How to take medicine correctly?

Taking medications prescribed orally, the patient does not think that he can independently enhance the therapeutic effect and reduce the risk of adverse reactions. We will note the main aspects of the correct administration of drugs.

What can you take the pills with?

Ideal – purified warm water (or room temperature) without gas. Cold liquid interferes with normal absorption and can even cause eating disorders: diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, etc., hot liquid can burn the esophagus and prematurely dissolve the tablet.

The recommended volume of liquid is from 100 ml.

Water is not always at hand or the patient (especially children) simply does not like it. Here it is important to know which other drinks are allowed to be used, and which ones it is desirable to exclude altogether.

Milk. Coats the gastric mucosa and facilitates absorption. They can drink non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): Ibuprofen, Voltaren, Ketanov, Diclofenac, Ortofen, etc., as well as some hormones (Prednisol, Dexamethasone).
Mineral water. Iron, calcium and other components with which this drink is enriched increase the risk of a chemical reaction with the active substance of the drug. Therefore, mineral water, especially carbonated water, is not suitable for drinking tablets.
Juices. Some of them have high acidity and prevent the normal flow of hormonal and drugs for the heart and blood vessels into the blood. The combination of grapefruit fresh with Avtorvastatin or Simvastatin can lead to muscle atrophy and even kidney dysfunction.
Tea and coffee. Tonic drinks, which are based on catechin, caffeine and tannin, inhibit the absorption of hormones, antispasmodics, antitussives and some ophthalmic drugs.
Alcohol. The very use of alcohol with drugs is absurd. Ethyl alcohol can weaken or enhance the effect of the drug up to the development of side effects (fever, increased inflammation, bleeding disorders, liver damage, etc.).
Medication and diet
The tablets can interact with some foods, so most internal medications are recommended to be taken on an empty stomach (one hour before or 2 hours after a meal). If you take tablets in the intervals between snacks, when the secretion of gastric juice is minimal, this will contribute to the rapid absorption of the active ingredients.

There are a number of drugs that should be taken immediately after meals. For example, anti-inflammatory pills and iron irritate the delicate lining of the stomach, so protection in the form of hydrochloric acid is required here.

Tablets for the treatment of diseases of the digestive tract (gastrointestinal tract) should enter the body in stages. For example, a remedy for heartburn or acidity should be drunk 40-50 minutes before a snack or the same time after it. Enzymes for digestion (Festal, Mezim) must be consumed in the process of eating in the same way as probiotics.

Sorbents (white or activated carbon, Smecta, Polyphepan) and antacids (drugs that reduce the acidity of gastric juice) prevent the absorption of not only food, but also other pharmaceuticals, so you should not combine them with each other. The break between medications should be at least 2 hours.

Tablet regimen

The daily dose is usually distributed in several doses in order to maintain the required concentration of the drug in the blood and prevent possible side effects. As a rule, the frequency of drug use ranges from 1 to 3 times a day (every 4-8 hours). Some modern drugs already have a prolonged (long-term) effect, so it is enough to take them once a day.
In the morning, you need to use diuretics, hormone therapy, as well as medicines with a tonic effect (caffeine, eleutherococcus, ginseng and others). In the evening, on the contrary, sedatives (sedatives) and hypnotics are taken, as well as antihistamines, medicines for asthma, ulcers and gastritis, and pressure control pills.

If you forgot to take a pill at the right time, then proceed according to the scheme.

Too little time left before the next dose. In this case, you should not take the extra missed tablet.
You remembered the medicine a few hours before taking a new dose. Take one tablet immediately and take the next one as scheduled. Or you can take the missed one and move the starting point back (the next dose is drunk according to the new scheme). This option is suitable if you are undergoing antibiotic treatment (5-7 days).
Reminders on your mobile phone can help you take your medicines on time, and special pillboxes are also convenient.