Q: Does drinking water immediately after swallowing liquid medications dilute the medicine?
– Irving, Texas
A: No, it doesn’t dilute it in any way, although this is a common myth. Fresh, clean water is extremely important to good health because it dilutes toxins in your body and helps keep your cells alive and vibrant. I don’t like fluoridated water, but this is inevitable in some cities (unless you buy bottled) and, in fact, could be the subject of a column in and of itself.
You have to think of water as a “vehicle” towing the medicine down your esophagus and into your stomach, where the breakdown can begin. Without enough water, you run the risk of heartburn, reflux and worse than that, corrosive damage to delicate tissues or ulceration. Water is needed when swallowing all forms of medication – capsules, tablets and powders.
Would it shock you to learn that even inhaled meds like Albuterol, Advair and Xopenex are best taken with a full glass of water in order to rinse the throat out and prevent irritation? Generally speaking, the more water you drink with your medication, the better off you are, especially with irritating medicine such as liquid potassium or osteoporosis medications like Fosamax, Boniva and Actonel.
Q: My mother has been confused, short of breath and weak. One of the nurses at the hospital said I need to get her to another doctor immediately because she takes Prozac (fluoxetine) and Xanax (alprazalam) together. Is this combination safe for a 73-year-old lady?
– Scottsboro, Alabama
A: “Safe” is a relative term in health care. What’s safe for me may not be safe for you because of genetics, allergies or individual metabolic processes. For your comfort, I will tell you that this combination is used safely in lots of people, but they take the Prozac in the morning and the Xanax at night, not together.
In an older person, this same combination may not be so safe, and since this is an opinion column, I’ll tell you that the Prozac would not be my personal pick simply because it has such a long half-life in the body. That means that it takes the body a reeeaaally long time to process the drug, and levels can spike very high if someone has compromised liver or kidney function, which is common in the elderly. A different medication, such as Paxil or Lexapro, might be a better choice for someone who is older, since it is broken down faster and eliminated more easily.
It’s good that you took Mom to the hospital with those symptoms. A medical doctor needed to assess her to make sure that her heart and circulation were functioning properly.
Did you know?
Taking about 1,000 IUs vitamin D per day can cut your risk for breast cancer by up to 50 percent. D is found in dairy products and by lying out in the sun during safe times.
– Suzy Cohen Tribune Media Services
