Subcutaneous injection
A method of administering medicine into the fatty tissue beneath the skin. It generally allows slower absorption than injection into muscle or a vein.
Subcutaneous tissue: The layer of connective tissue and fat beneath the dermis and above deeper structures. This is the tissue where a subcutaneous needle deposits medicine.
Insulin therapy: Treatment with insulin to control blood glucose, especially in diabetes. Insulin is commonly delivered into subcutaneous tissue for ongoing glucose control.
Intramuscular injection: An injection that delivers medicine into skeletal muscle. Muscle injections reach a deeper, more vascular tissue and often absorb medicine faster.
Lipohypertrophy: A thickening of fatty tissue that can develop at repeatedly used injection sites. Repeated insulin injections into a small area can produce this local complication.
Pharmacokinetics: The study of how the body absorbs, distributes, metabolizes, and eliminates medicines. It explains how an injection route shapes medicine concentration over time.
Subcutaneous absorption: The movement of substances from subcutaneous tissue into nearby blood and lymphatic vessels. Absorption from this tissue shapes how quickly an injected medicine takes effect.
GLP-1 receptor agonist: A class of medicines that activates glucagon-like peptide-1 receptors to affect blood glucose and appetite. Several medicines in this class are administered by subcutaneous injection.
Intravenous therapy: Delivery of fluids or medicines directly into a vein. Intravenous delivery enters circulation immediately, unlike absorption from subcutaneous tissue.
Injection-site reaction: A local response near an injection site, such as redness, swelling, pain, or itching. Local reactions are among the common effects of subcutaneous medicines.
Depot injection: An injection formulation designed to release medicine gradually from its administration site. Some subcutaneous formulations form depots that prolong medicine release.