Which comes first, medicine or water

Most people know that they need to take pills, capsules, etc. with water. But if you don't grasp the timing of this small action, you may feel uncomfortable or even affect the efficacy of the medicine.

The best drink to take medicine with is plain water. Water can lubricate the esophagus and accelerate the dissolution of drugs in the stomach, promoting absorption. In addition, water can reduce the damage of food and stomach acid to drugs and relieve the irritation of drugs to the gastrointestinal tract.

When taking different dosage forms of drugs orally, the requirements for drinking water are slightly different:

Capsules: Drink some water first to prevent them from sticking to your mouth. If you pour the capsules onto your palm, it will easily feel sticky, as if it is stuck to your hand. Taking medicine is similar. If your mouth is very dry, taking the capsules directly will easily stick to your mouth and be difficult to swallow. If it attaches to the esophageal wall, it may cause damage and, in severe cases, ulcers may occur. Drinking about 50 to 100 ml of water before taking the capsule to ensure that your mouth is moist can prevent this from happening. After putting the capsule in your mouth, drink about 200 ml of water to help swallow it.

Orally disintegrating tablets

Don't drink water until it is completely decomposed. Orally disintegrating tablets can disintegrate quickly in the mouth and take effect quickly, making them suitable for children and the elderly. It is not advisable to drink water when taking this type of medicine, otherwise it will affect the effectiveness of the medicine. Wait until the orodisintegrating tablet is completely dissolved before drinking water.

syrup

It is best to drink water half an hour after taking the medicine. Cough syrup can form a protective film on the surface of the pharyngeal mucosa, reduce local irritation caused by inflammation, and relieve cough symptoms. It is recommended to drink water half an hour after taking it to avoid affecting the effect.

In addition, after entering the gastrointestinal tract, drugs such as magnesium aluminum carbonate and montmorillonite powder will turn into tiny particles, covering the gastrointestinal mucosa to form a protective film. If you drink a lot of water immediately after taking this type of medicine, it will "dilute" this protective film and affect the efficacy of the medicine.

It should be noted that some special medicines require more water intake. For example, sulfonamides and quinolone antibiotics are prone to precipitate crystals in the urine during metabolism and damage the urinary system. Therefore, you must drink plenty of water while taking them to reduce these side effects. When taking anti-gout drugs, you also need to drink more water to promote the excretion of uric acid.