Top 10 Common Medication Mistakes
Many people simply believe that taking the right medicine is all it takes when they're sick, but they have only a vague understanding of how to take medication correctly. Here are some common medication mistakes in daily life.
Mistake One: Taking Medication Simply with Three Meals a Day
Many medication instructions simply say "three times a day, before meals," so many people take their medication punctually before each of the three daily meals. This is actually a common mistake. "Three times a day" is a stipulation by pharmacologists based on experiments to determine the drug's metabolic rate in the human body. It means dividing the 24 hours of a day into three equal parts, taking the medication once every 8 hours. Only by taking medication on time can a stable blood drug concentration (the concentration of the drug in the blood) be maintained, achieving the therapeutic effect. If all three doses are scheduled during the day, it can lead to an excessively high blood drug concentration during the day, posing a danger to the body; while at night, the therapeutic concentration may not be reached. "Before meals" means the drug needs to be taken on an empty stomach (1 hour before a meal or 2 hours after) to facilitate absorption. If you have just eaten a large amount of snacks before a meal, then "before meals" at that moment is not the same as "on an empty stomach." "After meals," on the other hand, means taking the medication when your stomach is full (half an hour after a meal), using food to reduce the drug's irritation to the gastrointestinal tract or to promote its absorption. Similarly, if you have just eaten a lot of snacks before a meal, you don't have to rigidly wait until after the meal to take your medication.
Here are some common medications that need to be taken on an empty or full stomach:
On an empty stomach: Ampicillin, Penicillin G, Amoxicillin, Erythromycin, Rifampicin, Astemizole, Gastropine, most traditional Chinese medicines or Chinese patent medicines, etc.
On a full stomach: Penicillin V Potassium, Aspirin, Diazepam, Compound Sulfamethoxazole, Sulfapyridine, Ciprofloxacin, Chlorpheniramine, Pepsin for aiding digestion, etc.
Mistake Two: Lying Down to Take Medication
When lying down to take medication, the drug can easily adhere to the esophageal wall. This not only affects the efficacy but may also irritate the esophagus, causing coughing or local inflammation; in severe cases, it can even damage the esophageal wall, raising the risk of esophageal cancer. Therefore, it's best to sit or stand when taking medication.
Mistake Three: Swallowing Pills Dry
Some people, for convenience, swallow pills without water, which is also very dangerous. On one hand, it can damage the esophagus, similar to taking medication while lying down, and the damage could even be more severe. On the other hand, without enough water to help dissolve, some drugs can easily form stones in the body, such as sulfonamide drugs like Compound Sulfamethoxazole.
Mistake Four: Crushing or Dissolving Pills in Water
Some people, who can't swallow pills themselves or are afraid of their children choking, take it upon themselves to crush pills or dissolve them in water before taking them. This not only affects the efficacy but also increases the drug's adverse reactions. For example, with aspirin enteric-coated tablets, once crushed, the drug cannot safely reach the intestine without the protection of the enteric coating and is dissolved in the stomach. This not only fails to be effective but also irritates the gastric mucosa. Dissolving a drug in water before taking it has the same adverse effects. Therefore, do not do this unless a doctor specifically instructs or the medication instructions say so.
However, it is different when taking Chinese patent medicines. For example, with common large pills, you should use a clean small knife or your hands to divide the pill into smaller pieces and take it with warm water. To accelerate the effect, you can also mash a small amount of the pill into a thin paste with a little warm water and then take it with warm water.
Mistake Five: Taking Medication with Beverages
The correct method is to take medication with lukewarm plain water. Because various beverages like milk, juice, tea, and cola can interact with the medication, potentially affecting its efficacy or even causing danger. For example, taking antipyretic and analgesic drugs like Compound Aspirin, or sugar-coated antibiotics like Berberine and Acetylspiramycin with juice or acidic beverages will accelerate the drug's dissolution, damaging the gastric mucosa; in severe cases, it can lead to gastric mucosal bleeding. Taking alkaline stomachache remedies like Aluminum Hydroxide with them will cause an acid-base neutralization, rendering the drug completely ineffective. Taking sulfonamide drugs like Compound Sulfamethoxazole with them will reduce the drug's solubility, causing urinary tract stones.
Taking iron supplements for anemia with tea will cause the tannic acid in the tea to bind with the iron, weakening its efficacy. However, the following special cases can actually help the drug's efficacy:
Green tea water for Western medicines that lower blood pressure and promote urination.
Dilute salt water for Chinese patent medicines like Liuwei Dihuang Wan, Qiju Dihuang Wan, and Zhibai Dihuang Wan.
Hot ginger soup for Chinese patent medicines like Huoxiang Zhengqi Pian and Xiangsha Yangwei Wan.
Hot rice congee for Chinese patent medicines that regulate the spleen and stomach.
Mistake Six: Drinking Directly from the Bottle
This situation is especially common when taking syrups or mixtures. On one hand, it can easily contaminate the liquid, accelerating its spoilage. On the other hand, it makes it difficult to accurately control the dosage taken, either failing to achieve the therapeutic effect or taking an excessive amount that increases side effects.
Mistake Seven: Taking Multiple Medications at Once
When taking multiple medications at once, drug interactions are hard to avoid, and they can even cause some unexpected problems.
The reason for an unexpected pregnancy might not be missing a contraceptive pill, but rather taking it together with anti-tuberculosis drugs or drugs to prevent cerebral hemorrhage, which can cause the contraceptive to fail.
If symptoms of depression are not controlled, it may not be due to the drug's poor efficacy or individual differences, but rather taking an antiallergic drug at the same time as the antidepressant.
The reason a heart disease medication might fail could be the liquorice tablets taken for a cough.
If you are supplementing thyroid hormone for hypothyroidism and also take magnesium supplements, the thyroid hormone will be wasted.
However, we have to admit that few doctors ask us what other medications we are taking when prescribing, or pharmacists ask when selling us medication. Therefore, if you suspect that several medications you are currently or about to take may have adverse interactions, you must proactively consult a doctor or pharmacist, but be sure not to stop or change your medication on your own.
Mistake Eight: Drinking Too Much Water
Is drinking too much water after taking medication also a problem? Yes, because it dilutes stomach acid, which is not conducive to the dissolution and absorption of the drug. Generally, one small glass of lukewarm water is enough to take solid medication. For special preparations like syrups, especially cough syrups, the drug needs to form a protective film over the inflamed pharyngeal mucosal surface to reduce inflammatory reactions, block irritation, and relieve cough. Therefore, it is recommended not to drink water within 5 minutes after taking the syrup.
Mistake Nine: Exercising Immediately After Taking Medication
Just like after a meal, you should not exercise immediately after taking medication. Because after taking medication, it generally takes 30 to 60 minutes to be dissolved, absorbed, and take effect by the gastrointestinal tract, during which sufficient blood is needed for circulation. Exercising immediately can lead to insufficient blood supply to organs like the stomach and intestines, naturally greatly reducing the drug's absorption effect.
Mistake Ten: Not Paying Attention to Dietary Restrictions During Medication
Dietary restrictions are not only a concern for traditional Chinese medicine; the same applies to Western medicine. An improper diet during medication can reduce the drug's efficacy, and in severe cases, it can even be life-threatening.