[Pseudoscience-is-malarkey (OP)]

Do they become more effective?

[alancalverd]

It ensures that they get to where they are intended to, if that is what the manufacturer specifies. 

[paul cotter]

That depends on the medication involved. Nsaids for example should be washed down with plenty of liquid as severe irritation may occur if they get stuck in your gullet. Buprenorphine on the other hand is better absorbed through the oral mucosa( than the stomach/intestines ) and the patient instruction is to let the tablet dissolve under the tongue.

[Karen W.]

Good question one I have always wondered about  That myself, Having been a person who is on a great deal of medications. So that prompts me to ask another question. With that being said as a person on many medications most all my meds say to drink with a full glass of water, so does this mean to apply a full glass of water per medication, as that just seems silly.. I currently take 13 oral meds a day as prescribed by my panel of physicians. And 38 different meds a day pre heart  surgery etc. So I am on considerably less meds now but still 13 full glasses per day seems excessive. so does that number not apply in cases like 6 or 7 at a time? I only take a drink to wet my gullet  down so they don't stick going down, then I take six or seven pills in one swallow. I then finish drinking throughout the hour, I continue hourly liquid until I have drank approximately 64 ounces a day, more or less for adequate hydration after a gastric sleeve. If I had to add a glass for each kind of pill I have to take, Id be floating around and or bloated up retaining too much water. So whats the rule of thumb here?

[alancalverd]

Id be floating around and or bloated up retaining too much water.

So they'd prescribe a diuretic, and maybe a kidney transplant later, with more meds.....How on earth did you find the time and discipline to take 38 meds a day?

[Bored chemist]

So whats the rule of thumb here?

As ever, the rule of thumb is "ask your doctor or pharmacist".

..How on earth did you find the time and discipline to take 38 meds a day?

I strongly suspect that the answer to that is "by considering the alternative".

[alancalverd]

I didn't think you were into alternative medicine, BC!

"Radical" is always interesting, but I wouldn't contemplate cabbage leaves and nude moonbathing as a preparation for cardiac surgery.

[Bored chemist]

I didn't think you were into alternative medicine, BC!

I'm not, and I advise against it.

The stuff that works is called "medicine" the stuff that doesn't is called "alternative medicine".
Not taking the meds doesn't work...
So I advise against not taking the medication (as prescribed).
Because the alternative to taking your meds- as prescribed0 is... not good.

[Karen W.]

Id be floating around and or bloated up retaining too much water.

So they'd prescribe a diuretic, and maybe a kidney transplant later, with more meds.....How on earth did you find the time an
I just did what the doctors told me too and most days it felt as if that were my meals. I was very sick. and medical help here is so bad.. It was not till after they shifted me to Stanford at my own request that things began to be unraveled and my mini stroke d discipline to take 38 meds a day?

Things got worse and I was not getting better.. They figured out what was going on. I was diagnosed with so many things here in Humboldt that I felt horrible all the time.

Id be floating around and or bloated up retaining too much water.

So they'd prescribe a diuretic, and maybe a kidney transplant later, with more meds.....How on earth did you find the time an
I just did what the doctors told me too and most days it felt as if that were my meals. I was very sick. and medical help here is so bad.. It was not till after they shifted me to Stanford at my own request that things began to be unraveled and my mini stroke d discipline to take 38 meds a day?

  It was very difficult to say the least and I  got really depressed on top of it all. I just felt horrible.. they found so many things wrong but no way to pinpoint what to do for them so they were trying to treat symptoms instead of finding the problems causing the  symptoms.. Anyways that's for another time.. I am way better now.. still have issues but am much better and my  death sentence basically has been removed...So water is an issue if I get too much I retain  it severely with CHF.. but for now I have  only had 2 water pills in the last 2 months since I got covid. My retention has disappeared basically. I have them should the swelling start back up. And yes I have kidney issues mild at this point, but better then previously. So how does the full glass of water per pill work in this case?

[alancalverd]

Back to the question, then.

I don't think the object of the water is primarily that of precise dilution, but more likely to ensure that the pill reaches the stomach or wherever it is supposed to be, without getting lodged where it shouldn't, or gets dissolved  so as to be extracted by and dispersed in liver/kidney/bladder/other wobbly bit,  as required. If so, one glass with several pills will do the job, as long as the pills themselves are compatible and don't have to be taken in a specific time sequence.

[Karen W.]

Yes that makes sense as I take my thyroid pill and hour before food or other pills because it's less effective I'm told if you eat or drink anything other than water before you take it.

[paul cotter]

Karen, I am sorry to hear that you have multiple medical problems. Unfortunately some people get dealt a poor hand by life. Me, i'm lucky, at 71 just two pills a day, for slightly raised BP, which have no more side effects than placebo.

[Karen W.]

Back to the question, then.

I don't think the object of the water is primarily that of precise dilution, but more likely to ensure that the pill reaches the stomach or wherever it is supposed to be, without getting lodged where it shouldn't, or gets dissolved  so as to be extracted by and dispersed in liver/kidney/bladder/other wobbly bit,  as required. If so, one glass with several pills will do the job, as long as the pills themselves are compatible and don't have to be taken in a specific time sequence.

That makes good sense.  I noticed a few years back that if I did not take a few swallows of water before attempting to swallow my pills that my pills would get stuck in my throat causing me to choke on them and gag because of the highly nasty taste they get as they dissolve while stuck.. So making sure I am not dehydrated is vital as swallowing is difficult when in that state!

[Karen W.]

So whats the rule of thumb here?

As ever, the rule of thumb is "ask your doctor or pharmacist".

..How on earth did you find the time and discipline to take 38 meds a day?

I strongly suspect that the answer to that is "by considering the alternative".

That's exactly right!

[vhfpmr]

If it matters how you take the pills, the instructions are on the Patient Information Leaflet that comes in the box with them.

I don't think the object of the water is primarily that of precise dilution, but more likely to ensure that the pill reaches the stomach or wherever it is supposed to be, without getting lodged where it shouldn't, or gets dissolved  so as to be extracted by and dispersed in liver/kidney/bladder/other wobbly bit,  as required. If so, one glass with several pills will do the job, as long as the pills themselves are compatible and don't have to be taken in a specific time sequence.

In my case, my Flecainide dissolves about as fast as a soluble Aspirin, so the main function of the water is to flush them out of my mouth before the Bitrex does its job.

[Karen W.]

Karen, I am sorry to hear that you have multiple medical problems. Unfortunately some people get dealt a poor hand by life. Me, i'm lucky, at 71 just two pills a day, for slightly raised BP, which have no more side effects than placebo.

I don't feel was dealt a bad hand  rally as The health has been iffy since birth but due to amazing doctors technology my faith I have been given a really beautiful life. There was a time period of depression that came with the bad health but we dealt with that and counselling and medication were vital in getting me through that. This forum was a huge life preserver for me kept my mind working and got me through some really really rough times. The people  here and the ability to come here to read and learn helped keep my mind in the right places. Trying not to dwell too much on being sick. When my medical situation got worse I had to remove myself from a lot of my activities as my strength was not good and my concentration was really an issue when you are on large doses of morphine and antibiotics, bad diabetes, with screwed up thyroid, and late stage lyme disease, CHF, and the list goes on..Terrible pain in hips and deteriorated joints in ability to be active.. I felt like a pin cushion and like I was in a fog for a long time with severe insomnia! It took a long time to get them all in hand.. An d I now have my diabetes under control at a 5.1 and feel much better taken off over 100 lbs again and working and 50 more. So meds are just part of my life but they have enabled me to have a life and I am very grateful for them and my team of Doctors and friends here who supported me and at one point saved my life from thousands of miles away, by sending me to er when he recognized I was having a stroke by some things i had posted that were happening on that particular day... Thank you all for this great questions and all the answers.. This was a good question Psuedo-science....