Why do I have to take some medications with meals?

Have you ever been told to take your medication with food and wondered why? Maybe you wondered in case you really needed to?

There are various reasons, and sometimes complex scientific and chemical bases, why it could be beneficial to take medications with food.

To complicate matters, some similar medications must be taken otherwise. For example, the antibiotic amoxicillin with clavulanic acid (sold as Amoxil Duo Forte) is beneficial to be taken with food, while amoxicillin alone (sold as Amoxil) will be taken with or without food.

Different brands of the identical medication might also have different recommendations for taking it with food.

Food affects the absorption of medicine

Food can affect how quickly and the way much of a drug is absorbed into the body over time. 40% of medicines taken orally.

When you have food in your stomach, the composition of your digestive juices changes. This includes things like fluid volume, density, pH (which becomes less acidic with food), surface tension, movement, and the quantity of salts within the bile. These changes can impair or enhance the absorption of the drug.

Eating a meal also delays the speed at which the contents of the stomach move into the small intestine – that is often known as stomach emptyingThe small intestine has a big surface area and a wealthy blood supply – and that is the foremost site of drug absorption.

Eating a bigger meal or one with lots of fiber delays stomach emptying greater than a smaller meal. Sometimes health experts recommend taking a medicine with food to help the body absorb the medication more slowly.

However, if the medication will be taken with or without food – like paracetamol – and you would like it to work faster, take it on an empty stomach.

Food could make medications higher tolerated

Have you ever taken a drugs on an empty stomach and felt nauseous shortly after? Some medicines may cause stomach upset.

For example, metformin is a drug that lowers blood glucose levels and treats type 2 diabetes and polycystic ovary syndrome. It often causes gastrointestinal symptoms, with one in 4 users affectedTo combat these unwanted side effects, it is strongly recommended to take the medication with a meal.

The same advice is given with corticosteroids (akin to prednisolone/prednisone) and some antibiotics (akin to doxycycline).

Taking some medications with food makes them higher tolerated and increases the possibility of taking them for the prescribed time period.

Can food make medicines safer?

Ibuprofen is one of the crucial commonly used over-the-counter medications, with one in five Australians admitting to using it inside two weeks.

Although ibuprofen is effective in treating pain and inflammation, it could affect the stomach by inhibiting protective prostaglandins, increasing the chance bleeding, ulceration and perforation with long-term use.

But there there will not be enough research to show that taking ibuprofen with food reduces this risk.

Long-term use might also affect kidney function, especially in people with comorbidities or dehydration.

This Australian Drug Manualwhich provides guidance to doctors on the use and dosage of medications, recommends taking ibuprofen (sold as Nurofen and Advil) with a glass of water – or with a meal if it causes stomach upset.

Systematic review published in 2015. Food has been found to delay ibuprofen’s transport to the small intestine and absorption, which delays the therapeutic effect and time to pain relief. Taking short courses of ibuprofen without food has also been found to reduce the necessity for added doses.

To reduce the chance of ibuprofen damaging your stomach or kidneys, use the bottom effective dose for the shortest time possible, stay hydrated, and avoid taking other medications. non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs at the identical time.

For individuals who have been taking ibuprofen for a very long time and are at greater risk of developing unwanted side effects within the digestive tract (e.g. people with a history of ulcers or the elderly), your doctor may start your treatment with proton pump inhibitora drug that reduces the secretion of gastric acid and protects the gastric mucosa.

How much food do you wish?

When it’s mandatory to take medication with a meal, what dose is sufficient?

Sometimes with medications like prednisone/prednisolone, a full glass of milk or a couple of crackers will suffice.

However, most head-to-head studies that compare the consequences of a drug “with food” and “without” typically use a heavy meal to define “with food.” So a cracker is probably not enough, especially for people with sensitive stomachs. A more substantial meal that features a mixture of fat, protein, and carbohydrates is usually beneficial.

Your doctor can advise you on which medications must be taken with meals and the way they affect the digestive system.