Do I have to chew the chewable tablets before eating

Whether it is the elderly or children, the body's bones need a lot of calcium supplementation. When supplementing calcium, doctors generally recommend chewing calcium tablets. Therefore, calcium tablets are also called chewable tablets. As the name suggests, chewable tablets need to be fully chewed with teeth before they can be swallowed. But many people may wonder, do you have to chew the chewable tablets with your teeth?

Can chewable tablets be swallowed directly with water without chewing?

Most chewable tablets can also be swallowed, but this is not recommended. Although swallowing the medicine will not cause any adverse reactions, the efficacy of the medicine will be weaker and it will take longer to exert its effect. Especially antacids and chewable medicines for treating gastrointestinal ulcers, such as: compound aluminum hydroxide (Weishuping), sucralfate, magnesium aluminum carbonate, Gaiweiping, Weisule, Ledewei, etc.

Because this type of medicine can be dispersed into tiny particles after chewing, after entering the stomach, it can cover the gastrointestinal mucosa to form a protective film, thereby allowing the inflamed or ulcerated mucosa to heal as soon as possible. If the pill is swallowed whole, the drug cannot be broken down into small particles quickly, and a protective film cannot be formed. Generally speaking, chewable tablets will contain some sucrose, peppermint oil and other things to increase the sweetness. The taste is acceptable to most people, so it is strongly recommended to chew it.

In addition, experts remind: Don’t be lazy when taking chewable tablets, and the chewing process must not be ignored. Regardless of the type of chewable tablet, it is best to chew each tablet for 5 minutes and then take it with a small amount of warm water. The best effect is achieved when taken half an hour before or two hours after meals.

The main purposes of making drugs into various preparations are as follows:

One is to divide the dose and fix the dose of the medicine, so that the medicine can be used accurately and the blood drug concentration can be effectively maintained to achieve treatment.

Second, it is conducive to absorption.

Third, it is easy to use, store and carry.

Fourth, the nature of the drug and the purpose of treatment determine the different forms of preparations. For example, insulin must be an injection and cannot be made into an oral preparation. For example, an aerosol is used to treat pneumonia or asthma.

The fifth is the need for controlled release or sustained release, such as aspirin made into enteric-coated oral preparations.

There are three reasons why medicines are made into chewable tablets:

First, for drugs that are difficult to disintegrate, they can be made into chewable tablets. After being chewed, the surface area increases, which can promote the dissolution and absorption of the drug in the body and improve the efficacy.

Second, if the same medicine is made into chewable tablets, it will be more convenient and comfortable for the elderly, children or people with swallowing difficulties to take it;

Third, for people with poor gastrointestinal function, chewable tablets are absorbed by the oral mucosa and can reduce the burden of the drug on the stomach and intestines. For example, the common compound aluminum hydroxide tablets, after being chewed and entering the stomach, will quickly form a protective film on the stomach wall, thereby reducing the irritation of the stomach contents to stomach wall ulcers. The effect is fast and effective; another example is yeast tablets, because they contain more sticky substances, if they are not chewed, they are easy to form sticky lumps in the stomach. This problem can be easily solved by chewing them and taking them.

Warm reminder: No matter how delicious the chewable tablets are, they are still medicines. Except for vitamin tablets, therapeutic drugs should not be taken on your own initiative; vitamins should not exceed the recommended dose to avoid poisoning. In addition, parents should properly store chewable tablets and place them where children cannot easily find them, so that they do not take them and eat them as candy.