I use pills sublingually too and have noticed this issue. What I try to do is place it directly under the vein of my tongue all the way in the back. Just keep your mouth closed for 10 minutes and it should be absorbed. Estradiol breaks down pretty quick. I've seen two makes of them, however, and the blue oval pills absorb more quickly than the round blue pills. I get the oval ones from my current pharm, so taking it this way isn't so difficult.