Sublingual administration is performed where?

• A. Under the tongue
• B. In the cheek
• C. In the stomach
• D. In the bloodstream

Answer: (A)

Sublingual administration means placing the medicine under the tongue so it can be absorbed directly through the thin mucous membrane and the many tiny blood vessels there. This lets the drug enter the bloodstream quickly and bypass the digestive system and liver’s first-pass metabolism, which speeds up onset of action and can be important for drugs that work fast or are unstable in stomach acid.

It’s not the cheek area (buccal) and not the stomach, since the defining feature is absorption under the tongue. And while the medicine will eventually reach the bloodstream, the key point of sublingual delivery is the location under the tongue that enables rapid, direct absorption.