Taking medicine on time is more important than you think! Don't ignore these situations

When doctors prescribe medicine, they sometimes remind us that some medicines need to be taken "before meals" or "after meals", and some medicines need to be taken at regular times every day. Why is this? In this article, we will answer this question for you.

Factors affecting drug absorption

Drug absorption and metabolism are important links in the production of drug effects. The overall absorption and metabolic rate of drugs will directly affect the intensity and duration of drug effects. For oral drugs, the absorption rate of drugs will be affected by the following factors:

The first is the chemical properties of the drug itself. Different drugs are absorbed at different rates in the mouth, stomach, intestines, etc. Some drugs will be destroyed by gastric acid, resulting in reduced efficacy.

The second is the dosage form of the drug. There are many types of oral drug dosage forms, such as tablets, capsules, suspensions, oral liquids, etc. These different dosage forms also affect the absorption rate of the drug. [1]

The third is our diet. Food in the gastrointestinal tract can affect the absorption and metabolism rate of drugs in it, thereby affecting the strength and duration of drug effects.

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Taking medication before meals

Some drugs need to be taken before meals because food can greatly reduce the absorption rate of these drugs. For example, some antibiotics, such as cefaclor, norfloxacin, etc., are easily affected by food, slowing down the absorption rate, resulting in reduced drug effectiveness. Therefore, these antibiotics should be taken before meals to ensure that the drug reaches the highest concentration and kills bacteria in the shortest time.

In addition, commonly used hypoglycemic drugs, such as gliclazide tablets, take about 30 minutes to take effect and need to be taken before meals. [2] Sometimes certain fruit juices can interfere with the absorption of certain drugs, thereby reducing their effectiveness. Such drugs should also be taken before meals.

Taking medication after meals

Drugs that need to be taken after meals are usually because food can slow down the absorption of drugs in the gastrointestinal tract, thereby reducing the adverse reactions of such drugs. For example, the analgesic loxoprofen aspirin can irritate the stomach wall and cause increased gastric acid secretion, which may eventually lead to abdominal pain, stomach discomfort, nausea and other gastrointestinal reactions. If such drugs are taken on an empty stomach, more severe discomfort symptoms such as bloating and stomach pain will occur. Therefore, such drugs usually need to be taken after meals. [3]

Some medications that need to be taken with fat, such as vitamin D and certain cardiovascular medications, should also be taken after a meal to ensure that the medication can be fully absorbed.

Take your medication regularly

In addition to making sure that the medication is taken before or after meals, your doctor may also ask you to take the medication at a specific time every day. This is because the medication needs to maintain a certain concentration in the body to achieve the best therapeutic effect. If the medication is not taken on time, the drug concentration may decrease, thereby reducing the efficacy of the medication.

Taking the commonly used short-acting contraceptive pill as an example, the standard dose of oral contraceptive pills is one pill per day, each containing a certain amount of estrogen and progesterone. These hormones can inhibit the secretion of sex hormones such as ovulation and sperm motility, thereby achieving the effect of contraception. [4] This requires maintaining a certain drug concentration to achieve the best effect. If these drugs are not taken on time, the hormone content will decrease and the woman's body may start ovulating again, thereby increasing the risk of unplanned pregnancy.

Moreover, taking medicine at the same time every day can ensure that we will not forget to take medicine, help us develop good medication habits, and achieve the best effect of the medicine.

In short, taking a drug before or after a meal is not a random decision, but is adjusted according to the characteristics of the drug and its absorption mechanism. On the other hand, we must also make it clear that the rule of taking a drug before or after a meal is not absolute, and needs to be adjusted according to the specific type of drug and individual situation.

In order to ensure the efficacy and safety of the drug, we should take the drug strictly according to the advice of the doctor or pharmacist and pay attention to the diet.

References:

[1] Zhang Ying. Oral contraceptive use and its impact on female sexual health[J]. Chinese Journal of Urban and Rural Enterprise Health, 2021, 36(06): 108-110. DOI: 10.16286/j.1003-5052.2021.06.039.

[12] Pan Heping. Factors affecting the duration of taking common drugs[J]. Journal of Clinical Rational Drug Use, 2020, 13(25): 119-121. DOI: 10.15887/j.cnki.13-1389/r.2020.25.054.

[3] Ma Chunhua. On the administration time and method of commonly used oral drugs[J]. Electronic Journal of Clinical Medical Literature, 2020, 7(38): 154. DOI: 10.16281/j.cnki.jocml.2020.38.134.

[24]Xu Baoguo. Correctly master the time to take medicine[J]. Northern Pharmacy, 2014, 11(02): 35.

[3] Ma Chunhua. On the administration time and method of commonly used oral drugs[J]. Electronic Journal of Clinical Medical Literature, 2020, 7(38): 154. DOI: 10.16281/j.cnki.jocml.2020.38.134.

[4] Zhang Ying. Oral contraceptive use and its impact on female sexual health[J]. Chinese Journal of Urban and Rural Enterprise Health, 2021, 36(06): 108-110. DOI: 10.16286/j.1003-5052.2021.06.039.

The article is produced by Science Popularization China-Starry Sky Project (Creation and Cultivation). Please indicate the source when reprinting.

Author: Hu Chunjie, popular science creator

Reviewer: Liu Lihua, Chief Physician, Department of Pharmacy, Changsha Third Hospital