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Whether the drug taken will work properly is determined by several factors. The diet used, the time of the day, the method of taking the medicine, what it is drunk with – all these have a positive or negative impact on its effectiveness. Therefore, it is worth knowing a few basic rules of proper medication use.
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- Dangerous interactions
You have a nasty cold, you walk into a pharmacy and stand helplessly in front of a shelf with OTC drugs. You don’t know what to choose. And do you know what drugs you cannot …
- Combining certain medications for high blood pressure can be dangerous
Elderly people treated for arterial hypertension with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) and receptor blockers at the same time …
- What to drink medication with? These drinks should be avoided
What should be avoided while taking medication? Drugs are almost always washed down with something – water, juice, coffee or tea. We know which ones should be taken before and which …
1/ 8 Sipping
It is important that any medications you are taking are washed down with water, but not with mineral water. You should also avoid taking medication with fruit juices, especially grapefruit, orange or chokeberry. Medicines should also not be taken with milk, as it hinders the absorption of medicinal substances. It is also worth remembering that the theine contained in tea captures iron, preventing its absorption, therefore it is not suitable for drinking tablets.
2/ 8 Not all at once
Breaks between taking individual preparations should be established and observed in advance. Do not swallow all the tablets at once. This may increase the risk of side effects and, above all, contribute to drug interactions.
3/ 8 The time is right
Appropriate, constant time of taking medications guarantees their therapeutic effectiveness. An important element is also paying attention to whether the drug should be taken before or after a meal. It should also be taken into account which time of gout is optimal for the medicine to work. Some groups of drugs, such as statins, work better when taken in the evening, while beta-blockers have a better effect when taken in the morning. However, in the case of antibiotics, it is very important to take the preparation at a constant time.
4/ 8 The effect of dairy products
When taking your medications, keep in mind that dairy products, fiber, corn starch, and coconut oil will all reduce the absorption of many medications. Milk, yoghurt or cheese (products rich in calcium ions) may not only reduce but also prevent the absorption of certain groups of drugs, including drugs used to treat respiratory or urinary tract infections.
5/ 8 Dragees and capsules
You should know that preparations in the form of dragees or capsules should be taken whole, not chewed. They are designed not to dissolve in the stomach or small intestine. After swallowing a bitten tablet, absorption takes place already in the stomach. As a result, some preparations stop working at all, because they are destroyed by the hydrochloric acid present there.
6/ 8 Fruits, vegetables
A diet rich in vegetables and fruits is also important in terms of the effects of drugs. Vitamin K in broccoli, spinach and Brussels sprouts may reduce the effect of anticoagulants. However, tyramine, found in bananas, avocados and soy sauce, in combination with antidepressants, can lead to a hypertensive crisis.
7/ 8 Foods rich in fat
It is worth knowing that fat-rich products increase the absorption of many preparations. This is the case not only if the medicine is taken with a meal, but also if it is taken within two hours after eating or one hour before. Drugs with this type of interaction include, among others antifungal or psychotropic drugs.
8/ 8 Fitness for use
Always check the expiry date before taking medicine, especially one that is taken sporadically and has been in your home medicine cabinet for a long time. Expired drugs cannot be taken. If the drug changes in some way – it becomes cloudy, changes its color or consistency, then even in spite of the proper expiry date, you should not take such a drug.