Are you drinking enough water with your medicine?

How do you know whether you are taking enough water with your medications? Doctors usually tell patients to take a full glass of water with the tablets and capsules, but some of us are guilty of turning a deaf year to that advice. Just having a few sips or simply swallowing the pills without water could not be a very wise thing to do says Dr Pradip Shah, HOD, Fortis Hospital, Mumbai.

Why do we take water with medicines?

Water is a vehicle for tablets. And many tablets are water soluble, says Dr Shah. Water aids in the movement of the tablet from your mouth to your stomach, without letting it get stuck anywhere. It also reduces choking hazards by sending the tablet down your oesophagus and not the windpipe.

What happens if you don t have enough water with medicines?

Some people have a habit of directly swallowing the pill without taking any liquids like water with it. This could be bad for two reasons.

Uncoated tablets have a chalky texture and may stick to your tongue or your throat. It can leave an unpleasant bitter taste in your mouth as it rubs against your tongue. It can even get stuck in your throat while you are swallowing it and cause choking.

If you take the tablet without water, it won t dissolve properly. The entire tablet could pass through the system undigested without getting broken down. In rare cases, patients haves passed the whole pill through the faeces, says Dr Pradip. An undigested tablet means that the body didn t get the benefits of the medicine.

Some non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen when not taken with enough water can interact with the hydrochloric acid in the digestive juices and irritate your stomach. This can also lead to stomach ulcers.

Normally, you should take a full glass of water at room temperature with the medicines. Avoid water that is too hot or too cold. If you are not sure, ask your doctor about the right amount of water that has to be taken with the water.

Also read:

Why you shouldn't drink water right before meals.

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