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Taking medication with milk

AsiinaAsiina ...WaterlooRegistered User regular
edited July 2010 in Help / Advice Forum
Okay so I grew up hearing that you shouldn't take medication with milk. That the milk would somehow make it not work or be less effective.

I always accepted this as fact, but I tried to look this up on the internets and couldn't find anything about it either way.

Is this an old wives tale? Has anyone else heard this?

Asiina on

Posts

  • SuicaLoveSuicaLove Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Asiina wrote: »
    Okay so I grew up hearing that you shouldn't take medication with milk. That the milk would somehow make it not work or be less effective.

    I always accepted this as fact, but I tried to look this up on the internets and couldn't find anything about it either way.

    Is this an old wives tale? Has anyone else heard this?
    I've never heard this before. Normally, you are instructed to take something with or without milk (or food, or lots of water, etc) by your doctor. I've been told to take certain medications with milk to protect my stomach (the medication was known to be irritating to the stomach). That's all I know. Nothing about effectiveness, more just to do with if your digestive system should be started up or not, if your stomach lining needs protection or not, etc.

    SuicaLove on
  • CorvusCorvus . VancouverRegistered User regular
    edited July 2010
    I've never hear of that, but its possible that there are some specific medications that should not be taken with milk, and people are confusing the instructions for those medications as applying to all medications.

    Corvus on
    :so_raven:
  • AsiinaAsiina ... WaterlooRegistered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Well this was even for regular painkillers like aspirin or advil. They shouldn't be taken with milk.

    I'm thinking it might be bullshit, but this was something I've always been told is something very bad.

    Asiina on
  • afrowomanafrowoman Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    i heard that drinking milk can sometimes make it difficult for one to digest their food in their stomachs...

    afrowoman on
  • ihmmyihmmy Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    I do recall, once upon a time, being prescribed something that the pharmacist said I should not take with milk, as it can reduce effectiveness. This was for this particular medication however, and I have never heard of it in regards to anything else since then.

    ihmmy on
  • VideotapeVideotape Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Some antibiotics, such as tetracycline, are not fully effective when taken with milk or dairy products. The calcium in milk and dairy products can prevent the antibiotics from being absorbed into your bloodstream. Antibiotics are usually best utilized when consumed with water or juices.

    Regular old NSAIDs are best w/ water.

    Videotape on
  • FyreWulffFyreWulff YouRegistered User, ClubPA regular
    edited July 2010
    afrowoman wrote: »
    i heard that drinking milk can sometimes make it difficult for one to digest their food in their stomachs...

    Considering milk is a base, yes. Don't eat a bunch of food right after drinking milk. Unless you like throwing up.

    FyreWulff on
  • TrillianTrillian Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    FyreWulff wrote: »
    afrowoman wrote: »
    i heard that drinking milk can sometimes make it difficult for one to digest their food in their stomachs...

    Considering milk is a base, yes. Don't eat a bunch of food right after drinking milk. Unless you like throwing up.

    No that is not true. The stomach is so acidic that it does not matter one bit.
    Originally the hypothesis was that the fat content in milk "coated" the stomach and somehow soothed it, but that is also false; the stomach instead produces more acid and churns harder in response to fat consumption.

    Trillian on

    They cast a shadow like a sundial in the morning light. It was half past 10.
  • Mmmm... Cocks...Mmmm... Cocks... Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    FyreWulff wrote: »
    afrowoman wrote: »
    i heard that drinking milk can sometimes make it difficult for one to digest their food in their stomachs...

    Considering milk is a base, yes. Don't eat a bunch of food right after drinking milk. Unless you like throwing up.
    Milk is slightly acidic foo'!

    Mmmm... Cocks... on
  • FyreWulffFyreWulff YouRegistered User, ClubPA regular
    edited July 2010
    Mmmm... Cocks... wrote: »
    FyreWulff wrote: »
    afrowoman wrote: »
    i heard that drinking milk can sometimes make it difficult for one to digest their food in their stomachs...

    Considering milk is a base, yes. Don't eat a bunch of food right after drinking milk. Unless you like throwing up.
    Milk is slightly acidic foo'!

    Hrm. I thought that only happened with certain types. Looking it it up though, it's just barely an acid. What.

    FyreWulff on
  • Small Time CrookedSmall Time Crooked Post Malone's Hairdresser Des Plaines, ILRegistered User regular
    edited July 2010
    If I remember right I think it has something to do with compounds bonding with one another and either reducing or completely negating the effects of the drug in question. I might be wrong though, it was a few moons ago and I was prescribed some type of antibiotics.

    Small Time Crooked on
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