Routes of administration: Difference between revisions

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Determining an optimal route of administration is highly dependent on the substance consumed, its desired duration and potency and side effects, and one's personal comfort level.

Intravenous injection is the fastest route of administration, causing blood concentrations to rise the most quickly, followed by smoking, suppository (anal or vaginal insertion), insufflation (snorting), and ingestion (swallowing).<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312678025 |doi=10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2016.08.210|title=Intravenous and smoked methamphetamine produce different subjective and physiological effects in women |year=2017 |last1=Goeders |first1=Nicholas E. |journal=Drug and Alcohol Dependence |volume=171 |pages=e73 }}</ref>

Intravenous injection is the fastest route of administration, causing blood concentrations to rise the most quickly, followed by smoking, suppository (anal or vaginal insertion), insufflation (snorting), and ingestion (swallowing).<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312678025 |doi=10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2016.08.210|title=Intravenous and smoked methamphetamine produce different subjective and physiological effects in women |year=2017 |last1=Goeders |first1=Nicholas E. |journal=Drug and Alcohol Dependence |volume=171 |pages=e73 }}</ref> A rapid rise in concentration can trigger an intense surge of effects for many substances. A rapid rise in concentration can trigger a quick [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rush_(psychology) rush] of effects for many substances.

==Multi-route hazard substances==

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===Risks===

Short-term side effects of insufflation includes nasal congestion, which may last for 24 hours.

Frequent insufflation of some substances can damage one's mucous membranes, induce bleeding, damage the nostril's cartilage and lining, burn the throat, and cause other trauma to the nasal passage and sinus area.<ref>{{Citation | title=Ask Erowid : ID 41 : Is snorting MDMA worse for you than taking it orally? | url=https://www.erowid.org/ask/ask.php?ID=41}}</ref> A [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasal_septum_perforation nasal septum perforation] is a medical condition in which the nasal septum, the bony/cartilaginous wall dividing the nasal cavities, develops a hole or fissure.

Also, sharing snorting equipment (nasal spray bottles, straws, banknotes, bullets, etc) has been linked to the transmission of hepatitis C. (Bonkovsky and Mehta) In one study, the University of Tennessee Medical Center researches warned that other blood-borne diseases such as HIV, the AIDS-causing virus, could be transmitted as well.<ref>{{Citation | year=2016 | title=Sharing Drug “Snorting Straws” Spreads Hepatitis C | url=https://consumer.healthday.com/infectious-disease-information-21/hepatitis-news-373/sharing-drug-snorting-straws-spreads-hepatitis-c-713114.html}}</ref> Drinking makes it harder to resist pressure and clouds your ability to make safe choices. Not only might you miss signs of danger, like blood stains on shared equipment, but alcohol weakens your immune system, making it easier to catch and spread viruses.

==Respiratory tract==

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=====Chasing the dragon=====

[[File:Chasing.jpg|thumb|Chasing the dragon, aka foily.]]

[[File:Chasing.jpg|thumb|Chasing the dragon, aka foily, can be considered unresponsible drug use due to its unpredictable nature.]]

[[Heroin]] is colloquially referred to as "smoked" but is really vaporized, often using tinfoil as a barrier between the substance and the flame source. The heat source can be held at different distances as temperature control. An alternative version is to use a "stainless steel one-quarter teaspoon and vaporized it over a cigarette lighter collecting the smoke in an upside-down funnel."<ref>{{cite web |title=Erowid Online Books : "TIHKAL" - #38 5-MEO-DMT |url=http://www.erowid.org/library/books_online/tihkal/tihkal38.shtml |website=www.erowid.org}}</ref>

======Risks======

~~This is likely~~ the ~~least clinically delivered route of administration. An overdose caused by~~ chasing the dragon is ~~hard~~ to ~~predict because this~~ technique ~~doesn't deliver~~ a standardized ~~dosage~~. ~~It's virtually impossible even for skilled~~ users ~~to know~~ how much of the substance ~~that~~ has been ~~evaporated~~, burned, and inhaled.

Overdosing from inhaling vaporized drugs through the "chasing the dragon" method is extremely difficult to anticipate. This technique does not allow for a controlled, standardized dose. Even experienced users cannot accurately gauge how much of the substance has been vaporized, burned, and ultimately inhaled into the body.

The inconsistent and unregulated nature of this consumption method creates a false sense of safety. A dose that seemed harmless one time may potentially prove fatal the next, as various random factors influence how much of the drug is actually ingested.

Moreover, using specialized smoking devices like bongs designed for more efficient inhalation dramatically increases the amount consumed compared to rudimentary foil methods. An amount that may have been tolerable when smoked off foil could easily become an overdose when the same quantity is fully vaporized and inhaled through an optimized apparatus.

~~These combined factors may create a false sense~~ of ~~security when a given dose seems safe~~ to ~~repeat~~, ~~but may cause~~ an overdose ~~when all the factors are randomly excluded~~.

The lack of dosage control and potential to underestimate potency make chasing the dragon an inherently risky and unpredictable way to use drugs, with an ever-present danger of accidental overdose.

[[#The Machine]] is a much safer than chasing the dragon.

[[#The Machine]] is a much safer than "chasing the dragon".

==Injection==

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This route is typically not observed in non-medical or recreational contexts due to the manufacturing requirements.

==Ocular==

*'''Transconjunctival:''' Most commonly observed medically (ex. eyedrops) but infrequently occurs with recreational drug abuse, such as with [[LSD]] and [[Heroin]]

*'''Intraocular:''' This route is rarely observed in non-ophthalmological-medical or recreational environments due to the fragile and complex structure of the eye

===Risks===

Transconjunctival drug administration has been associated with corneal and conjunctival abrasions and hemorrhaging<ref>Lo D, Cobbs L, Chua M, Young J, Haberman ID, Modi Y. "Eye Dropping"-A Case Report of Transconjunctival Lysergic Acid Diethylamide Drug Abuse. Cornea. 2018 Oct;37(10):1324-1325. PMID: 30004961. doi: 10.1097/ICO.0000000000001692.</ref>

==See also==

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==External links==

*[[wikipedia:Route of administration|Route of administration (Wikipedia)]]

*[[wikipedia:Route of administration |Route of administration (Wikipedia)]]

==References==

@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 Determining an optimal route of administration is highly dependent on the substance consumed, its desired duration and potency and side effects, and one's personal comfort level.
-Intravenous injection is the fastest route of administration, causing blood concentrations to rise the most quickly, followed by smoking, suppository (anal or vaginal insertion), insufflation (snorting), and ingestion (swallowing).<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312678025 |doi=10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2016.08.210|title=Intravenous and smoked methamphetamine produce different subjective and physiological effects in women |year=2017 |last1=Goeders |first1=Nicholas E. |journal=Drug and Alcohol Dependence |volume=171 |pages=e73 }}</ref>
+Intravenous injection is the fastest route of administration, causing blood concentrations to rise the most quickly, followed by smoking, suppository (anal or vaginal insertion), insufflation (snorting), and ingestion (swallowing).<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312678025 |doi=10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2016.08.210|title=Intravenous and smoked methamphetamine produce different subjective and physiological effects in women |year=2017 |last1=Goeders |first1=Nicholas E. |journal=Drug and Alcohol Dependence |volume=171 |pages=e73 }}</ref> A rapid rise in concentration can trigger an intense surge of effects for many substances. A rapid rise in concentration can trigger a quick [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rush_(psychology) rush] of effects for many substances.
 ==Multi-route hazard substances==
@@ Line 87: / Line 87: @@
 ===Risks===
 {{Template:Warning/Nasal administration}}
+Short-term side effects of insufflation includes nasal congestion, which may last for 24 hours.
+Frequent insufflation of some substances can damage one's mucous membranes, induce bleeding, damage the nostril's cartilage and lining, burn the throat, and cause other trauma to the nasal passage and sinus area.<ref>{{Citation | title=Ask Erowid : ID 41 : Is snorting MDMA worse for you than taking it orally? | url=https://www.erowid.org/ask/ask.php?ID=41}}</ref> A [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasal_septum_perforation nasal septum perforation] is a medical condition in which the nasal septum, the bony/cartilaginous wall dividing the nasal cavities, develops a hole or fissure.
+Also, sharing snorting equipment (nasal spray bottles, straws, banknotes, bullets, etc) has been linked to the transmission of hepatitis C. (Bonkovsky and Mehta) In one study, the University of Tennessee Medical Center researches warned that other blood-borne diseases such as HIV, the AIDS-causing virus, could be transmitted as well.<ref>{{Citation | year=2016 | title=Sharing Drug “Snorting Straws” Spreads Hepatitis C | url=https://consumer.healthday.com/infectious-disease-information-21/hepatitis-news-373/sharing-drug-snorting-straws-spreads-hepatitis-c-713114.html}}</ref> Drinking makes it harder to resist pressure and clouds your ability to make safe choices. Not only might you miss signs of danger, like blood stains on shared equipment, but alcohol weakens your immune system, making it easier to catch and spread viruses.
 ==Respiratory tract==
@@ Line 197: / Line 203: @@
 =====Chasing the dragon=====
-[[File:Chasing.jpg|thumb|Chasing the dragon, aka foily.]]
+[[File:Chasing.jpg|thumb|Chasing the dragon, aka foily, can be considered unresponsible drug use due to its unpredictable nature.]]
 [[Heroin]] is colloquially referred to as "smoked" but is really vaporized, often using tinfoil as a barrier between the substance and the flame source. The heat source can be held at different distances as temperature control. An alternative version is to use a "stainless steel one-quarter teaspoon and vaporized it over a cigarette lighter collecting the smoke in an upside-down funnel."<ref>{{cite web |title=Erowid Online Books : "TIHKAL" - #38 5-MEO-DMT |url=http://www.erowid.org/library/books_online/tihkal/tihkal38.shtml |website=www.erowid.org}}</ref>
 ======Risks======
-This is likely the least clinically delivered route of administration. An overdose caused by chasing the dragon is hard to predict because this technique doesn't deliver a standardized dosage. It's virtually impossible even for skilled users to know how much of the substance that has been evaporated, burned, and inhaled.
+Overdosing from inhaling vaporized drugs through the "chasing the dragon" method is extremely difficult to anticipate. This technique does not allow for a controlled, standardized dose. Even experienced users cannot accurately gauge how much of the substance has been vaporized, burned, and ultimately inhaled into the body.
+The inconsistent and unregulated nature of this consumption method creates a false sense of safety. A dose that seemed harmless one time may potentially prove fatal the next, as various random factors influence how much of the drug is actually ingested.
+Moreover, using specialized smoking devices like bongs designed for more efficient inhalation dramatically increases the amount consumed compared to rudimentary foil methods. An amount that may have been tolerable when smoked off foil could easily become an overdose when the same quantity is fully vaporized and inhaled through an optimized apparatus.
-These combined factors may create a false sense of security when a given dose seems safe to repeat, but may cause an overdose when all the factors are randomly excluded.
+The lack of dosage control and potential to underestimate potency make chasing the dragon an inherently risky and unpredictable way to use drugs, with an ever-present danger of accidental overdose.
-[[#The Machine]] is a much safer than chasing the dragon.
+[[#The Machine]] is a much safer than "chasing the dragon".
 ==Injection==
@@ Line 253: / Line 263: @@
 This route is typically not observed in non-medical or recreational contexts due to the manufacturing requirements.
+==Ocular==
+*'''Transconjunctival:''' Most commonly  observed medically (ex. eyedrops) but infrequently occurs with recreational drug abuse, such as with [[LSD]] and [[Heroin]]
+*'''Intraocular:''' This route is rarely observed in non-ophthalmological-medical or recreational environments due to the fragile and complex structure of the eye
+===Risks===
+Transconjunctival drug administration has been associated with corneal and conjunctival abrasions and hemorrhaging<ref>Lo D, Cobbs L, Chua M, Young J, Haberman ID, Modi Y. "Eye Dropping"-A Case Report of Transconjunctival Lysergic Acid Diethylamide Drug Abuse. Cornea. 2018 Oct;37(10):1324-1325. PMID: 30004961. doi: 10.1097/ICO.0000000000001692.</ref>
 ==See also==
@@ Line 263: / Line 280: @@
 ==External links==
-*[[wikipedia:Route of administration|Route of administration (Wikipedia)]]
+*[[wikipedia:Route of administration |Route of administration (Wikipedia)]]
 ==References==