What kind of water is better to drink when we take medicine?

How should we drink water when we are sick and taking medicine? Can we use tea or beverages instead? In fact, there are also some rules for taking medicine. The type of water, the amount of water, the temperature of the water, etc. may affect the efficacy of the medicine. Let's talk about it together.

1. Don’t choose these when delivering medication

It is best to take medicine with warm water. Except for special medicines, it is generally not recommended to take medicine with tea, juice, milk or alcohol.

2. How to drink when taking medicine

When taking most tablets and granules, you can first drink a sip of water to moisten your throat, and then take the tablets with 150 to 200 ml of water.

Some drugs require drinking a lot of water when taking them, such as sulfonamides and antibiotics such as levofloxacin and moxifloxacin. Their metabolites have low solubility in urine, and anti-gout drugs promote uric acid excretion. Patients should drink plenty of water when taking the above drugs to avoid crystal formation and cause urinary stones.

Antipyretic and analgesic drugs commonly used for colds and fevers (such as ibuprofen) will cause profuse sweating after taking the drugs. Drinking plenty of water can help prevent dehydration.

Bisphosphonate drugs (such as alendronate sodium) used to treat osteoporosis have the side effect of irritating the upper gastrointestinal mucosa. It is recommended to take them with about 200 ml of water.

Some drugs have special ways of taking effect, so you should drink less water when taking them. Gastric mucosal protectants (such as sucralfate, aluminum hydroxide, etc.) and antidiarrheal drugs (such as montmorillonite powder, etc.) all work by covering the digestive tract mucosa. Syrup-type cough suppressants need to adhere to the throat to work. Patients should try not to drink water after taking these drugs to avoid washing away the drugs adhered to the corresponding parts and affecting the efficacy.

3. Water temperature is important

Water temperature also affects the efficacy of some drugs, and it is usually best to take them with warm water at 40-50 degrees Celsius. If the water temperature is too high, some drugs will undergo physical or chemical reactions when exposed to heat, affecting their efficacy.

Digestive aids, such as pepsin, trypsin, amylase, multi-enzyme tablets, lactase, yeast tablets, compound digestive enzymes, live bacteria preparations, etc. These medicines are mostly enzymes, active proteins or probiotics, which are easily coagulated and denatured after being heated and cannot exert their medicinal effects. Therefore, the water temperature for taking the medicine should not be too high.

Vitamin drugs, such as vitamin B1, vitamin B2, and vitamin C, are water-soluble drugs. They are unstable when exposed to heat and are prone to chemical changes and lose their efficacy. The temperature of the water used to take the medicine should not be too high.

It should be noted that some Chinese herbal granules (such as Centella asiatica granules, etc.) need to be brewed with water at 80~100 degrees Celsius in order to fully dissolve the medicine, but when taking the medicine, you must wait until the water temperature is 40~50 degrees Celsius before taking it.