How should Validolum be taken: swallowed or held under the tongue? — Tathimfarmpreparaty Validol (Validolum) 60 mg, 10 tablets

Validolum is designed for sublingual use: the tablet is placed under the tongue and held there until it has fully dissolved, without chewing it or washing it down with water. The whole point is for the levomenthol and menthyl isovalerate to stay in contact with the lining of the mouth for as long as possible, because the active ingredients are absorbed through it much faster than if the tablet passed through the gastrointestinal tract.

If you drink water or eat while the tablet is dissolving, it will dissolve faster, but its contact with the mucous membrane will be shorter and the characteristic cooling sensation will be less pronounced. So it is better to avoid eating and drinking while the tablet is dissolving, rather than afterwards.

The cool, slightly burning taste of menthol is a normal reaction, not a sign of irritation. If the sensation feels too intense, you can move the tablet to the inside of your cheek. The main thing is not to swallow it whole: in that case the sublingual effect is lost completely and the format loses its purpose.

Since this is a food supplement and not a medicine, any recurring or worsening unpleasant sensations in the heart area are a reason to see a doctor rather than relying on the tablets alone.