Does medicine work as well if you drink water immediately after?

Question

Is it true... or an "old wives tale" ... that when you give a child a liquid medicine and he drinks water immediately afterwards to wash down the bad taste, the medicine doesn't work as well?

Answer 1

I am an ER nurse from the midwest - Some of the responses are correct. It actually depends on the medication you are administering. If it is an expectorant/ cough suppressant or nausea/antemetic or a chalky textured medicine such as maalox/milk of mag, than it would be best not to chase it with water whenever you can avoid it as it can dilute the liquid therefore potentially decreasing effectiveness. However, inhalers and antipyretics (fever reducers such as tylenol, ibuprofen, etc) are not affected by an entire glass of water and doing so is actually most often encouraged to avoid stomach irritation. If the bitter taste of the liquids is too much, you can always finely crush tablets to be mixed with juice or applesauce.

Answer 2

I would think this to be true, many medications when weakened down are not absorbed in full strength but in diluted form thus weakening the dosage, but if you think about it some medications no matter strong or not, with added water or fluid just means it goes further but it is still the same amount. Hope I didn't lose you. I guess it depends on the medication.

Answer 3

if it's cough syrup and is supposed to line the throat to stop coughing, then drinking water would make it less effective. The fever reducing medicine wouldn't stop working though.

Answer 4

No.

Answer 5

NOT TRUE