I'm not a doctor and can only answer this question from the perspective of accumulated personal experience, but the following is pertinent advice, so don't worry about misinformation.

Always take your medication as prescribed by your doctor, that is, after your doctor prescribes a medication be sure to ask your doctor how to take it, and whether to take it before or after meals.

1, most of the drugs will have instructions for taking, certain drugs for different diseases when the dosage usage is different, such as common anti-inflammatory drugs.

Why do medications have a so-called before and after meal, i.e. whether they can be taken on an empty stomach?

Some drugs in order to delay the release of the drug effect, it is recommended to take before meals, meals after the drug, food can play a role in delaying the release of the drug, and some drugs are recommended to be taken on an empty stomach (a period of time before a meal, or in the middle of the two meals), in order to quickly reach the intestinal tract and rapid accumulation of drug concentration, such as spring and fall children eat the worming drug, fasting or in the middle of the two meals, the best results.

2, there are some drugs recommended to take after meals, because these drugs are often easy to stimulate the stomach, eat before meals can easily lead to gastric discomfort, the drug is not like a miracle drug in the movie and television drama as immediately effective, but the time of ten minutes a lot of oral medicines can already accumulate enough degree and play a role in the effect of the drug, and at this time, the person who takes the drug is often not eaten the meal.

Most of the common painkillers irritate the stomach, so they are recommended to be taken after meals.

3, there are some special drugs, to eat the first meal, or designated time before meals, or the last meal at the same time, such as some of the stomach to inhibit excessive gastric acid medicine, this kind of need to be strictly precise time is relatively small, but once belong to similar circumstances must strictly comply with the doctor's instructions.

In addition to the three points above, two additional things：

A, drugs have the concept of concentration, dose and release time, three times a day, two tablets each time of the drug, if twice a day, three tablets each time, it looks as if the same dosage throughout the day, the actual effect may be worlds apart. Three times a day, two tablets each time is to always maintain the concentration of the drug in the body, the release time of the drug will not increase because of the increase in the dose taken!!!!

B, some tablets with enteric coating, as well as capsule drugs, the reason why the choice of sugar coating and capsule certainly have the viewpoint and purpose of the pharmaceutical manufacturer, either for the slow release of the drug, or in order to be released in the gastrointestinal somewhere, or because the drug itself stimulates the digestive tract and the gastric mucous membranes ...... do not take it upon yourself to remove the enteric coating and peel off the capsule to take, thus resulting in a decrease in the potency or causing unnecessary additional harm. This can lead to a decrease in the drug's potency or cause unnecessary additional harm.

The same drug, because the patient's situation is different, the doctor recommended the choice of enteric-coated tablets or capsules, rather than ordinary tablets, and often is also the result of a comprehensive consideration, must respect the authority, do not make a mess of their own.

Someone in the family has been on medication for years, and these are years of advice from doctors, so I hope this helps.

Thank you for inviting Wu Yibo, a member of the Chinese Popular Science Writers Association, to answer your questions.

Simply put, taking medication on an empty stomach will improve the absorption and utilization of certain drugs that are susceptible to blood glucose concentration, such as laxatives, tonic Chinese medicines and certain antibiotics. However, not all medications are suitable for taking on an empty stomach, so we have to take the medication correctly according to the instruction manual or doctor's prescription.

Doctors prescribe medications to patients with instructions on how and when to take them, which can have a big impact on maximizing the effectiveness of the medication in the patient's body.So if the instructions state that you should not take the medicine on an empty stomach, what exactly does that mean?

"Fasting" is defined as 1 to 2 hours before and 2 to 3 hours after a meal., there is no food in the belly during this time. When there is no food in the belly, theIt does not affect the absorption of drugs in the gastrointestinal tract and greatly improves the absorption and utilization of certain drugs that are susceptible to blood glucose concentration.

So what medications are suitable for taking on an empty stomach?

Laxatives:The drug magnesium sulfate is a laxative, fasting blood glucose concentration is not high, the stomach and intestines to absorb the drug into the blood, the blood concentration of the drug is relatively high, so that the drug will play the efficacy of the faster. And there is no food in the stomach and intestines, laxatives will not be mixed with food to hinder the stomach and intestines to absorb the drug, laxative absorption rate will be accelerated.

Tonic herbs:In winter, there are many types of tonic soups and creams for nourishment, such as the Four Substance Soup and the Pulse Drink, etc., which are suitable to be taken before meals, and the digestion and absorption of food does not conflict with the absorption of nourishing drugs is also better.

Certain antibiotics:Some antibiotics such as cefadroxil and norfloxacin have a slower rate of absorption if they are mixed with food in the gut and should also be taken on an empty stomach.

But not all medications are suitable for taking on an empty stomach.Some medications require patients to "take their medication with a meal" or "take their medication with a meal," meaning that they take their medication with a meal, which isBecause some drugs taken on an empty stomach to the gastrointestinal stimulation, and food together into the stomach and intestines to be digested and absorbed can reduce the adverse reaction to the gastrointestinal mucosa.It is also sometimes used to increase the efficacy of the medication, which is better absorbed and utilized when it is in the gut with the food.

There are other medications that require "bedtime."For example, retinoic acid ointment is photosensitive, so if you take the medication and then go into the sun, you may develop a rash, and taking the medication at bedtime prevents the photosensitivity reaction.For some drugs, controlled dosing time can make the peak of the drug's efficacy and the body's metabolic peak compatibleFor example, lipotropic drugs Chlorvastatin and Simvastatin are taken at bedtime, which is compatible with the evening peak of cholesterol synthesis by the liver and is conducive to the enhancement of the drug's efficacy.There are also some medications that have a central sedative effect, which if taken during the day will obviously have an impact on your daily work life, so you may also choose to take the medication at bedtime.

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Generally speaking, the doctor's advice to take medication "three times a day" does not mean that the patient takes the medication at the time of the three meals, but rather that the medication should be taken three times in 24 hours, with an interval of eight hours between each dose, and is normally taken in the morning, noon and evening.If just blindly follow the three meals a day to take drugs three times, may lead to unbalanced drug taking interval time, especially the drug taking time is basically in the daytime, the night time when the concentration of drugs in the blood will be much lower than during the day, which is not conducive to the drug to play a therapeutic effect, as well as the antihypertensive drugs, if the night time blood pressure concentration is too low, there may be a large fluctuation of blood pressure at night, thus aggravating the risk of the development of blood pressure at night.

Therefore, no matter what kind of medication is taken, patients should follow the doctor's instructions and take the medication on time. Whether it is required to "take medicine on an empty stomach", "take medicine before going to bed" or "take medicine with meals", it is all for the sake of better absorption and utilization of the medicine by the body, to play a better therapeutic effect, so that the patient can recover health soon. This will enable the patient to regain health as soon as possible.

Questions answered by Yumei Liao, Harbin Medical University Reviewed by Yibo Wu

By taking the drug on an empty stomach, we mean taking the drug 2 hours after a meal or 1 hour before a meal.

The same disease is treated with the same drug, the correct or not, the therapeutic effect varies greatly! Most of the oral drugs are absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract, gastrointestinal pH value, food satiety state, etc. will affect the bioavailability of drugs! Some drugs affect absorption after eating, in order to improve efficacy and reduce adverse effects must be taken on an empty stomach! So what are the common drugs that must be given on an empty stomach?

1. Antibacterial drugs:

a. Penicillins: amoxicillin capsules, cefaclor tablets, cefuroxime, etc.

b. Macrolides: Roxithromycin, Azithromycin, Clarithromycin

c. Quinolones: Norfloxacin capsules, ciprofloxacin capsules, ofloxacin capsules, etc.

Special Note: Erythromycin is easily destroyed by gastric acid and its efficacy is reduced by 80%, it needs to be given during or after meals.

2. Proton pump inhibitors: rabeprazole, omeprazole, lansoprazole, esomeprazole

3. Drugs for osteoporosis: sodium alenphosphate

4. Antihypertensive drugs: perindopril, captopril

5. Thyroid hormone drugs: levothyroxine sodium

6. Anti-tuberculosis drugs: rifampicin, isoniazid

7. Antidiarrheal drug: loperamide, laxative: magnesium sulfate

I won't go into details here, in short, when taking the medication, please pay attention to the dosing time on the instruction manual and take the medication correctly to achieve a better therapeutic effect!

The authoritative interpretation of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Network, without authorization, may not be reproduced, plagiarism will be punished!

We often hear the term "fasting" in life, such as in some of the medications, or blood tests, need to fast.

"Common sense" tells us that it's only natural to draw blood on an empty stomach.So do you know why exactly you need to fast? And how long is fasting? Is fasting not even drinking water?

Let me reveal it to you today!

Why do you need to draw blood on an empty stomach?

The reason is simple.Avoid errors in test results.

This is because the reference ranges we usually set for blood draw results are specified to be summarized and calculated during fasting. If it is not fasting, many results will be in error, such as blood glucose, blood lipids, liver function and so on.

Programs that require fasting?

fasting blood sugarThis is a test used to diagnose diabetes, and meals should be avoided for at least 8-10 hours prior to the test, while a small amount of water is permitted (but really just a small amount of water, juice and milk tea are not allowed~). In addition, not all blood glucose tests require fasting, but only "fasting blood glucose" needs only.

serum iron: This is used to help in the diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia or similar conditions, and eating may have an effect, so it is recommended that the test should be performed on an empty stomach for at least 12 hours.

Vitamin Measurement: In clinical practice, it is sometimes necessary to test the level of vitamins in the blood. For example, vitamin B12 and folic acid are used in the diagnosis and treatment of specific types of anemia, and blood is drawn on an empty stomach for 6-8 hours. In patients with osteoporosis, a blood test for 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D requires a 4-hour fasting period, but a blood test for 25-hydroxyvitamin D does not require a fasting period.

Drug concentration detection: Some patients receiving drug therapy require drug blood concentration monitoring, such as patients with organ suppression or autoimmune disease using the immunosuppressants cyclosporine and tacrolimus; and patients with epilepsy using sodium valproate and phenytoin sodium. Drug concentration testing generally requires fasting for 8-12 hours.

Of course, not all blood tests require fasting.

For example, some of the tests, such as thyroid function and some kidney function programs, although it is generally recommended to try to test on an empty stomach, but in fact, these indicators at different times of the day, regardless of fasting, after a meal, are generally more constant.

There are also the following items, such as routine blood analysis, coagulation function, blood sedimentation, C-reactive protein, cardiac markers, muscle enzymes, sex hormone 6, immuno-5, tumor markers, and rheumatology-related autoantibodies, which do not actually require fasting.

So, looking back, did we starve a lot for nothing all those years?

What exactly is the right kind of fasting?

Generally we say "fasting" means "counting from the morning, has been fasting for 10 ~ 12 hours", that is, the night before the blood draw, in accordance with the usual habits, a normal diet, as light as possible, non-stimulating, avoid drinking alcohol, coffee, strong tea, refused to snacks, normal rest, no morning exercise, a stable mind to the hospital to be tested. Normal rest, no morning exercise, a smooth mind to the hospital to be examined.

So many people will be thinking of skipping dinner the day before to ensure an empty stomach, and this notion is wrong!

Because counting from the normal dinner, the time of starvation itself has long exceeded 12 hours, the body may be in a state of excessive starvation, so that the body's various functional indicators change, which will lead to the results of our examination is different from the normal situation, and will not be able to accurately respond to the patient's real situation.

So you have to remember, fasting is not the longer the better Oh, generally try to avoid fasting for more than 14 hours.medical check-upThe best time to collect blood on an empty stomach is during the time period of 6:30 to 9:30 a.m., and should not exceed 10:00 a.m. at the latest.

In addition, diabetics, a special group of people, if they are in hunger for a long time, there is a risk of hypoglycemic coma, which is life-threatening! So don't take any chances with your diabetic friends, you can have a normal dinner the night before.

Can I drink water on an empty stomach?

Generally before the blood test, patients will be told: at least 8 hours of fasting, no water for more than 6 hours, sounds close to the meaning of do not eat or drink, but this does not mean that a drop of water do not dip, generally no more than 200ml is appropriate, about a small half bottle of mineral water bottle so much, but can only allow plain water.

Do I have to stop taking my medication on an empty stomach?

Whether or not the medication needs to be discontinued will depend on the situation!

"Fasting" does not mean that you can't take your medication. If you suddenly stop taking a medication that you must take every day, it can cause an acute or critical illness due to abnormal blood levels.

For example: antihypertensive drugs, some people hastily stop using it will trigger a sudden rise in blood pressure; there are also hypoglycemic drugs, anti-arrhythmic drugs, anti-epileptic drugs, and so on can not be arbitrarily discontinued.

Of course, in order to detect the concentration of certain drugs in the serum, it is necessary to stop the drug in the morning, for example, many patients taking immunosuppressive drugs need to test the concentration of cyclosporine, Procoprazole concentration, etc., which need to follow the doctor's advice, listen to the doctor.

After reading everyone knows it, the clinical need for fasting is not simply hungry stomach can be, correct cognition of these requirements to better comply with medical advice, for the patient to alleviate some of the hard work.

I remember when I was a child, there was a time to eat medicine on an empty stomach and then vomited then feel the whole body is very difficult to feel uncomfortable, such as the gastric mucosa damage is more serious drugs, aspirin is a typical appearance, this kind of drug on the gastric mucosa damage is relatively heavy, it is a kind of antiplatelet aggregation of the drug, easy to lead to the gastric mucosa of the edema, congestion, ulceration, or even ulcers, etc., if long time to take This kind of drug is easy to lead to acute gastric mucosal lesions, causing hemorrhage of the upper respiratory tract, sometimes hemorrhage is more fierce, but also life-threatening, eat this kind of drug must pay attention to, so it, eat this kind of drug need to pay attention to the same time and at the same time to give the protection of the gastric mucosa of the drug to take together, if it is the gastric mucosal protection drugs, fasting with a great benefit, such as rehabilitation of the new liquid can be formed in the gastric mucosa, the protective barrier, play a role in preventing the external mucosa, the gastric mucosa, and the mucosal protection. Protective barrier, the external mucosa to prevent gastric acid gastric stimulation damage.