The harm of taking stomach medicine for a long time

Many patients with stomach problems take stomach medicine for a long time, because they think that if they don't take stomach medicine, their stomach will feel uncomfortable, and taking stomach medicine for a long time can protect the stomach. In fact, this idea is wrong, because medicine is three-point poison, all medicines have side effects, and not all medicines can be absorbed by the human body, and some toxins will remain in the human body. So what are the harms of taking stomach medicine for a long time?

1. The harm of taking stomach medicine for a long time

The correct name of stomach medicine is antacid, which neutralizes stomach acid. However, commercially available antacid medicines are quite common and are often not single-ingredient medicines, but medicines containing multiple ingredients, including sodium bicarbonate, magnesium, aluminum, calcium, etc. Although stomach medicines containing these substances have corresponding indications, they may also bring different side effects.

Western medicine can easily damage the stomach, so it is best to take stomach medicine with you. However, it is not necessary to take stomach medicine when taking medicine, because sometimes taking them together may affect the absorption or dissolution of other medicines, thereby affecting the efficacy of the medicine or increasing side effects. In fact, not all drugs are harmful to the stomach. Usually they only have a slight effect. If there is an effect, just stop taking the drug or adjust the way of taking it. The harm of taking stomach medicine for a long time

2. Stomach medicine that can be taken before meals

Gastric mucosal protective agents: potassium citrate bismuth, colloidal bismuth acid, misoprostol;

Gastrointestinal antispasmodics: propantheline, metoclopramide;

Digestive aids: multi-enzyme tablets, lactase;

Gastrokinetic drugs: metoclopramide, domperidone, cisapride.

3. Why should we distinguish the time to take stomach medicine?

The pharmacology of different drugs for treating stomach problems varies greatly. The processes of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion in the human body vary greatly. Factors such as gastric juice and food have different effects on the drugs. Therefore, the time of taking stomach medicine has a more significant impact on the efficacy of the medicine.

Some stomach medicines need to be taken before meals, some need to be taken after meals, and some need to be taken once more before going to bed in addition to being taken during the day. For example, the gastrokinetic drug domperidone (Metoclopramide) needs to be taken half an hour before meals because the drug's efficacy reaches its peak during meals, and the gastrointestinal tract begins to move normally under its pharmacological action, which is beneficial to the digestion of food. For those drugs that can protect our gastric mucosa, they should be taken after meals. This way, the characteristics of the drugs can be brought into play, neutralizing stomach acid, absorbing harmful substances, and promoting the regeneration of our gastric mucosa. The harm of taking stomach medicine for a long time

Precautions for taking stomach medicine

Avoid mixing with other medicines. After applying the film to your phone, it is difficult for water to penetrate the screen. Similarly, after taking gastric mucosal protective agents, other drugs are also difficult to be absorbed. Even drugs with similar functions may conflict. For example, sucralfate and cimetidine can both protect the gastric mucosa, and some patients often take them at the same time. In fact, aluminum sulfate will adhere to the surface of the gastric and duodenal mucosa, forming a protective barrier on the ulcer surface, which needs to be hydrolyzed by gastric acid to work. Cimetidine has a strong effect in inhibiting gastric acid. After taking it, sucralfate loses its acidic environment, resulting in it being unable to exert its due therapeutic effect. Therefore, gastric mucosal protective agents and antacids and acid suppressants need to be taken about 1 hour apart.

Avoid drinking water right away. When taking gastric mucosal protective agents, you only need to take the medicine with a small amount of water. It is not advisable to drink too much water within half an hour. Otherwise, the newly formed drug protective film may be washed away, weakening its protective effect. If you want to drink water, you should wait half an hour after taking the medicine, until the protective film is stable or the drug takes effect, and then drink an appropriate amount.