How to take Estrace sublingually, the correct way?

[Stephanie_b]

I switched from Estraderm patches to Estrace pills. 

What I have been doing wih the pills is putting them under my tongue and letting it dissolve.  Next, I notice that I get a ton of saliva and some of the blue seems to disappear.  But not all of it, there's still quite a bit of blue in my saliva after even 20 minutes.  At that point I swallowed the rest and drank some water.

I was just wondering if the blue is supposed to completely be absorbed in my mouth?  I just want as little of the pill as possible to go through my liver.

Is there some sort of trick to this or am I doing it right, thanx. 

[Dale]

I have been doing it for years. Just put the tablet under my tongue and in a few minutes its gone. Nothing to it.

[Ms. OBrien CVT]

I also do them sublingually, and some times I have slivers left.  I just swallow them.  By doing the pills sublingually, you are by-passing the first pass of the liver.  In other words you retain more of the Estrace in your system.

[Stephanie_b]

Dale:  thanks, but it doesn't work that way for me.  After 20 minutes of it being under my tongue, i open my mouth enough to see in the mirror that it isn't anywhere near completely absorbred by the tissues in my mouth.
I think its only possible to absorb a certain amount of it directly into the bloodstream.  I'm guessing around 40%-50% of it.

Its no big deal, I'm just trying to make it as safe as possible.

Ms. Obrien:  thank you, that's good to know!

[luna nyan]

My endo mentioned it in passing to me - the issue he has with SL administration is that it's hard to control the exact dosage that ends up going the SL route, and how much goes through the gut.  He wasn't overly concerned though - just keep it under as long as it is reasonable to do so.  If you've got high saliva flow (which is a good thing for your dental health), then more of it is going to dissolve in your mouth and go through the gut.  Regardless, a significant amount will go through SL.

[Dale]

Stephanie, maybe there is a problem with the batch of pills you received? 

[CryssL]

Make sure your mouth is moist.  I take my pills early in the morning and if my mouth is not moist, the pills don't dissolve.  I know this sounds silly, but it is something to consider.  Don't worry too much about it.  Sometimes it takes several minutes for my pills to dissolve.  I never physically check; once I no longer feel the pills, I drink some water and go about my day.

[cryan91]

This post couldn't come at a better time for me. I've just recently started sublingual. Sometimes it's perfect other times it's similar to what you've described here. I think it's important to keep your mouth moist...but not too moist. i've noticed it's better for me to rid the majority of saliva from my mouth before placing it below my tongue. That was it doesn't get flushed out from underneath the tongue and intermixed all throughout your mouth. I suppose different methods work for different people. You'll find your own sublingual method and get used to it....all in good time.

[A]

Maybe there are two kinds of Estrace and yours isn't suited for sublingual administration? I don't know. Anyway, if the pill is hard to dissolve, why don't you make powder out of it then pour the powder under your tongue? I don't think this type of pill has contraindications to being smashed.

In doubt, ask your pharmacist. It's part of their job to help people with such issues.

[luna nyan]

Anyway, if the pill is hard to dissolve, why don't you make powder out of it then pour the powder under your tongue? I don't think this type of pill has contraindications to being smashed.

Personally, I would advise against that.  The problem with crushing a tablet is that you are going to lose some of it in the process and effectively lower and vary your dosage.  Meds that are specifically designed for sublingual administration are micronised so that the particles are small enough to cross the thin mucosal tissues present in the floor of the mouth rapidly.  You can do it with non-micronised versions, but the amount crossing over is going to be slower and less consistent.

[A]

Uhm, aren't there little tools you can buy to make it efficiently? I think they sell them at pharmacies sometimes. But well, as always with such questions, ask your pharmacist and you'll know for sure!

[GhostTown11]

I used to just stick them under my tongue and make sure I did not swallow for a half hour no matter what. Now I'm on injectables and my breast buds are expanding fast so ehh :p

[Stephanie_b]

Maybe there are two kinds of Estrace and yours isn't suited for sublingual administration? I don't know. Anyway, if the pill is hard to dissolve, why don't you make powder out of it then pour the powder under your tongue? I don't think this type of pill has contraindications to being smashed.

In doubt, ask your pharmacist. It's part of their job to help people with such issues.

Thanks, these are micronized pills.  Maybe I'm just not waiting long enough before i swallow, i have noticed the colour really fades a lot those...much of it does just disappear

[Stephanie_b]

I used to just stick them under my tongue and make sure I did not swallow for a half hour no matter what. Now I'm on injectables and my breast buds are expanding fast so ehh :p

Hehehe, I have breast buds too, little ones though.  I'm like, grow, grow, grow!!
They are coming along though,
Congrats on yours!  You'll need a bra anytime now