Mistakes are common

How to take medication correctly

Be honest: do you read the package leaflet? Many people take the way they take their medication lightly. The WHO even estimates that every second patient does not follow the instructions for use or the doctor's instructions. Often with dramatic consequences.

There are many sources of error: some people take inappropriate medication, while others take the right medication in doses that are too low or too high, at the wrong intervals and sometimes even too often due to forgetfulness. This is the main problem of treatment, especially for chronic diseases such as insulin-dependent diabetes, asthma and glaucoma.

It's all about the "how": "For example, 'with plenty of fluids' is often overlooked or ignored," reports Gunda Gittler, Head of Pharmacy at the Barmherzige Brüder Linz, Upper Austria. "But many medications contain acids and these can corrode the oesophagus if they get stuck during the swallowing process. The liquid is also necessary so that the medicine leaves the stomach more quickly. In order to be effective, (most) medicines have to reach the intestines. To do this, the stomach needs a filling signal. This can be achieved by drinking at least 1/4 liter of water."

What do patients need to watch out for?
Gittler reports below on mistakes and misunderstandings when taking the tablets:
Splitting tablets to make swallowing easier - this is something that older people or those with swallowing problems in particular try out. Be careful, please only do this if instructed to do so by a doctor or pharmacist! It is also a bad idea to jerk your head back when swallowing. This flushes the "pill" against the roof of your mouth and slows it down. Taking medication in bed is particularly problematic. It is best to tilt your head forward and move your chin towards your chest - with your upper body otherwise upright. The bent forward head position causes the tablet to slide directly backwards into the throat.

Take"before eating" - all clear?
This means that the active ingredient enters the empty stomach, is washed down with plenty of water and thus quickly transported into the intestine. In this way, the medicine can develop its full effect quickly. Another reason: food sometimes renders "enteric-coated" capsules and the like useless. Therefore, take the medicine at least 1 hour (!) before a meal.

What does "during the meal" mean?
At this time, you are taking medication that is harmful to the stomach, for example, and therefore hardly comes into contact with the mucous membrane. The effect is delayed, as the substance in the food mixture only slowly reaches the stomach and intestinal wall, where it is absorbed.

Taking "after eating" does not mean immediately afterwards
The food should have already left the stomach. Therefore, take the medicine at least 2 hours (!) after the last bite with plenty of water. This is because eating can make it ineffective. Once again, enteric-coated tablets are an example of this. Their coating only remains stable when the stomach is empty.

Big mistake: stopping the treatment
Therefore, never stop prematurely for no reason! This often leads to a flare-up of the disease or a dreaded resistance, e.g. in the case of antibiotic therapy.