Taking medicine without drinking water? Swallowing pills dry is harmful!

In daily life, headaches and fever are common, and medicine can help us eliminate pain faster. However, some people's way of taking medicine is not scientific, and sometimes they even feel that the medicine is "sticking to the throat". Why is this?

There are many people who feel this way. Many people feel that capsules or tablets do not dissolve in the body when they take them, as if the whole pill is stuck in the esophagus. In fact, all drugs will be digested once they enter the human body. The main component of the capsule shell is sol, which will slowly absorb water and soften in cold water, and will quickly dissolve in hot water. According to the provisions of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, qualified ordinary capsules should be completely dissolved within 15 minutes of shaking in 37°C water, and the time required for ordinary tablets to disperse from intact to small particles in water is also about the same, so there will be no "indigestion" phenomenon.

So what exactly causes this "uncomfortable" feeling? It is understood that people who often experience this feeling are mostly because they drink less water when swallowing medicine, or even swallow the pills dry. If you swallow the pills dry or take the medicine with just a sip of water, it is easy for the medicine just taken to stick to the esophageal wall, making people feel "undigested".

The adverse effects of swallowing medicine dry are not just "uncomfortable". This behavior may often cause greater harm.

1. The drug takes a long time to take effect. The human esophagus has three physiological narrow places. When food and drugs pass through, they are easily retained or take a longer time to reach the gastrointestinal tract. Taking pills with water can help them reach the gastrointestinal tract faster, which is conducive to absorption and effectiveness. If the tablets are swallowed dry, the drug takes longer to reach the gastrointestinal tract and takes a longer time to take effect.

2. Damage to the esophagus. When swallowing pills dry, the pills are easy to stick to the esophageal wall. Some drugs have irritating effects on the esophageal mucosa. If they are retained in the esophagus, they can cause pain behind the sternum, burning sensation and other discomfort. In severe cases, they can also cause esophagitis, esophageal ulcers and esophageal erosion.

3. Cause nausea and vomiting. Some medicines have a special taste. If you swallow them dry, the irritation will become more obvious and it is easy to cause nausea.

4. Easy to aspirate. The esophagus and trachea are very close to each other. If you swallow the tablets dry, it is easy to cause aspiration.

5. Damage to the kidneys. Sulfonamide antibiotics and other drugs are prone to precipitate crystals in the urine when excreted through the kidneys, which may cause damage to the kidneys. Anti-gout drugs that promote uric acid excretion will increase the concentration of uric acid in the urine after taking them, making it easy to form uric acid crystals, so it is recommended to drink plenty of water to reduce damage to the kidneys. If these drugs are swallowed dry, it is likely to affect drug excretion and damage the kidneys.

Generally speaking, except for some chewable tablets and emergency medicines, such as the antacid Weishuping, the digestive aid lactobacillus tablets, and the emergency medicine nitroglycerin, most tablets need to be taken with 150-200 ml of water. You should avoid lying down immediately after taking the medicine to minimize the time the medicine stays in the esophagus. Since capsules tend to become soft and sticky when exposed to hot water, they tend to adhere to the esophageal wall after taking them. Therefore, when taking capsules, avoid water temperatures that are too high and drink plenty of water, generally not less than 300 ml, to ensure that the medicine is delivered to the stomach.