The medical field is constantly advancing and changing. New surgical methods, treatment protocols and diagnoses are being discovered every day. In the field of vaccinations there have been a great many advances made over the last quarter century. One of the biggest has been the nasal delivery method. Although not used exclusively for vaccinations, this particular method of administering medication has one of its most prominent uses in this capacity. By administering the vaccination or medication directly into the nasal passage through the use of a nasal spray, the product is efficiently and effectively absorbed into the blood stream through the membranes within the nose. For many patients, this is an ideal alternative to traditional oral or intravenous administrations of medication.

With a traditional, oral vaccination, the patient must be able to tolerate the substance that they are being asked to swallow. Additionally, the time needed for the substance to be absorbed is greatly dependent upon the rate at which each individual is able to break down and digest the binding agents that the medication or vaccination is mixed with. In patients that have digestional abnormalities or allergies, this may be an unacceptable way to administer a needed treatment. In contrast, a nasal delivery method allows the same medication to be absorbed into the body without ever having to be swallowed or digested.

Intravenous medications also have some shortcomings. From irritation at the injection site to fear of needles, the obstacles to administering an intravenous medication are many. Patients that have bleeding disorders or have damage to their veins may find that having medications administered via a needle is more harmful than helpful. By using a nasal delivery method, the needed medication or vaccination still reaches the blood stream, but it does so by crossing the membrane barrier of the nasal passages. With no injection site to worry about, multiple medications can be administered in the same method without fear of great discomfort to the patient.

Nasal delivery has been around for decades in the form of nasal decongestant sprays. It has only been more recently that pharmaceutical companies have sought to use this method for more and different treatments. Many flu vaccines are using nasal delivery, as well as quite a few therapeutic treatments intended for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. If you have questions about medications that you currently take and whether they are available as a nasal spray, you should consult your physician for further information.