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Scopolamine blood levels following buccal versus ingested tablets
J F Golding1, E Gosden, J Gerrell
1Institute of Naval Medicine, Gosport, Hants, United Kingdom.
Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine
|June 1, 1991
Summary
Buccal scopolamine (hyoscine) did not offer faster absorption than standard tablets for motion sickness prevention. Individual absorption and elimination rates vary greatly, potentially explaining inconsistent drug effectiveness.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Clinical Pharmacy
- Human Physiology
Background:
- Antimotion sickness drug efficacy is limited by absorption and elimination rates.
- Scopolamine (hyoscine) is a proven antimotion sickness medication.
- Standard administration involves ingested tablets.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if buccal scopolamine tablets provide faster absorption than standard ingested tablets.
- To compare plasma scopolamine levels between different administration routes.
Main Methods:
- 10 volunteers received both buccal and ingested scopolamine tablets (0.6 mg).
- 8 additional volunteers received a pharmacy-prepared scopolamine capsule (0.6 mg).
- Plasma scopolamine levels were measured via radioreceptor assay from serial blood samples.
Main Results:
- Buccal tablets showed no statistically significant advantage in absorption speed over ingested tablets.
- Mean time to peak plasma scopolamine levels was approximately 50 minutes.
- Great individual variation was observed in scopolamine absorption speed and elimination half-life (mean approx 170 minutes).
Conclusions:
- Buccal administration of scopolamine does not significantly enhance absorption speed compared to standard oral tablets.
- High inter-individual variability in pharmacokinetic parameters may explain variable clinical effectiveness of scopolamine for motion sickness.
- Further research may explore strategies to mitigate this variability.