Benzos Possible risk involved w/ sublingual administration of oral benzodiazepines

Generic 1mg Xanx tearing up skin under tongue when trying to sublingual them????

I'm kind of alarmed, because this generic form of xanax that I recently recieved with my new refill is literally tearing up the skin under my tongue when I try to sublingually use them... And I mean, I'm literally tearing pieces of my skin from under my tongue after trying to sublingual some.

First of all, I know these are not the wafers specifically designed for sublingual use - however, I usually suglingual my benzos, thinking it cant hurt - if it absorbs under my tongue, great, and if not, I eventually swallow it and absorb it orally, so I usually see nothing wrong with trying.

I have filled out VARIOUS forms of 1mg xanax, with each pharmacy having different generics... and NONE have EVER caused this kind of tissue tearing like the ones I just received from RiteAid. Actually, every other pharmacy gives me various generics that are blue but are round, for 1mg alprazolam, NOT the oblong shape that the street name for them concurs with, you know, blue footballs.

The one that is tearing up the skin under my tongue is in fact a blue oblong 1mg xanax, a blue football.

Its Imprint is 2089 V on the front, and a score on the back to split it in half. - heres a link to it
It's a generic from Qualitest Pharm... I didnt really notice except, the other day i fell asleep will one left under my tongue, woke up a few hours later and the space under my tongue was burning, the binders were still here (i guess I was dehydrated/dry mouth.. but anyway, i literally peeled skin from under my tongue after i washed this down with water...

and Ill repeat - NO other brand has ever been like this - including any brand of alprazolam, and defnitely not any clonazepam, etc.

Has anyone else experiened this? Is there anything extremely corrosive in the binders/fillers of this Qualitest brand of 1mg xanies?

Any info would be great,thanks!

You could probably just swallow them and avoid the whole thing. Unless you really need the slightly faster onset.

I would just start swallowing them. I'm pretty sure the BA of most benzodiazepines is like 90% or something. I doubt sublingual does anything except make it kick in faster. If you want it to kick in faster you could always crush the xanax and parachute it.

I would just start swallowing them. I'm pretty sure the BA of most benzodiazepines is like 90% or something. I doubt sublingual does anything except make it kick in faster. If you want it to kick in faster you could always crush the xanax and parachute it.

sorry i double posted on accident

Crush it, then sublingual or just eat it

Don't see what's so wrong with the sublingual ROA, I've been sublingualling my xanax bars for years. Do you normally get qualitest alprazolam? I didn't even know they made it, but I guess I'm not surprised, they make like everything...

You should take the pills back to your pharmacy and explain your problem, and ask them to exchange it for another generic brand.

My docs told me I can pop them if I want or sublingual them, they are both therapeutically equivalent ROAs. However, if the pill is tearing up your oral mucosa, that's obviously a problem! If you're like me and ONLY sublingual your xanax, it will make a huge difference to get a better brand.

I've had some random incidents kinda like yours OP, I've found some generics are easier to sublingual like they either break down rapidly or w/e. Try another manufacturer.

I feel my sublingual alprazolam in like 5 minutes vs 15-20 minutes orally. So yeah, to a person who is not abusing the medication, this faster onset can be absolutely critical.

I have the same brand; have been getting it for over a year now at the 1mg dose. I SL ~3daily and have ZERO problems with them.

Bad batch maybe?

Probably be a good idea to report this to the pharmacy. Even if sublingually isn't the intended method of ingestion I doubt any drug should be doing what it's done to you. If it's a bad batch, they need to know so they can report it. If it's just a side effect of the pills they should probably either do something to stop it, or make it clear on any documentation that comes with them - as it sounds pretty severe.

Doubt it's the batch. Stuff pretty standardized. My guess is you were dehydrated--which makes mucosa over sensitive and more likely to tear. Other possibility is you drank alcohol at/near same time? That could do it too. Did it ever happen again?

Actually i have read a lot of very negative reports about Qualitest brand pills. Add it to the pile.

Why don't you just snort it. That has always worked for me. Better yet, Keyhole it, I've heard that it works great.

Swallow the pills if they are irritating your mucous membranes. It's highly unlikely that the pharmacist will exchange your pills, especially a controlled substance. They would most likely just tell you that the tablets are not formulated for sublingual use. You could ask the pharmacy to give you a different brand in the future if possible, but I can't see them swapping out the pills they already dispensed.

Xanax or any other benzo shouldnt be eating away your skin..........looks like you may be having some allergic reaction from Qualitest brand. Idk, just swallow them, benzos kick in fast for me no matter what brand name. People have always said there isnt a difference in name brand because they all use the same ingredients whether benzo or opiate but I highly disagree.

Qualitest norcos make me dizzy while Watson brand do the job & feel great. I do believe its the fillers each company uses, they all use different fillers & I dont know why fillers would cause different effects but they do. I wouldnt say anything to your doctor because he will then ask you why you arent just swallowing them.

SparrowHawk said:

Why don't you just snort it. That has always worked for me. Better yet, Keyhole it, I've heard that it works great.

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There is no need to recommend potentially more damaging or addictive routes of administration to someone who wasn't even asking about them. If it burnt/abraded the tissue in their mouth what is is going to do to their nose or "keyhole" - I'm not even sure what this is slang for, your ass??

Just swallow them. I don't know about the pharm you have, but in my experience with the bars they are practically instant release. Would feel the effects within minutes. Even if yours dont set in as fast, just take them orally. They're made for that and have a high bioavailability for oral ROA.

And yeah, what's a keyhole? Doesn't sound like rectal administration.

Maybe an allergy to a filler\binder.

i take qualitest , i tried sublingual once and it tasted rancid and didnt dissolve thorougly, i ended up chasing it with soda. didnt notice any burning or what not, but i didnt sit all the way through it, gave up half way

edit: the exact same blue oblong 1mg pill

I have experienced this before with all kinds of generic brands of xanax. It generally happens to me if i put it under my tongue while i have cottonmouth.

The term "Keyhole" is a slang term for putting it in your rectum.

The most common way to sublingual pill/tablets is to put them under your tounge either whole or in halves, but my favorite way for ones that are in my mouth that are taking too long to dissolve are to just bite them a few times into powder and use your tongue muscles to get it under your tongue, as close to the sublingual glands as possible; these sublingual glands are all the way in the back of your tongue, one on each side as possible.

Then, after about 30 seconds of having powderized tablet under your tongue by your sublingual glands, i put about 5mL of water in my mouth to add to the extra saliva caused by keeping it there without swallowing, swish the water with the powder in my mouth for about 1-2 minutes, then start swishing to make sure all the drug-filled liquid gets absorbed, either through your gums, or your inner lips (they're both mucous membranes). After 30 seconds of swishing, I just swallow the drug-filled liguid to make sure every bit of substance gets absorbed through the oral route.

I recommend keeping the chewed tablet and liquid mixture in your mouth for a good 5 minutes before doing any swallowing at all; for LSD I keep it under for 10 minutes, until the blotter papers get so soft that they start to turn in to pulp and disintegrate. Some do the sublingual tablet/water mix only a minute before swallowing, but I always believe in being safe than sorry and I do my routine for 5 minutes.