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Should I retake medication if I throw up?
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Kenneth Anderson
Should I retake medication if I throw up?
Chris Munoz has a pretty good answer.
I would just add that if your vomiting isn’t deep and caused by illness, but is more along the lines of acid reflux within minutes of eating and taking your meds, I would say probably you should retake it, especially if you can see traces of the meds in the vomit. I’ve had that experience in the morning sometimes because I have allergies that result in sometimes having too much phlegm in my throat upon waking, and if I try to swallow a lot of meds (I have quite a few and some are particularly large, like 1000mg Metformin for diabetes, which are enormous caplets) I sometimes gag when I am trying to get them all down, especially if I eat something that sets off asthma/allergies or sticks in my gullet (bread with the slightest speck of incipient mold, for instance, or rice without enough liquid) before I take the pills; I guess it’s a form of gastric reflux brought on by a breathing panic when my throat feels too occluded from mucous and food and my nostrils are also plugged before I blow my nose. (Sorry if that’s TMI) But in general, if I’ve taken the meds more than ten or 15 minutes earlier, I can’t see any trace of capsules or tablets in the vomit, or it’s a med that would cause serious side effects if I got a double dose of it, I will wait and see if I seem to be experiencing the effects of the meds as usual or I don’t have the expected response. For instance, if an hour later my blood pressure was surprisingly high, I would probably go ahead and take another Diltiazem; if my blood sugar was very high, I’d probably assume the metformin got “lost” and take another. I can tell within 20 minutes or less whether my ADHD meds have taken effect, or whether they too ended up getting ejected (the tablets usually dissolve fairly quickly, but the extended release capsules can get barfed up before they’ve been absorbed). If you are familiar with your reactions, you should be able to tell, generally, within an hour or two, if your full complement has taken effect or not, if you just pay attention to your body.
I would just add that if your vomiting isn’t deep and caused by illness, but is more along the lines of acid reflux within minutes of eating and taking your meds, I would say probably you should retake it, especially if you can see traces of the meds in the vomit. I’ve had that experience in the morning sometimes because I have allergies that result in sometimes having too much phlegm in my throat upon waking, and if I try to swallow a lot of meds (I have quite a few and some are particularly large, like 1000mg Metformin for diabetes, which are enormous caplets) I sometimes gag when I am trying to get them all down, especially if I eat something that sets off asthma/allergies or sticks in my gullet (bread with the slightest speck of incipient mold, for instance, or rice without enough liquid) before I take the pills; I guess it’s a form of gastric reflux brought on by a breathing panic when my throat feels too occluded from mucous and food and my nostrils are also plugged before I blow my nose. (Sorry if that’s TMI) But in general, if I’ve taken the meds more than ten or 15 minutes earlier, I can’t see any trace of capsules or tablets in the vomit, or it’s a med that would cause serious side effects if I got a double dose of it, I will wait and see if I seem to be experiencing the effects of the meds as usual or I don’t have the expected response. For instance, if an hour later my blood pressure was surprisingly high, I would probably go ahead and take another Diltiazem; if my blood sugar was very high, I’d probably assume the metformin got “lost” and take another. I can tell within 20 minutes or less whether my ADHD meds have taken effect, or whether they too ended up getting ejected (the tablets usually dissolve fairly quickly, but the extended release capsules can get barfed up before they’ve been absorbed). If you are familiar with your reactions, you should be able to tell, generally, within an hour or two, if your full complement has taken effect or not, if you just pay attention to your body.
It really depends on the particular antibiotic and how quickly it gets absorbed into the body. A good rule of thumb is if you vomit within 15 minutes of taking the medication, take The dose again. If it has been over 60 minutes you don't need to take it again. Anywhere in between 15 and 60 minutes, I would call your local pharmacist or doctor to ask what they would recommend to do. This is where it depends on multiple factors (I.e. Drug absorption, toxicity, metabolism, excretion, severity of illness, hours until next dose, etc).
It really depends on the particular antibiotic and how quickly it gets absorbed into the body. A good rule of thumb is if you vomit within 15 minutes of taking the medication, take The dose again. If it has been over 60 minutes you don't need to take it again. Anywhere in between 15 and 60 minutes, I would call your local pharmacist or doctor to ask what they would recommend to do. This is where it depends on multiple factors (I.e. Drug absorption, toxicity, metabolism, excretion, severity of illness, hours until next dose, etc).
My answer depends on when you ingested the medication, is this the first time you have taken this med, would you know if it has started to take effect, how soon after you took this med did you start vomiting? Some meds begin dissolving sooner than others. So, it’s difficult to say unless I know the meds, time line and why you are taking this medication. Also, what caused your vomiting? Had you been Ill? Was this a hang your head in the toilet vomiting or a spit up? Consult your pharmacist or physician to know for certain.
My answer depends on when you ingested the medication, is this the first time you have taken this med, would you know if it has started to take effect, how soon after you took this med did you start vomiting? Some meds begin dissolving sooner than others. So, it’s difficult to say unless I know the meds, time line and why you are taking this medication. Also, what caused your vomiting? Had you been Ill? Was this a hang your head in the toilet vomiting or a spit up? Consult your pharmacist or physician to know for certain.
The answer to this question is largely dependent on the exact situation.
Timeline- Most oral meds will start to be absorbed within 15 minutes, but can take up to 2 hours to fully absorb into gastric mucosa. For example, it is recommends for some medications that can cause nausea and vomiting, to retake the dose if one vomits within two hours of taking.
The drug- some drugs will have specific instructions about retaking a dose if vomiting occurs. A pharmacist should beconsulted . Some drugs are extended or controlled release and if vomiting occurs within a couple hours, the dose may need to be retaken. In other cases, if the drug started to absorb partially before vomiting, a subsequent dose may increase drug levels too much and cause side effects or toxicity. In certain cases it would be advised not to retake the dose, but wait until the next scheduled dose to take it again, this way the risk of taking too high a dose outweighs missing one dose.
Concurrent medical conditions- depending on what conditions are present in the patient, it may be critical to retake the dose, even against the possibility of too high of drug levels.
4. Protracted vomiting- if vomiting is continuous, it would not be advisable to continue taking oral medications. Your prescribed can contact a compounding pharmacy to turn the oral drug into the same drug and dose, but different delivery system (.e.g. Suppository)
Always give as much detail and accuracy about the situation to your pharmacist or PCP about the situation.
The answer to this question is largely dependent on the exact situation.
Timeline- Most oral meds will start to be absorbed within 15 minutes, but can take up to 2 hours to fully absorb into gastric mucosa. For example, it is recommends for some medications that can cause nausea and vomiting, to retake the dose if one vomits within two hours of taking.
The drug- some drugs will have specific instructions about retaking a dose if vomiting occurs. A pharmacist should beconsulted . Some drugs are extended or controlled release and if vomiting occurs within a couple hours, the dose may need to be retaken. In other cases, if the drug started to absorb partially before vomiting, a subsequent dose may increase drug levels too much and cause side effects or toxicity. In certain cases it would be advised not to retake the dose, but wait until the next scheduled dose to take it again, this way the risk of taking too high a dose outweighs missing one dose.
Concurrent medical conditions- depending on what conditions are present in the patient, it may be critical to retake the dose, even against the possibility of too high of drug levels.
4. Protracted vomiting- if vomiting is continuous, it would not be advisable to continue taking oral medications. Your prescribed can contact a compounding pharmacy to turn the oral drug into the same drug and dose, but different delivery system (.e.g. Suppository)
Always give as much detail and accuracy about the situation to your pharmacist or PCP about the situation.
The significance of whether or not to retake depends on what the medication is and whether it's a solid or liquid form. Liquids are absorbed quicker, so more medication will have been absorbed within a particular time compared to a tablet or capsule which has to dissolve first. For the Emergency Contraceptive Pill, we advise retaking if vomit within 3 hours of taking (but then the consequences are more serious).
The significance of whether or not to retake depends on what the medication is and whether it's a solid or liquid form. Liquids are absorbed quicker, so more medication will have been absorbed within a particular time compared to a tablet or capsule which has to dissolve first. For the Emergency Contraceptive Pill, we advise retaking if vomit within 3 hours of taking (but then the consequences are more serious).
It depends on why you threw up. If it was because of the medication, contact your doctor immediately for next steps, they may change your medication. If you threw up unrelated (ex you have the flu) then yes take a fresh/clean pill. Do not take the medication you threw up, the acid that came up in your vomit has already started to break down the medication and it will not work as intended. Plus it’s probably all gross from vomit ?♀️
It depends on why you threw up. If it was because of the medication, contact your doctor immediately for next steps, they may change your medication. If you threw up unrelated (ex you have the flu) then yes take a fresh/clean pill. Do not take the medication you threw up, the acid that came up in your vomit has already started to break down the medication and it will not work as intended. Plus it’s probably all gross from vomit ?♀️
Chris Munoz has a pretty good answer.
I would just add that if your vomiting isn’t deep and caused by illness, but is more along the lines of acid reflux within minutes of eating and taking your meds, I would say probably you should retake it, especially if you can see traces of the meds in the vomit. I’ve had that experience in the morning sometimes because I have allergies that result in sometimes having too much phlegm in my throat upon waking, and if I try to swallow a lot of meds (I have quite a few and some are particularly large, like 1000mg Metformin for diabetes, which are enormous caplets) I sometimes gag when I am trying to get them all down, especially if I eat something that sets off asthma/allergies or sticks in my gullet (bread with the slightest speck of incipient mold, for instance, or rice without enough liquid) before I take the pills; I guess it’s a form of gastric reflux brought on by a breathing panic when my throat feels too occluded from mucous and food and my nostrils are also plugged before I blow my nose. (Sorry if that’s TMI)
But in general, if I’ve taken the meds more than ten or 15 minutes earlier, I can’t see any trace of capsules or tablets in the vomit, or it’s a med that would cause serious side effects if I got a double dose of it, I will wait and see if I seem to be experiencing the effects of the meds as usual or I don’t have the expected response. For instance, if an hour later my blood pressure was surprisingly high, I would probably go ahead and take another Diltiazem; if my blood sugar was very high, I’d probably assume the metformin got “lost” and take another. I can tell within 20 minutes or less whether my ADHD meds have taken effect, or whether they too ended up getting ejected (the tablets usually dissolve fairly quickly, but the extended release capsules can get barfed up before they’ve been absorbed). If you are familiar with your reactions, you should be able to tell, generally, within an hour or two, if your full complement has taken effect or not, if you just pay attention to your body.
Chris Munoz has a pretty good answer.
I would just add that if your vomiting isn’t deep and caused by illness, but is more along the lines of acid reflux within minutes of eating and taking your meds, I would say probably you should retake it, especially if you can see traces of the meds in the vomit. I’ve had that experience in the morning sometimes because I have allergies that result in sometimes having too much phlegm in my throat upon waking, and if I try to swallow a lot of meds (I have quite a few and some are particularly large, like 1000mg Metformin for diabetes, which are enormous caplets) I sometimes gag when I am trying to get them all down, especially if I eat something that sets off asthma/allergies or sticks in my gullet (bread with the slightest speck of incipient mold, for instance, or rice without enough liquid) before I take the pills; I guess it’s a form of gastric reflux brought on by a breathing panic when my throat feels too occluded from mucous and food and my nostrils are also plugged before I blow my nose. (Sorry if that’s TMI)
But in general, if I’ve taken the meds more than ten or 15 minutes earlier, I can’t see any trace of capsules or tablets in the vomit, or it’s a med that would cause serious side effects if I got a double dose of it, I will wait and see if I seem to be experiencing the effects of the meds as usual or I don’t have the expected response. For instance, if an hour later my blood pressure was surprisingly high, I would probably go ahead and take another Diltiazem; if my blood sugar was very high, I’d probably assume the metformin got “lost” and take another. I can tell within 20 minutes or less whether my ADHD meds have taken effect, or whether they too ended up getting ejected (the tablets usually dissolve fairly quickly, but the extended release capsules can get barfed up before they’ve been absorbed). If you are familiar with your reactions, you should be able to tell, generally, within an hour or two, if your full complement has taken effect or not, if you just pay attention to your body.
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It really depends on the particular antibiotic and how quickly it gets absorbed into the body. A good rule of thumb is if you vomit within 15 minutes of taking the medication, take The dose again. If it has been over 60 minutes you don't need to take it again. Anywhere in between 15 and 60 minutes, I would call your local pharmacist or doctor to ask what they would recommend to do. This is where it depends on multiple factors (I.e. Drug absorption, toxicity, metabolism, excretion, severity of illness, hours until next dose, etc).
It really depends on the particular antibiotic and how quickly it gets absorbed into the body. A good rule of thumb is if you vomit within 15 minutes of taking the medication, take The dose again. If it has been over 60 minutes you don't need to take it again. Anywhere in between 15 and 60 minutes, I would call your local pharmacist or doctor to ask what they would recommend to do. This is where it depends on multiple factors (I.e. Drug absorption, toxicity, metabolism, excretion, severity of illness, hours until next dose, etc).
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My answer depends on when you ingested the medication, is this the first time you have taken this med, would you know if it has started to take effect, how soon after you took this med did you start vomiting? Some meds begin dissolving sooner than others. So, it’s difficult to say unless I know the meds, time line and why you are taking this medication. Also, what caused your vomiting? Had you been Ill? Was this a hang your head in the toilet vomiting or a spit up? Consult your pharmacist or physician to know for certain.
My answer depends on when you ingested the medication, is this the first time you have taken this med, would you know if it has started to take effect, how soon after you took this med did you start vomiting? Some meds begin dissolving sooner than others. So, it’s difficult to say unless I know the meds, time line and why you are taking this medication. Also, what caused your vomiting? Had you been Ill? Was this a hang your head in the toilet vomiting or a spit up? Consult your pharmacist or physician to know for certain.
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The answer to this question is largely dependent on the exact situation.
4. Protracted vomiting- if vomiting is continuous, it would not be advisable to continue taking oral medications. Your prescribed can contact a compounding pharmacy to turn the oral drug into the same drug and dose, but different delivery system (.e.g. Suppository)
Always give as much detail and accuracy about the situation to your pharmacist or PCP about the situation.
The answer to this question is largely dependent on the exact situation.
4. Protracted vomiting- if vomiting is continuous, it would not be advisable to continue taking oral medications. Your prescribed can contact a compounding pharmacy to turn the oral drug into the same drug and dose, but different delivery system (.e.g. Suppository)
Always give as much detail and accuracy about the situation to your pharmacist or PCP about the situation.
More
VOTE
The significance of whether or not to retake depends on what the medication is and whether it's a solid or liquid form. Liquids are absorbed quicker, so more medication will have been absorbed within a particular time compared to a tablet or capsule which has to dissolve first. For the Emergency Contraceptive Pill, we advise retaking if vomit within 3 hours of taking (but then the consequences are more serious).
The significance of whether or not to retake depends on what the medication is and whether it's a solid or liquid form. Liquids are absorbed quicker, so more medication will have been absorbed within a particular time compared to a tablet or capsule which has to dissolve first. For the Emergency Contraceptive Pill, we advise retaking if vomit within 3 hours of taking (but then the consequences are more serious).
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It depends on why you threw up. If it was because of the medication, contact your doctor immediately for next steps, they may change your medication. If you threw up unrelated (ex you have the flu) then yes take a fresh/clean pill. Do not take the medication you threw up, the acid that came up in your vomit has already started to break down the medication and it will not work as intended. Plus it’s probably all gross from vomit ?♀️
It depends on why you threw up. If it was because of the medication, contact your doctor immediately for next steps, they may change your medication. If you threw up unrelated (ex you have the flu) then yes take a fresh/clean pill. Do not take the medication you threw up, the acid that came up in your vomit has already started to break down the medication and it will not work as intended. Plus it’s probably all gross from vomit ?♀️
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