Some people prefer to swallow their medication directly without drinking enough water. This is not correct. Drinking too little water while taking medication can damage the esophagus, while drinking too much can affect the effectiveness of the medication. However, many people are not aware of how much water to drink for different types of medication. Let's summarize it below.
【Harm of Insufficient Water Intake When Taking Medication】
Studies have shown that when medication is taken with only a tablespoon of water, 60% of the pills may not enter the stomach and instead stay in the esophagus, slowly dissolving. This can cause adverse irritation to the esophageal mucosa, and in severe cases, it can lead to esophagitis. Increasing the amount of water intake during medication can accelerate the passage of medication through the throat and esophagus into the stomach, improving gastric emptying speed and allowing the medication to reach the small intestine faster. Since most medications are absorbed in the small intestine, it is beneficial for the medication to reach the small intestine as soon as possible to improve absorption rate and effectiveness. Additionally, increasing water intake can increase the dissolution and absorption of medications with low solubility and high dosage, thereby increasing the concentration of the medication in the blood.
【Medications that Require More Water Intake】
Certain medications have a more significant risk of damaging the esophageal mucosa, such as potassium chloride, aspirin, aminophylline, cortisone, anti-inflammatory drugs, and dexamethasone. When taking these medications, it is recommended to drink at least 200 ml of water.
When taking salt laxatives, antipyretics, and sulfonamide drugs, it is advisable to drink as much water as possible. This is because the loss of water through diarrhea or sweating needs to be replenished in a timely manner.
Due to the low solubility of metabolites of quinolones and sulfonamide drugs (such as sulfamethoxazole and compound sulfamethoxazole), they can crystallize in the urinary tract, leading to crystalluria, hematuria, and painful urination. Therefore, it is necessary to drink more water during medication, at least 1500 ml per day.
【Medications that Require Less Water Intake】
Medications like theophylline or controlled-release theophylline, aminophylline, theobromine, and diprophylline (asthma tablets) have diuretic effects and can cause dry mouth, increased urination, or palpitations. It is recommended to drink plenty of plain water or orange juice to alleviate these side effects.
The mechanism of action of aluminum hydroxide gel, drugs like Le De Wei (a gastric medicine), is to form a protective film on the gastric mucosa or ulcer surface. Drinking too much water can dilute the medication, so excessive water intake is not recommended.
Some bitter stomach tonics (such as compound gentian syrup) stimulate gastric secretion reflexively through the taste receptors on the tongue to increase appetite. Therefore, when taking these medications, it is not advisable to drink too much water to avoid diluting the bitterness and affecting the effectiveness.
Antiviral medications like acyclovir and valacyclovir can cause crystalline nephropathy, so it is recommended to drink more water during medication.
【Medications that Should Not Be Taken with Water】
Some cough syrups (such as Jizhi syrup, compound licorice mixture, and honey processed loquat syrup) can form a protective film on the inflamed mucosa of the throat, reducing mucosal inflammation, blocking irritation, and relieving cough. Water can dilute the syrup and weaken its cough-suppressing effect, so it is advised not to drink water within 5 minutes after taking the syrup.
【At Least 300 ml of Water for Capsules】
For most tablets, usually 150-2200 ml of water is sufficient for administration. Using too much water can dilute gastric acid and accelerate gastric emptying, which is not conducive to medication absorption. However, capsules are made of gelatin and become soft and sticky when in contact with water. They can adhere to the esophageal wall after ingestion, causing damage or even ulcers. Therefore, when taking capsules, it is recommended to drink more water to ensure that the medication is delivered to the stomach, and the water intake should not be less than 300 ml.
【150-200 ml of Water for Traditional Chinese Medicine Decoctions】
Decoctions need to be taken with water, but it is important to understand the specific type of decoction. When a Chinese medicine decoction is dissolved in water, it is equivalent to a cooked soup, so the method of preparing a decoction should be followed. Therefore, when drinking Chinese medicine decoctions, 150 ml of water is sufficient. However, for Western medicine powders, such as montmorillonite powder (Smecta), only 50 ml of water is needed for administration.
【Special Medications】
It should be noted that besides general medications, the amount of water to drink when taking certain special medications needs to be analyzed specifically. For example, when taking compound sulfamethoxazole and other sulfonamide drugs, due to the low solubility of their metabolites, they can crystallize in the urinary tract and cause symptoms such as crystalluria, hematuria, and painful urination. Therefore, it is recommended for patients to drink at least 1500 ml of water per day during the medication period. On the other hand, when taking certain medications, excessive water intake is not recommended. For example, when taking Meizilin granules, only 15-30 ml of water per sachet is needed to facilitate the formation of a protective effect on the gastric mucosa under higher concentration. Similarly, Smecta (3 grams per sachet) only requires 50 ml of water for administration.
