Is it possible to take pills with sweet water. How to drink and eat pills so as not to harm yourself

Many people think that it is not necessary to follow any rules when taking medications. For them, it is only important that the pill gets inside. But not all drinks can be used to take medications. If you drink the medicine with the wrong drink, instead of benefiting, you can expect the opposite result. Chemicals that are part of drugs react with the composition of the drink, forming completely new chemical compounds. Their effect on the body is unpredictable. Many people are concerned about the question, is it possible to drink tea with pills? What should be taken with the most popular medicines?

What not to drink medicines

Tea and coffee

• slows down the absorption and assimilation of medicines;
• forms insoluble compounds when combined with certain substances;
• tea neutralizes the action of oral contraceptives;
• taking tea with antidepressants will lead to insomnia and nervous overexcitation.

• cardiovascular drugs;
• alkaloids (platifillin, papaverine, codeine);
• antibiotics;
• anti-ulcer drugs;
• means to improve digestion;
• antipsychotics and other drugs used in psychiatry and neurology;
• nitrogen-containing drugs (amidopyrine, antipyrine, aminophylline).

This is due to the rich composition of the drink, tea contains vitamins, polyphenols, essential oils, pectins, all of which can combine with the elements of tablets, causing a negative effect.

Coffee is also not suitable for drinking pills. It inhibits the action of some drugs, enhances the action of others. The combination of painkillers (aspirin, citramon, paracetamol) and coffee increases their hepatotoxicity, the possibility of cardio diseases, leads to problems with the liver and kidneys.

Coffee removes antibiotics from the body before they have time to do any good. The simultaneous intake of coffee with the following drugs is undesirable:

• painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs;
• sleeping pills and sedatives;
• antibiotics (erythromycin and penicillin).

Fruit juices and compotes

Compotes and juices contain fruit acids, they can destroy the structure of drugs, change their pharmacological composition. Juices are dangerous to drink:

• sulfonamides;
• cardiac glycosides;
• antacids;
• drugs to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels;
• aspirin.

Fruit juices inhibit the effects of ibuprofen, amidopyrine, furosemide. They slow down the action of antibiotics, for example, ampicillin, erythromycin, slow down the absorption of nitrofurans and ampibarbiturates.

When drinking heart preparations with grapefruit juice, you can get an overdose. Extreme caution requires taking many medications: for hypertension, cough, antihistamines, antiviral drugs. For people who have problems digesting this type of juice, taking grapefruit juice at the same time as medications can lead to poisoning. Why is this happening? Scientists have found that the liver first reacts not to drugs, but to grapefruit juice. As the drink dissolves in the liver, the drugs are carried through the blood throughout the body, reaching extremely dangerous levels, increasing the risk of side effects.

In America, all new drugs are tested for compatibility with grapefruit juice. If there is any doubt, during drug treatment it is better to completely abandon the use of grapefruit juice.

Milk

Milk inhibits the action of gastric enzymes and antibiotics. Do not combine tetracycline antibiotics with dairy products. The absorption of antibiotics is reduced by 80% when they are washed down with milk.

Dairy products contain calcium cations, they bind many substances, making them completely useless. In order not to damage the intestinal microflora by taking antibiotics, it is necessary to include dairy products in the diet, but you should not drink them with medicines. Milk reduces the acidity of gastric juice, neutralizes the action of antacids and potassium, and prevents the absorption of lincomycin hydrochloride.

Do not drink milk with bisacodyl, pancreatin and other products with an acid-resistant shell, otherwise the shell will quickly dissolve, the drug will collapse.

Tonic drinks

When prescribing antibiotics, it is necessary to exclude carbonated and tonic drinks from the diet. Medicines come into conflict with them, their absorption by the body stops. It is advisable not to consume acidic foods during the treatment period: juices, dry wine, vinegar, acidic fruits.

Does not mix well with acidic foods:

• antacids;
• diuretics;
• antibiotics;
• calcium preparations.

Alcohol

Any drugs are not combined with alcohol, since it enhances the side effects of drugs, can lead to sad consequences, sometimes fatal. During a hangover, it is dangerous to take conventional painkillers to relieve a headache. Since the level of alcohol in the body is still too high, the consequences of such an intake are unpredictable.

Combination of antidepressants and other products

Antidepressants do not go well with most foods. When taking them, drinking red wine, eating cheeses, dairy products, fish, beef, sausages is not recommended. Violation of the rules of admission can lead to a serious hypertensive crisis. Taking warfarin is not recommended with cranberry juice, ice cream, avocado.

How to take medicine

The most versatile and safest remedy is clean water. Unless otherwise instructed by your doctor, it is best to always use clean water to drink medicines. The following medicines should be taken with water only:

• medicines in gelatin capsules;
• preparations of the tetracycline group;
• antiulcer agents.

A quarter of a glass is enough to take one tablet. In special cases, a glass of water may be required. Sulfanilamides are washed down with a glass of water, they are taken strictly on an empty stomach. In order not to harm the kidneys, during the course of treatment it is necessary to drink a lot of alkaline drink.

Features of taking certain drugs

There are a number of medications that need to be washed down with water.

• iodine preparations;
• stomach irritants;
• painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs (reserpine, indomethacin);
• anti-tuberculosis drugs (protionamide, ethionamide);
• hormonal agents.

• erythromycin;
• sulfonamides;
• aspirin.

Ordinary aspirin should be washed down with mineral water / milk, it is better to crush the tablet. An hour before taking aspirin, you should refuse citrus fruits, spicy foods. You can take aspirin in the form of effervescent tablets by dissolving them in a glass of water.

You can drink tea:

• antianaphylactic agents;
• sedatives and pain relievers.

Some drugs can be washed down with kissel. This applies to drugs that contain acetylsalicylic acid. Taking an enveloping drink (rice or oatmeal broth, jelly), the gastric mucosa is protected, the contact of the drug with it is reduced.

And finally, advice, if a doctor prescribes drugs for the treatment of any disease, you should immediately ask how to take it correctly, what to drink. It is necessary to read the annotation to the drug in order to exclude the risk of complications and side effects.

How many kilograms of medicines does an average Russian or a resident of the CIS drink in a lifetime? No one counted, but certainly not alone. Pills for headaches and monthly female ailments, for problems with the stomach or liver, for seasonal allergies, and a lot of drugs that we drink all our lives according to doctor's prescriptions, and often without them ... If you have already started drinking pills or powders, they must be taken correctly. Otherwise, the benefit from them will be minimal, or worse, you will harm yourself. An eloquent example of why you need to take medicine correctly: the combination of alcohol and sleeping pills or antihistamines can lead to a lethal effect, and drinking oral contraceptives with tea, you risk becoming happy parents - at a time when you did not plan at all.

The culture of medical knowledge among the population of our country, alas, is very low. People take medicines with carbonated water, juices or even beer, drink coffee after antihistamine (anti-allergy) drugs and mix antibiotics with alcohol ... And the most risky thing is that they prescribe medicines themselves, using the advice of friends or information from the Internet. Let's talk about the most common mistakes when taking medications.

Do not take unfamiliar drugs like a relative or friend. You do not know on the basis of what indications the doctor prescribed this or that medicine for them. Even pills that seem harmless at first glance, which are “suitable for everyone”, can have an unexpected side effect that turns out to be disastrous. For example, there is a strong allergy to the popular penicillin series, up to anaphylactic shock, and nitroglycerin, the most famous heart pill, can dramatically lower blood pressure, which can be fatal for hypotension.

If for some reason you decide to consult two or more doctors on the same problem, do not make your own cocktail of drugs prescribed by them. Medicines are prescribed in a complex: antibiotics are supplemented with drugs that normalize the intestinal microflora, allergy pills are ointments that eliminate cosmetic defects and itchy spots on the skin, and so on. By drinking two different blood pressure pills, you can just kill yourself. In the same way, you can’t take pills from a course prescribed by a doctor selectively: I drink this, but I don’t drink that. Decide which doctor you trust, and drink the whole course prescribed by him.

Ideally, no drugs, other than a comprehensive course of vitamins, should be taken without consulting a doctor. In practice, we all understand that no one goes to the doctor for the "approval" of conventional painkillers or seasonal allergy drops. Although perhaps it should. If you decide to take any pill, try to at least follow the minimum safety rules.

Compliance with the regime: before meals, after meals, during, before going to bed - important. Check with your doctor about the best time to take your medicines, or read the instructions. Some drugs cause drowsiness, others, on the contrary, have an invigorating effect - and this must be taken into account in order not to suffer from insomnia and not to sleep on the go during working hours. Try to take your tablets at the same time every day. In the era of timers and "reminders" on any electronic device, this should not be a problem. If you missed taking the drug, in no case do not swallow two tablets in one gulp! A double dose can be dangerous, in the worst case, fatal.

injections, unless otherwise specified by the doctor, they are usually done in the evening or before bedtime, when a person has the opportunity to lie quietly for 10-15 minutes. However, some injections have a peculiarity: the injected drug does not dissolve for a long time and feels like a painful lump, which brings inconvenience with every movement. It is better to do such injections in the morning, so that the medicine “disperses” through the muscles from intensive walking, and the pain in the buttock does not prevent you from sleeping.

It is very important to drink the pills correctly! Most medicines should be taken with lukewarm or cool clean water, no gas, no sugar or any additives. There are rare groups of drugs that are desirable to drink juice, milk or mineral water. But usually doctors stipulate such cases separately. In any case, it would be useful to read the instructions for the drug, which usually indicates what it is worth drinking the medicine with.

alcohol no medicine should be taken. Perhaps poisoning or chemical reactions that will give an unpredictable effect. During the course of some drugs, alcohol is banned for a long time - from a day to two or three weeks or even a month. Alcohol should not be drunk while taking antidepressants and other drugs that affect the psyche, antibiotics, antihistamines. If you have been prescribed a course of any medication, it is best to ask your doctor in advance if you can drink alcohol. Do not neglect this ban! Perhaps alcohol cannot be drunk an hour or two after taking it, or perhaps the entire course and some time after it. In order to avoid complications and poisoning, refrain from pleasure drinks, take care of yourself.

Coffee and tea enhance the effect of some drugs and weaken the effect of others, and are simply incompatible with others.

Oral contraceptives, washed down with tea or infusion of St. John's wort, may not bring the desired effect. Imagine what you risk by drinking a pill "from pregnancy" with tea ...

Tea also can not be washed down:
- preparations of the group of alkaloids (papaverine, codeine, etc.);
- drugs used in neurology and psychiatry (for example, chlorpromazine and some other antipsychotics);
- nitrogen-containing substances, which include codeine, aminofillin, papaverine;
- funds that are prescribed for diseases of the cardiovascular system;
- drugs that activate the digestive process, such as "Mezima";
- preparations for the treatment of stomach ulcers;
- antibiotics.

Coffee enhances the action of antispasmodic drugs - citramon, analgin, pentalgin and the like. However, be careful: such a strong combination threatens your liver and other internal organs. Therefore, normal use after analgesics is undesirable for several hours.

Coffee removes antibiotics from the body very quickly, so they simply do not have time to act. If you are taking a course of antibiotics and are used to having a cup of coffee for breakfast, stop this habit or take the pills 5-7 hours after drinking caffeine.

It is highly undesirable to combine coffee with the following groups of drugs:

Sedatives (their effect fades with the stimulating effect of caffeine);
- anti-inflammatory, including drugs against allergies and asthma;
- antibiotics of the penicillin group, some antibacterial agents like erythromycin.

Milk reduces the effectiveness of many drugs, in particular, tetracycline antibiotics, calcium preparations, phenobarbital, aspirin.

Juices, compotes, fruit drinks with general harmlessness and even benefits for the body, they are incompatible with most drugs. They contain active substances - fruit acids, which at best destroy the composition of the main active ingredients of drugs, and at worst form unpredictable compounds with them.

Juices and compotes should not be washed down with:
- drugs that regulate the work of the cardiovascular system;
- medications to lower blood pressure and blood levels;
- drugs that reduce the acidity of gastric juice;
- urosulsan, sulfalene, ftalazol and other sulfonamides.

Exceptions. There are a few drugs that, as an exception, it is possible and even desirable to drink not with water, but with milk, juice or mineral water. Here is a sample list of them:

Some anti-inflammatory and pain relievers;
- some hormonal drugs (it is worth checking with the doctor);
- iodine preparations;
- anti-tuberculosis drugs;
- vitamins of groups A, D, E, K.

Alkaline mineral water(“Borjomi” and the like) are washed down with:

Preparations containing erythromycin - alkali in mineral water neutralizes the acidic environment of the stomach;
- medicines of sulfa groups;
- aspirin (no wonder most of the drugs that reduce the temperature, modern manufacturers are made in the form of effervescent tablets).

You can drink tea individual weakly acid preparations:
- painkillers and sedatives such as sulfonamides, indomethacin, etc.
- antianaphylactic drugs.

Proper medication is the key to a successful recovery. Unfortunately, many patients who are prescribed oral medication forget to take the pill on time, and if they remember, they do it wrong, washing down the pill with drinks that are completely inappropriate for this purpose. How to take medicines correctly so that the effect of drug treatment is maximum?

Is it possible to drink tea, coffee and juices with medicines?

Since any patient who has had a serious illness is forced to take various medications for a long time, or even for life, another very important problem arises. It concerns the combination of medication and food. Unfortunately, this issue is not always given due attention.

According to medical statistics, only 20% of patients more or less comply with the prescriptions of doctors. 60% completely forget what, when and how to take it, and another 20% consider medical recommendations to be something optional and unprincipled. As a result, drugs do not help as expected, and sometimes even become deadly.

How should medicines be taken so that they are beneficial and not harmful? Chemicals in medicines can react with drinks and food. Thus, they can not only reduce the effectiveness of treatment, but also damage health.

How can you not drink medicines so as not to harm yourself? Never drink medicines with what comes to your hand - carbonated water, juice, tea, coffee, milk!

Before taking medicines, remember that coffee and tea change the properties of medicines. The tannin contained in tea can form compounds that are insoluble and not absorbed by the body. After "meeting" with tea, the speed and absorption of drugs slows down, and some drugs with a high iron content simply precipitate, which can seriously damage health.

Is it possible to drink tea with medicines prescribed by a doctor? In no case should you drink tea with pills, especially alkaloids (papaverine, platifillin, codeine), drugs used in neurology, psychiatry (chlorpromazine and some antipsychotics), cardiovascular drugs, agents that activate the digestive process, antiulcer drugs, antibiotics, nitrogen-containing means (antipyrine, caffeine, amidopyrine, codeine, papaverine, aminophylline).

Is it possible to drink medicines with coffee and coffee-containing drinks? Coffee removes antibiotics from the body very quickly - so quickly that they do not have time to benefit. Coffee has a different effect on different preparations: in some cases, it inhibits the action of drugs, while in others, on the contrary, it enhances the medicinal effect (especially for painkillers). However, the combination of painkillers (citramon, citrapar, paracetamol, aspirin) with large portions of coffee can have a very deplorable effect on the condition of the liver and other organs.

Combinations of coffee with sedatives, anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs, as well as with popular penicillin antibiotics and erythromycin are undesirable.

Is it possible to take medicines with juice - another question that worries patients. Juices in combination with drugs can cause. This is due to the fact that juices and compotes contain fruit acids - substances that destroy the structure of drugs, change their pharmacological effect. At risk - antacids (to reduce the acidity of gastric juice), cardiac glycosides (digoxin), sulfonamides, drugs to reduce and cholesterol levels in the blood.

In combination with other medicines, juices can act unpredictably. They slow down the action of antibiotics erythromycin or ampicillin, slow down the absorption of amidopyrine, ibuprofen, furosemide, and the effect of aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid), on the contrary, can increase to poisoning.

Avocados, ice cream and cranberry juice are dangerous while taking the widely used drug warfarin, according to British doctors.

What medicines should not be taken with grapefruit juice and milk?

What medicines should not be taken with grapefruit juice and other citrus drinks? Grapefruit juice tends to cause an overdose of heart drugs. It dramatically increases the absorption of many medicinal substances from the intestines. Instead of passing through the digestive tract in transit, they accumulate: after all, the liver at this time is engaged in disassembling the grapefruit ingredients “for spare parts”. As a result, drugs circulate throughout the body, their concentration in the blood increases, reaching that dangerous level when all side effects appear at once. Due to such an overdose, poisoning may even occur.

In this regard, the utmost caution requires the appointment of many drugs (antihistamines, antiarrhythmics and to lower cholesterol), antibiotics (erythromycin), antitussive, antiviral and hormonal drugs.

With grapefruit juice, any cardiological patient, especially those who have had a myocardial infarction, needs to be careful. It has been proven to be incompatible with a large number of medications. Among them are immunosuppressants, the antibiotic erythromycin, oral contraceptives, as well as antihistamines, cardiac, hormonal, anticancer drugs. Scientists have found that the liver first reacts to the grapefruit juice itself, and then to the drugs. And while the enzymes dissolve the citrus drink in this cleansing organ, the drugs concentrate in the circulatory system and are carried throughout the body, reaching dangerous levels. This increases the risk of side effects.

In the US, for example, all new drugs are tested for compatibility with grapefruit juice. So carefully study the instructions for use of the medicine prescribed to you. And remember: tablets should be taken with water. With medical treatment, it is better to refuse grapefruit juice.

And what medicines can not be washed down with milk and other dairy products? Milk inhibits the action of antibiotics and gastric enzymes. As a rule, it reduces the effectiveness of many drugs. Not without reason, with its help, people used to be saved from poisons, and even today people who have been poisoned are soldered to them. Antibiotics of the tetracycline series (tetracycline, oletethrin) are absolutely incompatible with milk and dairy products. Calcium cations from dairy products can bind drugs into strong compounds that do not have a therapeutic effect. As a result, the drug passes through the digestive tract "in transit" without being absorbed. The absorption of antibiotics in such cases is reduced by 20-80%, i.e. their efficiency approaches zero.

Calcium caseinate also prevents the absorption of lincomycin hydrochloride. Milk neutralizes the action of potassium and antacids (enzymes to improve digestion), reducing the acidity of gastric juice.

It is impossible to drink medicines with an acid-resistant shell (pancreatin, bisacodyl) with milk, as the coating will dissolve prematurely, and the drug will collapse before reaching the intended absorption site.

What else can not drink medicines?

Before taking the medicine orally, keep in mind that acidic foods and tonic drinks also conflict with medicines, and therefore, when prescribing antibiotics, fruits, juices, soda, dry wine and any dishes prepared with vinegar should be excluded from the diet.

Many drugs combined with tonic and carbonated drinks are not absorbed by the body. The reason is that these drinks often contain phosphoric acid and other chemical compounds (iron ions, calcium ions, etc.), which react with the active substances of the tablet. This primarily concerns antacids (to improve digestion), diuretic diacarb, calcium preparations, antibiotics (erythromycin, sumamed, rulid, lincomycin, dalacin).

Alcohol enhances the side effects of drugs, up to death. Drugs and alcohol in any form do not mix! For the duration of treatment, vodka, cognac, wine, beer, cocktails are banned.

Many foods do not work well with antidepressants: antidepressants are real "champions" in intractability. They do not accept alcohol (especially red wine), dairy products, cheeses (primarily with mold), beef, fish and sausages. If you neglect the precautions during the treatment of depressive conditions, you can get a serious hypertensive crisis.

For example, hormonal contraceptives may be ineffective or even useless if, at the same time, a harmless and fairly popular infusion of St. John's wort is taken as a sedative.

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"Wrong" fluids can weaken or enhance the effect of tablets up to an overdose. Among them:

Grapefruit juice

Canadian researchers from the Lawson Health Institute found that citrus fruits in general and grapefruit in particular contain furanocoumarins, substances that multiply the effect of the drug. Grapefruit is especially dangerous in combination with cardiac, antiallergic, antiviral agents, drugs for hypertension, antidepressants and antibiotics - severe complications are possible.

Tea

Tea contains tannin - an active substance that affects the rate of drug absorption. In some cases, this leads to overexcitation, for example, during treatment with antidepressants, in some cases, to a weakening of the effect of the drug (when taking oral contraceptives). It is not recommended to drink tea pills "from the heart" and "from the stomach", antibiotics.

Coffee

It tones and has a strong diuretic effect. If you drink medicine with them, then you can remove the drug from the body too quickly or increase its effect (this is possible, for example, with painkillers).

Milk

Alcohol

To see the absorption rate of drugs against the background of alcohol, scientists created an artificial environment that mimics the small intestine. Experiments have shown that almost 60% of the tested drugs dissolve much faster in the company of alcohol. You need to be especially strict with this matter when taking antidepressants, antibiotics, analgesics and antipyretics.

soda

Not only is the sweet pop in itself not useful - it irritates the gastric mucosa, causing nausea, bloating, flatulence, but in combination with the medicine, it will generally become a "bomb" for the gastrointestinal tract. This is especially true of means to improve digestion, diuretics, antibiotics.

Compotes and kissels

Doctors may recommend the latter option to patients with gastritis and ulcers: kissel envelops the walls of the stomach, thereby reducing the irritating effect of the drug. However, the therapeutic effect of the drug is also reduced, and this must be taken into account. It is undesirable to drink a pill with compote - fruit acids can change the pharmacological effect of drugs, including drugs for heartburn and hypertension.

By the way

Food can also reduce the effectiveness of medications. Doctors do not recommend using:

• preparations of the tetracycline group with cottage cheese, legumes and cheese;
• iron-containing products with nuts;
• antithrombotic agents with spinach and cabbage;
• antibiotics - with sour fruits and food seasoned with vinegar;
• acetylsalicylic acid with citrus fruits.

Do all of us, before taking a medicine, pay attention to the insert-instruction for it? In particular, on that part of it, in which recommendations for use are indicated. But the effectiveness of treatment largely depends on the scrupulous observance of these rules. Many believe that there is not much difference in how to drink a pill. But as it turns out, sometimes the wrong combination of a drug and a drink or food can negate all its healing properties.

What you need to know about different dosage forms

Medicines intended for oral use (orally) can be in different pharmacological forms. For example, in the form of tablets, capsules, solutions, tinctures, infusions, dragees, pills, powders. Such a variety is not a whim, and even more so not to add variety to the medicinal “menu”. The fact is that the rate of absorption of the active substance and its interaction with the body depends on the form of the drug.

You will rarely see drugs in powders and pills in modern pharmacies. They gave way to more effective and practical options - pills. But not all of them are the same: some are covered with a “glaze” shell, while others are without it. "Glaze" is usually used in two cases: if the tablet contains substances that are aggressive for the stomach, or when the active ingredient, on the contrary, must be protected from splitting by gastric juice. Coated tablets usually break down in the alkaline environment of the intestine. In addition, there are options with a multi-layer protective coating. The drugs of this group have a rather long duration of action (prolonged effect), since the active substance is released from them gradually - to the extent of the destruction of the protective membranes. It is unacceptable to break or grind glazed tablets, as the destruction of the protective film leads to premature release of the active substance, irritation of the gastric mucosa and impaired absorption of the drug. Capsules work on the same principle as glazed tablets. Therefore, it is also not recommended to open them and drink the contents without a gelatin "package".

The fastest-acting, but also the least protected from the influence of gastric juice, are preparations in liquid form. They are usually the easiest to penetrate into the blood, but for proper absorption require strict adherence to the rules of admission.

How tablets are absorbed

In order for the body to feel the therapeutic effect of any drug, it must enter the bloodstream. And for this, the active substance must be absorbed through the walls of the stomach or intestines. A significant impact on this process has an acidic environment, which is different in different parts of the digestive tract. For example, the acidity in the stomach is 1-3 pH, in the duodenum this figure already reaches 5-6, and in the large intestine - 8. For this reason, acid-based drugs are designed in such a way as to be absorbed in the stomach, and alkaline ones in are mostly intended for absorption in the small and large intestines.

Another test that the drug has to pass in our bodies is the effect. Many drugs lose their potency when in contact with food enzymes. In particular, we are talking about protein and polypeptide substances, such as insulin and vasopressin. Some hormonal preparations (for example, containing testosterone and progesterone) do not get along with enzymes. These points are also taken into account when creating medications.

Individual medicines are not meant to be swallowed but must be dissolved in the mouth (sublingual tablets). This method of taking the medication allows the active substance to quickly penetrate into the bloodstream, bypassing the liver.

But this is not all the factors on which the absorption and therapeutic effectiveness of medications depend. If we cannot influence the physiological characteristics of the body, then everyone can control what we eat and drink before or after the pill. But this plays an important role in the safety of the active substance of the drug. Different types of food affect the production of gastric juice and enzymes in different ways, which as a result affects the absorption of the pill. In addition, some substances are destroyed or less absorbed in the company of certain nutrients. For example, drugs from the tetracycline group, Amoxicillin and Ampicillin are almost not absorbed by the body if they are taken together with large amounts or with iron salts.

The best time to take medicine

If there are no special instructions in the instructions for the drug, this does not mean that the medicine can be taken at any time. In most cases, the optimal time to take a tablet is 20-30 minutes before a meal, when the active ingredient is most easily absorbed. If a certain acid-base environment is necessary for the absorption of a substance, then the exact time of taking the medicine is always indicated in the instructions.

Sometimes food intake can affect the time of action of the drug. For example, antacid medications (prescribed for stomach or duodenal ulcers), taken on an empty stomach, work for about 30 minutes. And if you drink the same drug 60 minutes after eating, then the effect of it will last for 3-4 hours.

20-30 minutes before meals take:

• drugs that affect the production of gastric juice;
• some hormonal;
• drugs based on live bacteria;
• homeopathic preparations;
• decoctions of medicinal herbs.

During meals:

• enzymes to improve the absorption of food.

After meal:

• most medications;
• drugs that irritate the gastric mucosa;
• vitamins and.

Food and medicine: how to combine

No matter how useful drugs are in the fight against diseases, most of them also have a negative effect on the body, especially with prolonged use. For example, antibiotics kill not only pathogenic, but also beneficial bacteria. Preparations of other groups often lead to leaching of minerals and vitamins from the body. But if the pills are combined with the right food, then side effects can be avoided.

Antibiotics

To avoid the occurrence of dysbacteriosis, after a course of antibiotics for 2-3 weeks, it is useful to regularly consume bio-yogurt, soft cheeses with mold and sauerkraut. Another unpleasant consequence of taking antibiotics is a decrease in the body and, and. Fish, brown rice, white beans and decoction will help restore the reserves of nutrients.

Painkillers

Medicines from this group are in every home first aid kit. They save from aches in the back and joints when teeth or ears ache, and many women take analgesics every month to relieve premenstrual pain. If you abuse such drugs, then along with the pain, you can get rid of the reserves in the body of folic acid, vitamin C, and. To prevent this from happening, some time after taking the pill, it would be good to eat either a little sauerkraut, young or a handful. These products will help restore the supply of nutrients.

Steroid medicines

Drugs from this group are prescribed to patients with asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, eczema. A course of steroid treatment can give good results, but at the same time cause unpleasant consequences. For example, a lack of vitamins C, K, zinc and. Barley and oatmeal, pepper, will help prevent or compensate for the deficiency.

Birth control pills

Women who take oral contraceptives on a regular basis are at risk of becoming deficient in magnesium, zinc, vitamins C and B9. Good portions of these substances are found in, and. It is these foods that are considered the best food companions for birth control pills.

What is the right way to take medicine

The fact that any pill should be washed down is an indisputable fact. Firstly, the liquid facilitates the process of swallowing, and secondly, it contributes to the dissolution and absorption of the drug. But in order for the pill to work and not cause side effects, you need to know how to properly drink different types of medicines.

Water

If there are no special comments in the instructions for use about how to take the pill, then it is best to give preference to normal room temperature - boiled or bottled, but without gas. This liquid has the properties of a good solvent and at the same time does not cause changes in the formula of the drug. In addition, it is necessary to drink the tablet exactly with the amount of liquid that is indicated in the annotation. Usually, the instructions advise taking the medicine with at least half a glass of liquid, and not with one or two sips, as many of us do. If there is not enough water, a solid tablet will not be able to dissolve in the stomach in time and begin to act. The consequence of this is that the body will not accept the entire portion of the active substance, but only a part of what is contained in the preparation.

Tea and medicine are not such a useful company. “How can tea harm a pill, is it ordinary water?” – many people think. In fact, this is far from the case. In a drink made from tea leaves, there are quite a lot of phenolic compounds from the group of tannins (found in red wine as well). So those same tannins are a rather unfavorable company for codeine, aminophylline, cardiac glycosides, since phenolic substances disrupt the process of their absorption. You should not drink iron-based medicines with tea, as the mineral will not be absorbed in such a company. You should also use a tea leaf drink and antibiotics, stomach and cardio drugs at different times. If you drink antidepressants with tea, then later the patient may show signs of overexcitation, and birth control pills washed down with this drink may not work.

Coffee

Many of us can take a pill with a sip of black coffee without even thinking about the consequences of such a combination. Coffee is incompatible with most drugs, as it negates their effectiveness. First of all, these are vitamins, or rather vitamin C, which loses its beneficial properties in combination with coffee. The second group of drugs that should never be combined with a caffeinated drink are homeopathic remedies, since their effectiveness in this case is also close to zero.

Another reason why coffee is not suitable for drinking tablets is the strong diuretic property of the drink. The medicine taken with a cup of coffee will quickly be excreted from the body in the urine, often without having time to act.

But there are cases when coffee, on the contrary, enhances the effect of the medication. This is possible with painkillers containing. But in this case, an overdose of the drug is not excluded.

The joint intake of coffee and drugs that regulate blood pressure and heart function nullifies the entire effect of the treatment, and also poses a serious threat to the diseased cardiac system. It is also absolutely illogical to take sleeping pills and drink coffee with it - there will still be no result from the pill.

Milk

It is widely believed that it is useful to take the tablets with milk, as this product protects the walls of the stomach from irritation. In some cases, milk really goes well with medicines. For example, with acetylsalicylic acid, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, fat-soluble vitamins (, D, K), as well as iodine-containing, anti-tuberculosis and some hormonal drugs. But at the same time, there is an impressive list of drugs that do not tolerate the company of milk. In particular, in order to maintain the therapeutic effect of the drug, you should not drink this drink with cardiac glycosides, caffeinated drugs (Citramon, Coffetin, Askofen), drugs for the treatment of ulcers (Ranitidine, Cimetidine), enzymes (Mezim, Pancreatin). Under the influence of milk, antibiotics of the tetracycline, penicillin and cephalosporin groups also lose their strength. They react with those contained in milk, as a result, a substance is formed that is not absorbed by the body, which means that the effectiveness of taking an antibiotic is zero. It is also strictly forbidden to consume milk together with iron preparations. And again, the reason is calcium, which prevents the absorption of iron.

Another group of medicines that are incompatible with milk are acid-resistant tablets. Preparations of this group have a special shell that protects the tablet from destruction by gastric juice. That is, the task of such drugs is to begin to act only in the intestines. If such a medicine is taken with milk, it will dissolve in the stomach and the active substance will not reach the intestines, which means that there will be no effect from the treatment either.

By the way, often manufacturers of medicines in the annotations to some drugs separately indicate the inadmissibility of mixing with milk.

Many people believe that if fruit and vegetable juices are healthy on their own, then drinking medicines with them can also benefit your body. And this is another huge misconception.

Juices from vegetables and acidic fruits can both reduce and significantly enhance the therapeutic effect of some drugs. For example, Ampicillin, Azithromycin, Erythromycin lose their strength if they are washed down with juices. But Aspirin, Paracetamol, Ibuprofen and nitrofuran preparations (Furzolidone, Furagin) against the background of acidic and vegetable juices, on the contrary, increase their activity (they can even cause severe poisoning).

If sulfanilamide (antimicrobials) is washed down, then the antibacterial effect of the drug will be significantly reduced. The reason is the reaction with the folic acid contained in the juice. In addition, drugs in this group should not be washed down with acidic drinks. From a chemical point of view, sulfonamides are alkalis. A chemical reaction takes place between both substances, leveling the effect of the drug.

Psychostimulants should not be taken with or. This combination can cause a hypertensive crisis.

The combination of antacids and acidic juices looks very contradictory. Medicines in this group are designed to protect the gastric mucosa from irritation with hydrochloric acid and bile. And the fruit acids contained in acidic drinks, on the contrary, destroy the protective layer on the walls of the stomach and increase the acidity in it.

Preparations based on warfarin are strictly forbidden to drink, otherwise very serious consequences are possible. Cranberries contain substances that, like warfarin, thin the blood. An overdose of these substances can cause bleeding.

One of the most dangerous combinations, experts call medications and. This is due to the fact that grapefruit contains various substances that affect the enzymatic activity of the liver, as a result of which most of the chemicals used in pharmacology have an unpredictable effect on the body. It is most unsafe to combine grapefruit juice with heart medications, antidepressants, antibiotics, medicines for allergies, fungi or viruses, and medicines that lower blood pressure. In addition, scientists from the Lawson Health Institute (Canada) found that furanocoumarins, contained in grapefruits and other citrus fruits, greatly enhance the effect of drugs, causing severe poisoning.

Any acidic juices (from, grapefruit,) are categorically not suitable for drinking coated tablets. Acidic drinks disrupt the natural environment of the stomach and destroy the protective layer on the tablet, which can be dangerous for the digestive system.

Compote or jelly

For many, and are the favorite drinks of childhood. In addition, many people know that these products are not only tasty, but also healthy. Compotes, for example, are rich in vitamins and other nutrients, and jelly has enveloping properties, which is very useful for people with gastritis or stomach ulcers. But with all the benefits of these drinks, they cannot be combined with medications. If you drink a pill with kissel, then its therapeutic effect will significantly decrease. Compote rich in fruit acids is also able to change the pharmacological properties of drugs, in particular those intended for the treatment of hypertension and heartburn.

Alcohol

All types of alcohol take first place in the ranking of drinks that absolutely cannot be combined with medicine. At best, alcohol simply neutralizes the therapeutic effect of drugs. At worst, this combination causes chemical reactions that provoke severe poisoning, disturbances in the functioning of internal organs and the human psyche. For example, many cough or headache medications contain codeine, which reacts with ethyl alcohol and causes respiratory depression. Therefore, if you plan to drink at least a glass on the day of taking the medicine with codeine, then it is better not to take the pill at all - this harm will be less than from a combination of both substances. It is no less dangerous to combine taking sleeping pills, antidepressants, analgesics, antibiotics, antipyretics or antiallergic drugs with alcohol, since ethanol significantly enhances the effect of these drugs and significantly increases the load on the liver.

If Aspirin is regularly washed down with alcohol, then soon you can earn a stomach ulcer. Drugs to lower blood sugar, washed down with alcohol, cause hypoglycemia. Soluble cold medicines, Eufillin and Ephedrine, in company with ethanol cause a sharp increase in blood pressure. By the way, the pressure can rise even if you drip the nose with vasoconstrictor drops and then drink alcohol.

Is all water suitable for taking pills?

Saying that water is the best companion for tablets, experts always mean the usual pure non-carbonated liquid. But there are many warnings about the combination of mineral or sweet sparkling water with medicines.

Firstly, mineral water is always a rather rich set of salts that can enter into undesirable reactions with the active substance or with the tablet shell.

Alkaline (bicarbonate, for example Essentuki) mineral water can be washed down with Aspirin, Streptocid, Ftalazol, Etazol, Norsulfazol, Erythromycin, Biseptol, Sulfodimetoksin, Sulfalen and other drugs from the group of sulfonamides. In an alkaline environment, the duration of the action of the drug is extended, and the removal of toxic decay products from the body is also facilitated.

If you are going to drink analgin, tetracycline or a sedative with alkaline mineral water, then you should carefully monitor the dosage of the drug, since such water enhances the absorption of these drugs.

Favorite by many, cola and other sweet pops are also far from the best choice for drinking pills. Any soda irritates the gastric mucosa, and in the company of tablets, this effect is enhanced and can be very unsafe for people with disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. People with gastritis or ulcers should absolutely not combine drugs to improve digestion, antibiotics and diuretics with sugary carbonated drinks. In addition, in the company of cola, most medicines form insoluble compounds, which reduces the therapeutic effect.

Why do the pills prescribed by the doctor sometimes do not give the desired effect? In such cases, patients usually find many "guilty". Most often, a doctor is accused of unprofessionalism or a pharmacy for selling a fake. And few people realize that the patient himself is to blame for the ineffectiveness of the treatment, who simply took the prescribed pills incorrectly.