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Many medicinesshould be taken 30 minutes after eating. The main reason for this is that food forms a coating over the surface of the gastric mucosa, preventing absorbtion.30 minutes are recommended because taking medicines immediately after a meal can affect the way your medicines work and may delay absorption of the drug.

Another reason why this is recommended is because the meal itself can act as a reminder topatients to take their medicine.

There are exceptions. Drugs for diabetes, appetite stimulation and vomiting→prevent vomiting should be taken 30 minutes before or immediately after a meal to avoid reduced drug absorption and to help drugs work after eating. Some types of medication must be taken at regular intervals, regardless of having meals, to keep a steady amount of the drug in your body. As forhormone therapy medications, taking them at a certain time of day maximizes benefits.

You may take medicines before or after a mealdepending on your condition and purpose of using medicine. Therefore, you should ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice on taking medications.

Medicines are best taken with a glass of water because that reduces irritation in theesophagus and stomach.

You need to pay extra attention when taking drugs whendrinking anything other than water. You should be careful to take aluminum hydroxide gel (for exampleGelfos) as antacid with orange juice as such juices increase the acid levels in the stomach. Calcium in milk and other dairy products may interfere with the way your medications, especially antibiotics, osteoporosis and thyroid hormone medicines,are absorbed. After taking laxatives,for facilitation of bowel movements, you need to wait 2 hours to drink milk or other dairy products because they may raise the acidity levels in your stomach.

Caffeine drinks like coffee, coke and green tee may reduce drug absorption. You should be aware that taking a pain reliever or cold medicinewith caffeine drinks may not work as well because caffeine stimulates the central nervous system, causinga faster heartbeat, hand tremors and insomnia.

First, if young children cannot swallow pills, you need to search for the same medicines in liquid or powder form. If there are no alternative forms of medicines, you must talk to a health professionalto find out whether you can split or crush the pills.

Some adults also take medicines by crushing them for various reasons however it is best to take medicines as they are manufactured.

Extended-release tablets are designed to control the release rate of active ingredients and control the concentration of that release.They are specially formulated to release active ingredients slower and steadier. Since crushing extended-release tablets can result in overdose by absorbing the medicine all at once, you should not cut or crush pills without consulting a doctor or pharmacist.

Enteric-coated tablets are designed to be absorbed in the intestines by protectingthe drugs from the acidity of the stomach. If you crush pills or take them in powdered form, drugs maynot be protected from gastric acid, which can lead to unintended release or absorption, causing only side effects without any of the benefits. Therefore, it is advised to take tablets as they are.

Prescription drugs should only be useduntil the date on the prescription. Prescribed drugs in their original packaging can be taken until the expiration date on the label, if it has not been opened or if the packaging has not been damaged.

The expiration of tablets arenormally 2 to 3 years. If the expiration dates are not clear for prescription drugs without packaging, medicines should be thrown away or you need to visit a pharmacy or hospital where you were given the prescriptions. If you take medicines whenever needed without any specific schedule, writing down valid dates on the label would be helpful.

Most medicines are required to be kept out of direct sunlight, humidity and heat. Close pill bottles after using them to avoid moisture settling on the drugs.