Do capsules hurt your stomach?

Capsules are a common medicine, and there are many types of capsules. You should choose the capsule for treatment according to your condition. Capsule medicines are likely to hurt the stomach, because all medicines are harmful to the stomach, and capsules can easily stick to the stomach when taken, affecting stomach digestion. And when we take capsules, it is best to drink water and swallow the capsules into the stomach.

How to take capsules

Capsules are the most common pharmaceutical dosage form. Many people will be confused when taking medicine, "What should I do if I can't swallow it? Can I pour out the medicine in the capsule and eat it?" In fact, the reason why the medicine is placed in capsules is, on the one hand, to facilitate swallowing, and on the other hand, for reasons of efficacy and safety.

There are usually the following reasons for making drugs into capsules: first, it serves the purpose of dividing the dose, making it easier to take; second, the drug itself is very bitter or has a peculiar smell, and the capsule wrapping can effectively mask the taste of the drug; third, sustained-release capsules can continuously release drugs over a long period of time, or slowly release drugs at a predetermined rate to stabilize blood drug concentrations; fourth, enteric-coated capsules can prevent drugs from being destroyed by gastric acid, allowing them to be absorbed under weak alkaline conditions in the intestines, which can better exert the efficacy of the drug on the one hand, and avoid some adverse reactions on the other.

If you are taking ordinary capsule medicine that acts as a dose divider, then pouring the medicine out of the capsule and taking it will generally not have much impact.

1. Enteric-coated capsules. Drugs that are easily destroyed or irritating to the stomach are made into enteric-coated capsules. The capsule shell is insoluble in gastric juice and only dissolves and releases the drug after reaching the intestines. The purpose is to prevent the drug from being destroyed by stomach acid or to avoid irritating the stomach. If you forcibly remove the medicine, it will easily reduce the efficacy of the medicine, cause irritation to the stomach, and in severe cases may cause gastric bleeding. For example, the instructions for minocycline capsules clearly state: "When this product is retained in the esophagus and disintegrates, it can cause esophageal ulcers."

2. Medicines with particularly strong odor. Some medicines have a strong odor and taste very bitter, which is difficult for adults to accept, let alone children. Taking medicines before taking them can easily cause nausea and disgust in children, which can lead to a fear of medicines. Commonly used antibiotics, such as amoxicillin and cefradine, all taste bitter. In fact, most of the medicines used for children now are made into granules and powders. Those with strong taste will have masking agents and fruit flavors added to improve the discomfort children feel when taking the medicine.

3. Sustained-release capsules or controlled-release capsules. These drugs must be swallowed whole so that they can be released in a balanced dose and achieve the best effect. If the drugs are taken separately, they will lose their sustained-release function, causing a large amount of drug to be released in a short period of time, greatly increasing the blood drug concentration and even causing drug poisoning.

How to take capsules without hurting the stomach

Lie down immediately after taking it. Some patients with weak constitutions like to lie down immediately after taking the capsules. Little do people know that this will increase the risk of the capsule being retained in the esophagus and will accelerate the release of the drug. If the drug is highly irritating to the esophagus and stomach, it may cause damage to the esophagus or even the stomach. Therefore, it is best to take the capsules while standing. Bedridden patients should try to sit up, straighten their upper body, and lie down again after the capsules are completely swallowed.

The water temperature is too hot. A cup of hot water is very considerate when taking the medicine, but it may make the capsule upset your stomach. Generally speaking, when capsules are taken with hot water, the gelatin shell tends to soften and stick to the esophagus, causing damage. If the softened capsule reaches the stomach, it will quickly break down and release drugs that are more irritating to the stomach, which will aggravate stomach discomfort. Capsules should be taken with warm water, and the water temperature should generally not exceed 40°C, especially for some live bacteria preparations, as too high water temperature will inactivate the live bacteria. In addition, some patients swallow the capsules dry because there is no water around, which also increases the risk of the capsules sticking in the esophagus or causing the drug to be released prematurely and damage the esophagus or stomach. Generally, before taking the capsule, you should drink about 50 ml of water to lubricate the esophagus, and then take it with about 200 ml of warm water.

The dosage and course of treatment are inappropriate. For some patients who already have stomach problems, because the local gastric mucosal barrier has been damaged, the gelatin produced by the decomposition of the capsule in the body will aggravate the irritation to the gastric mucosa, thereby increasing stomach discomfort. Therefore, before taking the medicine, it is best for such patients to consult a doctor and pharmacist to take the capsules in a short time, small dose, reasonably and safely to minimize discomfort.

It should also be noted that some patients are affected by the "toxic capsules" and develop fear and refuse to take the capsules. Some people also found that the empty capsule shells only expanded but did not dissolve when soaked in a basin of water for several hours, and they worried that they had bought "fake capsules." Little do people know that the environment in the gastrointestinal tract is very different from that in a water basin, and stomach discomfort after taking the capsule is not because it is insoluble in water. For normal and qualified medicines, the capsules used are of safe and reliable quality, so patients do not need to worry about it.

How to take the capsules

1. Some people like to take capsule medicines with hot water, but this will cause the capsule to dissolve quickly and the capsule skin will easily stick to the throat or esophagus. Therefore, capsules should be taken with cold water as much as possible, and do not choose hot water or juice.

2. It is also wrong to take capsules while sitting or lying down. Some capsule medicines, such as capsule medicines for treating osteoporosis, are highly corrosive. If they accidentally stick to the esophagus when taken, the released chemicals can cause severe burns to the esophageal mucosa. Therefore, you must take the medicine while standing and do not lie down immediately after taking it.

3. Unless the patient has difficulty taking capsule-type medicines and can peel them open before taking, try not to peel them open before taking, especially for sustained-release capsules and enteric-coated capsules, which must not be peeled open. Because the drugs in it are very irritating to the stomach and are not easily absorbed.

4. If you feel a foreign object in your throat after taking the medicine, it means that you did not drink enough water when taking the medicine. Just add more water and drink more water continuously to make the capsule go down smoothly. Otherwise, if it gets stuck in the esophagus, it will cause severe burns to the esophagus.

5. Take a cup of water of about 100 to 200 ml at moderate temperature. The patient should stand or sit with his chest up. First, take a sip of water to moisten the throat and esophagus. Then, put the capsule in the mouth, take another sip of water, and swallow the capsule together with the water. Do not lower or raise your head too much. Then, drink the remaining water to ensure that the capsule is flushed into the stomach.

Conclusion: Medicines are still harmful to our bodies. As the saying goes, all medicines are poisonous. We still need to pay more attention to maintaining our bodies. Especially in spring, when the temperature fluctuates, it is easy to catch a cold or have a fever, so you must take good care of your body. We should also pay more attention to the correct way to take capsules. Don’t take them randomly. This is not good for our body, especially it will hurt our stomach.