introduction to Administration and Kinetics of Drugs Drug administration is the giving of a drug by one of several means routes. Drug kinetics pharmacokinetics describes how the body handles a drug and accounts for the processes of absorption Many drugs can be administered orally as liquids, capsules, tablets, or chewable tablets.

Because the oral route is the most convenient and usually the safest and least expensive, it is the one most often used. However, it has limitations because of the way a drug typically moves through the digestive tract.

For drugs administered orally, absorption may begin in the mouth and stomach. However, most drugs are usually absorbed from the small intestine. The drug passes through the intestinal wall and travels to the liver before being transported via the bloodstream to its target site. The intestinal wall and liver chemically alter metabolize many drugs, decreasing the amount of drug reaching the bloodstream.

Consequently, these drugs are often given in smaller doses when injected intravenously to produce the same effect. When a drug is taken orally, food and other drugs in the digestive tract may affect how much of and how fast the drug is absorbed.

Thus, some drugs should be taken on an empty stomach, others should be taken with food, others should not be taken with certain other drugs, and still others cannot be taken orally at all. Some orally administered drugs irritate the digestive tract. For example, aspirin and most other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs In some cases, treating the underlying disorder eliminates or minimizes the pain. For example, setting a broken bone in a cast or giving antibiotics for an infected joint helps reduce pain Peptic ulcers can result from Helicobacter pylori Other drugs are absorbed poorly or erratically in the digestive tract or are destroyed by the acid and digestive enzymes in the stomach.

A drug product can be prepared or manufactured in ways that prolong drug absorption from the injection site for hours, days, or longer. Such products do not need to be administered as often as drug products with more rapid absorption. Sometimes a drug is given through the skin—by needle subcutaneous, intramuscular, or intravenous route , by patch transdermal route , or by implantation.

For the subcutaneous route, a needle is inserted into fatty tissue just beneath the skin. After a drug is injected, it then moves into small blood vessels capillaries and is carried away by the bloodstream. Alternatively, a drug reaches the bloodstream through the lymphatic vessels see figure Lymphatic System: Helping Defend Against Infection Lymphatic System: Helping Defend Against Infection Lymphomas are cancers of lymphocytes, which reside in the lymphatic system and in blood-forming organs.

Lymphomas are cancers of a specific type of white blood cells known as lymphocytes. Protein drugs that are large in size, such as insulin, usually reach the bloodstream through the lymphatic vessels because these drugs move slowly from the tissues into capillaries.

The subcutaneous route is used for many protein drugs because such drugs would be destroyed in the digestive tract if they were taken orally. Certain drugs such as progestins used for hormonal birth control Hormonal Methods of Contraception Contraceptive hormones can be Taken by mouth oral contraceptives Inserted into the vagina vaginal rings or barrier contraceptives Applied to the skin patch Implanted under the skin read more may be given by inserting plastic capsules under the skin implantation.

Although this route of administration is rarely used, its main advantage is to provide a long-term therapeutic effect for example, etonogestrel that is implanted for contraception may last up to 3 years. The intramuscular route is preferred to the subcutaneous route when larger volumes of a drug product are needed. Because the muscles lie below the skin and fatty tissues, a longer needle is used. Drugs are usually injected into the muscle of the upper arm, thigh, or buttock.

How quickly the drug is absorbed into the bloodstream depends, in part, on the blood supply to the muscle: The sparser the blood supply, the longer it takes for the drug to be absorbed. For the intravenous route, a needle is inserted directly into a vein.

A solution containing the drug may be given in a single dose or by continuous infusion. For infusion, the solution is moved by gravity from a collapsible plastic bag or, more commonly, by an infusion pump through thin flexible tubing to a tube catheter inserted in a vein, usually in the forearm. Intravenous administration is the best way to deliver a precise dose quickly and in a well-controlled manner throughout the body.

It is also used for irritating solutions, which would cause pain and damage tissues if given by subcutaneous or intramuscular injection. An intravenous injection can be more difficult to administer than a subcutaneous or intramuscular injection because inserting a needle or catheter into a vein may be difficult, especially if the person is obese.

When given intravenously, a drug is delivered immediately to the bloodstream and tends to take effect more quickly than when given by any other route. The results of drug tests for Synthetic Marijuana greatly depend on how frequently the user inhales the drug. Opioids are a class of drugs that include Fentanyl , Heroin , and pain relievers such as Oxycodone , Hydrocodone , Codeine , and Morphine.

The misuse of prescription Opioids and Heroin affects 2 million Americans each year and is steadily increasing. Living in the midst of an Opioid epidemic may require employers or judges to test people for drugs. The timeframe for detection depends on the specific drug, the frequency and quantity of use, metabolism, and body fat.

Make a Call Benzodiazepines are sedatives that are commonly prescribed for anxiety or insomnia. The number of adults misusing these drugs is increasing, with the largest group of people misusing being ages 50 to Common Benzodiazepines include Valium , Xanax , and Klonopin.

Benzodiazepines usually stay in your system for 2 to 7 days if being detected by a urine test but can be detected for longer if the use is repeated. Some Hallucinogens, like PCP and Ketamine , are man-made chemicals while others such as Psilocybin commonly called magic mushrooms are grown as plants and then consumed.

Most of these drugs will be out of your system in a few days, but similar to other drugs, they can be found in hair follicles up to 90 days after use. Sixteen million American adults are prescribed Stimulants that are meant to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy. Unfortunately, some people misuse prescription medications or use illicit drugs such as Cocaine or Methamphetamine. Barbiturates are drugs mainly used to treat insomnia and seizures disorders.

They are not as commonly prescribed as they used to be because of better alternatives available today. However, the number of people abusing Barbiturates is on the rise, giving the user a high that makes them feel drowsy and intoxicated. There are several factors that determine how long Barbiturates will stay in your system.

First is if the drug is short acting or intermediate acting. Second is how much and how often the drug is taken, and third is the individuals body weight, hydration levels, metabolism, food intake, and sex.

Alcohol is a Central Nervous System Depressant, and although it is legal for people over 21 in America, it is commonly abused and causes 88, deaths each year. Most standard drug tests do not include alcohol, but there are tests to confirm alcohol abstinence if need be.

There are hundreds of products that claim to help people pass drug tests, such as synthetic urine and detoxing cleanses, but the only guaranteed way to pass a test is to abstain from using drugs. Learn More. If someone you know is unable to stop misusing drugs or consuming alcohol to pass a drug test, they may have a serious substance use disorder. Contact a treatment provider to get more information on treatment options. She earned a B. Many drugs are broken down from their original state into metabolites as they are processed through the body.

The healthier your body, the faster this process can work. Your age, sex, and even race can influence how long drugs take to work their way out of your body. As you get older, your metabolism slows down. Per Journals of Gerontology , as you age, your liver function and blood flow reduce. This can impact metabolism. A slowed metabolism can mean that it will take longer for a drug to fully leave your system.

Women and men process and metabolize drugs differently as well. As reported by U. Pharmacist , women absorb drugs differently, and drugs can stay in their bodies for longer than they do in men. Other personal factors like race can also be involved in how drugs are processed out of the body. The journal Nature publishes that genetic contributors related to race can play a role in how medications and drugs are metabolized.

Additional Factors Other genetic contributors can be involved in your personal route of drug metabolism and therefore how long a drug may stay in your body. Addiction is heritable, and drug tolerance and rates of dependence can also have genetic markers.

Regular and repeated use of a mind-altering drug changes the way your brain and body react, altering brain chemistry and function. This can cause drug dependence. When the drug leaves your body and stops being active in the brain, you can experience withdrawal symptoms. Table of contents Section A. Section B. Topic 2: Introduction to how drugs work. Topic 3: Classifying drugs. Topic 4: How psycho-active drugs act on the body.

Topic 5: How drugs move through the body. Topic 6: Drug effects. Topic 7: Effects of specific psycho-active drugs.