For sem meds it is not apprpriate to take them with "fizzy drinks" (carbonated sodas). It will cause the meds to break down in the mouth-- literally the meds will sort of explode in the mouth and they will burn and be very hard to swallow.

For some meds that are liquid, with an alcohol carrier, not a great idea to take with milk due to stomach upset.

Sorry for the typo, line 1 should say "some meds"

The legitimacy of the claim is highly suspect.

Some medications like ritonavir, saqunavir,nelfinavir require food in the stomach and GI tract to enter the blood stream.

Some medications like NSAIDs (non Steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) should also be taken with food to avoid irritating the stomach.

For these types of medications it probably dose not matter what type of liquid.

Depending on the size of the pill and the ability of the swallower a thicker liquid may be beneficial to help the liquid and pill stay together as a bolus when swallowed.

There is some literature that suggests that water is the only liquid to take medications with. But if a study was to be done in the very elderly with speech and swallowing pathology something like apple sauce might be safer, but it would depend on the medication.

When guiding the patient on how to take medications, we must always consider the following factors:

1) Facilitating the action of swallowing. This can vary according to the patient's age, state of consciousness and complexion. As already commented, thick liquids facilitate swallowing of large pills and non-coated tablets that tend to dissolve or adhere to the oral and pharyngeal mucosa, while thin liquids will make swallowing capsules and coated tablets easier.

2) Gastric irritation. Pharmaceutical research has shown that preventative coating of the gastric and duodenal mucosa with alkaline gels and suspensions protects the stomach from the irritation due to direct contact with substances that are known to be aggressive and cause epithelial injury. Nevertheless, this coating, if excessive may make dissolution and absorption difficult.

3) Bonding to proteins. Certain drugs bond easily to protein molecules. This leads to the formation of large non-absobable compounds that are eliminated in the feces, and causing the loss of the drug without its absorption, and in consequence, without the possibility of reaching its target destination or being metabolized appropriately for effectiveness. If a medication has an active substance of this nature, it should be taken together with a protein-free liquid, such as water or tea, never with milk or gelatin, for example.

5) Chemical degradation. Some substances cause a breakage of medication particles that would otherwise be too large to be absorbed. Such is the case of certain calcium supplements that are best absorbed if taken with acidic liquids, such as citric juices or cola beverages.

6) Pharmaceutical inactivity. If a drug is taken with a liquid that competes with the membrane receptors of a target tissue/organ, or if it is taken with a liquid that denatures the drug into a non-therapeutic by-product, the drug cannot be expected to exert its therapeutic action. Liquids that can cause this effect are for example grapefruit juice or St. Johns Worth tea or extracts.

7) All pharmaceutical presentations have been designed for appropriate breakage and absorption at a chosen site in the digestive tract. When a drug can be broken down and inactivated by gastric acid, for example, it must be prepared in a presentation that protects it against the direct contact with such a medium. In this case, the drug will be placed in a coated tablet form to be dissolved after passing through the stomach, and absorbed in the small intestine. A capsule with coated particles will break apart in the stomach and depending on the coating of the particles, will liberate the drug for its absorption at different rates, so that the blood concentrations of the drug may be sustained for a longer period of time. Breaking a t coated tablet into pieces, or tearing a capsule and delivering the coated particles in a liquid can impede proper effect of the drug.

So, choosing the best liquid vehicle to take a drug by mouth requires that the physician be fully aware of the nature of the drug, its performance in the digestive tract, and the presentations before prescribing so that the doctor can provid ethe patient with approipriate guidance on how, when and with what to take a medication.

The short answer is "ask a pharmacist". The answer will depend on the drug, the form in which it is to be administered, and its formulation. It will also depend on the patient. If the questioner is seeking information to help design a clinical study then I would say that, ideally, all patients in the study should be asked to follow exactly the same instructions as to which liquid to use and how much of it they should use. Water would be the first choice liquid. And ideally, they should all be asked to eat exactly the same meals and to take the medication at exactly the same time in relation to those meals, i.e. between, before, with, or after meals. In the real world, such close control of variables is difficult if not impossible. Normally, patients with complex needs (for example, patients who cannot swallow or who cannot even sit up in bed, or patients who have undergone a bariatric surgical procedure involving the stomach) would not be considered for inclusion in a clinical study that necessarily involves the oral administration of a medicine that needs to be swallowed with a liquid.

It really depends on the medication, and the swallowing ability of the patient.

Some medications require an empty stomach, which means they should usually be taken with water. Other medications require a full stomach.

Some medications will be affected by some liquids. For example grapefruit juice should not be drunk by people who are taking some statins (Lipitor, etc), some benzodiazapenes (Valium), Synthroid, and more.

On the other hand, taking an NSAID with milk can reduce gastric irritation.

Patients who have swallowing difficulties can take a thickened liquid, and sometimes will use applesause, pudding, or ice cream to take their meds. As long as there is not a food interaction with the med, this is OK, otherwise you have to use Thick IT power mixed with water to achieve the right consistency.

A pharmacist is your best resource on what medications have food interactions, which should be taken on an empty vs full stomach, and more.