As I’m using my asthma inhaler this morning, I realize, why don’t we use inhalation for other medications?
Obviously wouldn’t be needed for everything, but things that need to act fast I feel like it would be effective.
The alveoli in your lungs are a direct connection to your blood supply, and seem pretty effective for the nicotine while smoking.
I’ve even seen it a few times in fiction like Dread or Cyberpunk.
So why not?
In: Biology
Getting the correct particle size is a big technical challenge. The drug needs to itself be or complexed with something that exists in a particle that gets into whatever you’re targeting (upper airway, conducting channels, alveoli). An inhaler specifically also requires some engineering.
That being said, we do administer many medications via the respiratory tract. You can nebulize many drugs, including antimicrobials, topical pain relief like lidocaine, furosemide, epinephrine, corticosteroids, and just plain saline to provide relief of clinical signs, and some of these see at least systemic absorption, although that is not always the intend.
Intranasal medications (aerosolized), like fentanyl or ketamine, for relief of pain or respiratory distress, or sedation, and take advantage of the rich vascular bed of the nasal passages.
I’m a veterinarian and we use these frequently, and from human literature and speaking to physician colleagues these also have a role in humans. Typically for specific conditions and under the supervision of a medical professional.
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