When we think about taking medicines, we often think of pills. But medicines can be delivered in many ways, such as:

• liquids that are swallowed
• drops that are put into ears or eyes
• creams, gels, or ointments that are rubbed onto the skin
• inhalers (like nasal sprays or asthma inhalers)
• patches that are stuck to skin (called transdermal patches)
• tablets that are placed under the tongue (called sublingual medicines; the medicine is absorbed into blood vessels and enters the bloodstream)
• injections (shots) or intravenous (inserted into a vein) medicines