Taking medication properly

All content is checked by medical journalists.

Proper medication intake plays a major role in the success of the treatment. You should therefore agree with your doctor on an intake regimen that is as easy to implement as possible and that is roughly based on your usual daily routine. Perhaps you combine taking the medication with normal meal times such as breakfast. This is how you ensure regular intake.

Sometimes you have to act according to your body when taking a medication. Because the human organism functions according to its own internal clock. Some symptoms of the disease tend to occur at certain times of the day. One example is asthma attacks, which mostly occur at night. Blood pressure and many metabolic processes also follow a daily rhythm. Therefore, some active ingredients have to be taken at specific times (for example in the morning or in the evening) - be sure to stick to them! The therapy then works better and side effects are less common.

Further information on the use of medication and what is meant by it:

arrangement	This is meant
"on an empty stomach"	30-60 minutes before the meal or 2 hours after the meal at the earliest
"before the meal"	approx. 30 - 60 minutes before the meal
"after dinner"	approx. 30 - 60 minutes after the meal
"with the food"	during the meal
"1 x daily"	e.g. in the morning
"2 x daily"	e.g. in the morning and in the evening
"3 times a day"	e.g. in the morning, at noon and in the evening
"4 x daily"	e.g. in the morning, at noon, in the evening and at night
"at night"	before bedtime
Tip: Unless otherwise instructed by the doctor or pharmacist, it is advisable to combine medication with the usual meal times to ensure regular consumption.

If you need to take a drug every day, try to do it at the same time every day. In this way, an even level of active ingredient in the blood is achieved. This is important, for example, with antibiotics, hormone preparations and strong painkillers. Contraceptives such as the pill lose their effectiveness completely if the intake is severely delayed.

If you forget to take a dose, do not take a double dose at the next dose under any circumstances! Instead, read the package insert to find out what to do in such a case, or ask your doctor or pharmacist if you are in any doubt.

Adherence to therapy is important

Basically, you should take medication for exactly as long as your doctor has prescribed.With antibiotics in particular, the temptation is great to stop taking the pills if they do not bring the desired result quickly or if the symptoms subside before the planned end of therapy.

However, if you do not complete the therapy, the infection can flare up again more intensely because the pathogens spread again. Even if the symptoms often disappear after the first few days of treatment, the immune system is still fighting with the pathogens. In addition, if treatment is discontinued, antibiotic resistance can develop, so that the drug may no longer help at all for the treatment that is required later.

In general, the following applies: Stick to the therapy plan and the duration of the medication as prescribed by the doctor. If you omit the medication on your own, under- or overdose, you will only harm yourself in an emergency - for example, relapses and complications can occur.

Foods with influence

As a rule, the active ingredients of a drug get into the body faster if they are taken on an empty (empty) stomach. This way, the effect also sets in faster.

Some foods can also interact with drugs. Calcium-containing foods (e.g. dairy products) can form poorly soluble compounds with antibiotics. As a result, the active ingredients are more difficult to absorb from the gastrointestinal tract and lose their effectiveness. Therefore, wait a few hours after taking such preparations before consuming dairy products.

Interactions between drugs and food also occur with foods rich in oxalic acid such as rhubarb, spinach, Swiss chard or beetroot and protein-rich foods.

Other drugs are best taken with a meal. Therefore, always ask your doctor or pharmacist before you start taking medication or read the package insert to find out how the preparations are best taken and which foods you should avoid, if necessary.

Right liquid

Only take the medication with the right fluid and in a standing or upright position: In general, medication should be taken with tap water or still water. In particular, there may be interactions with milk, grapefruit juice and other fruit juices, cola drinks, alcohol, coffee, black, green and mate tea. This is comparable to the interactions between two different active substances. The drug may therefore have a weaker effect or the side effects may increase.

Basically, you should take tablets with enough liquid so that they can be swallowed more easily and do not stick in the esophagus. A full glass of water is a guideline.

Beware of the sun

Some drugs sensitize the skin of sensitive people to sunlight. Sunburn can develop after just a short stay in the open air or near a window. A well-known example of this photosensitizing effect are antibiotics. If such an effect is mentioned in the package insert, you should avoid sunbathing as a precaution.

Study the package insert!

You should always read the package insert before starting any medication. There you will find a lot of information including warnings and all known side effects. But don't let that unsettle you! Ask your doctor or pharmacist if anything is unclear to you.

Healthy lifestyle

Medicines alone are often not enough to make a sick person well. A healthy lifestyle is also crucial. This includes a healthy diet and sufficient exercise. This can help the medication work and help reduce the amount of medication (such as cholesterol-lowering drugs or high blood pressure medication) required.

Tags:  fitness vaccinations pregnancy birth