Take it before or after meals? Here is a list of common medication times! Don’t be careless, save it now!

We often see instructions such as "take before meals" and "take after meals" on drug instructions. How long does it take to be considered "before meals"? Why must it be taken before meals? What will happen if it is taken after meals? What about taking it after meals?

Medication taken before meals

It is generally recommended to take medicines on an empty stomach one hour before meals, and to take medicines before meals 15 to 30 minutes before meals. If you take medicines before meals after meals, the food may affect the absorption of the medicines, thus affecting the efficacy. These medicines generally include:

0 1

Diabetes-lowering drugs

Blood sugar will rise after eating. In order to avoid large fluctuations in blood sugar, hypoglycemic drugs are generally taken 30 minutes before meals. Specific drugs include gliclazide, glipizide, gliclazide, etc.

0 2 Digestive system drugs

Many digestive system medications need to be taken before meals. For example, proton pump inhibitors (omeprazole, pantoprazole, etc.) should be taken half an hour before breakfast. This can effectively inhibit the increase in gastric acid secretion caused by food stimulation after meals; gastric mucosal protectants (compound glutamine, sucralfate, etc.) should also be taken before meals so that the drug can fully act on the stomach wall.

In addition, lipid-lowering drugs (such as fenofibrate) and anticoagulants (such as lumbrokinase) are also recommended to be taken before meals.

Medication taken after meals

Medication that needs to be taken after meals should generally be taken 15 to 30 minutes after meals. This is because if you take medication before meals, it may aggravate stomach irritation or fail to achieve the desired effect. Such medications generally include:

0 1 Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

It is generally recommended that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (such as acetaminophen, indomethacin, nimesulide, ibuprofen, diclofenac, etc.) be taken after meals because this can reduce the irritation of these drugs to the gastrointestinal tract.

0 2 Vitamins

Our stomach is an acidic environment. Vitamins B1, B2, etc. are easily destroyed in an acidic environment. Taking them after meals is beneficial to the absorption of these vitamins.

In addition, some drugs, such as aluminum phosphate gel, need to be taken at different times according to different indications. For example, when treating esophageal diseases, the drug needs to be taken after meals; when treating gastritis and gastric ulcers, the drug needs to be taken half an hour before meals; when treating duodenal ulcers, the drug needs to be taken 3 hours after meals and when pain occurs.

Don't be careless about medication. Whether it is the time or method of taking the medication, it would be safer to pay more attention to the instructions.

Source: CCTV Finance Comprehensive from CCTV News Client

Preliminary review丨Chen Jiaqi

Review丨Wei Xinghua

Final Review丨Han Yonglin