7 Medications You Should Take With Food, and Why

Food doesn’t affect all medications. But for certain medications, it can reduce side effects or help them work in your body. But when taking medications with food, there are a few things to keep in mind. 

Why should certain medications be taken with food?

In general, there are a few reasons why you should take certain medications with food:

• To help improve absorption. Some medications work better when they’re taken with food in your stomach. It helps improve their absorption into your bloodstream. This means more medicine is available to do its work in your body.

• To lower stomach side effects. Food can help protect your stomach from irritation caused by certain medications.

• To prevent low blood sugar. You need to eat when you take certain diabetes medications to prevent your blood sugar from dropping too low.

Below, we’ll discuss seven medications you should take with food.

1. Corticosteroids

Corticosteroids are medications that help lower inflammation in your body. Some examples include prednisone, hydrocortisone (Cortef), and methylprednisolone (Medrol). 

Stomach upset is a common side effect of oral corticosteroids. They stimulate acid release in your stomach, which may cause irritation. Taking corticosteroids with food can help neutralize the acid in your stomach and prevent or minimize stomach upset. 

2. NSAIDs

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, are medications that help treat pain and inflammation. Some examples include ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), meloxicam (Mobic), and naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn).

NSAIDs can be damaging to the stomach. Some are directly irritating to your stomach lining, and they can also disrupt the protective mucus layer in your stomach. 

Organizations worldwide recommend that NSAIDs should be taken with food or milk. This should help reduce stomach irritation. But food may also make NSAIDs take longer to work, which isn’t ideal when you’re in pain. 

3. Some antibiotics

If you’ve ever taken antibiotics, you might’ve wondered if you should take them with or without food. The answer, though, depends on the medication. 

You should take some antibiotics on an empty stomach so they can be better absorbed. But others work better when taken with food. Examples of antibiotics you should take with food include:

• Amoxicillin/clavulanate (Augmentin)

• Cefpodoxime 

• Nitrofurantoin (Macrobid, Macrodantin)

• Rifabutin (Mycobutin)

Amoxicillin/clavulanate and rifabutin can both cause side effects like nausea and stomach pain. Taking these antibiotics with food can help reduce stomach issues.

You should take other antibiotics with food because they’re better absorbed that way. When more medication gets into your body, it works better for you. For example, about 40% more nitrofurantoin gets absorbed into your body when it’s taken with food. Cefpodoxime tablets are also better absorbed when they’re taken with food.

Keep in mind that you shouldn’t take all antibiotics with food. So ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist to be sure.

4. Sulfonylureas

Sulfonylureas are medications that lower blood sugar. They’re used to treat Type 2 diabetes. Examples include glipizide, glimepiride (Amaryl), and glyburide (Diabeta, Glynase). These medications work by telling your pancreas to release more insulin, which lowers your blood glucose (sugar) levels.

Because of the way they work, it’s important to take sulfonylureas with food. They can drop your blood glucose too low when taken on an empty stomach. The timing of your dose depends on the specific sulfonylurea you’re taking. So be sure to ask your provider how long you should wait before eating after your dose. In most cases, you’ll take your dose within 30 minutes of meals.

5. Fast-acting insulin

Insulin helps your body control blood glucose levels. It’s used to treat diabetes. There are many different types of insulin. And depending on the type you’re using, you might need to use it with food.

You usually inject fast-acting insulin, like insulin aspart (Novolog), right before meals. Taking fast-acting insulin without eating can raise your risk for low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). Hypoglycemia can be dangerous if left untreated. 

Your healthcare provider will help you understand how to determine your insulin dose based on how many carbs you eat and your blood glucose level goals.

6. Antacids

Antacids help relieve the symptoms of acid reflux, like heartburn. They work by neutralizing acid in your stomach. Some antacids contain calcium, like calcium carbonate (Tums). Others may contain magnesium and/or aluminum.

You’re most likely to experience acid reflux after eating, so taking antacids with food can help prevent or reduce these symptoms. They won’t stop acid release from your stomach, but they can neutralize the acid once it’s been triggered by food. Antacids typically work for about 20 to 60 minutes when taken on an empty stomach. But if taken 1 hour after a meal, they may work for up to 2 hours.

7. Chloroquine

Chloroquine is an antiprotozoal medication. It’s commonly used to treat and prevent malaria. This medication can cause stomach-related side effects like nausea, diarrhea, and stomach cramps.

Researchers think chloroquine directly irritates the stomach, which is why taking it with food might help. Also, taking chloroquine with milk may lower its toxic effects to the cells in your stomach.

What does it mean to take medication with food?

If you’re told to take your medication with food, you might wonder what counts. Is a glass of milk enough? Or do you need to eat a full meal? And how close should you eat to your dose? The answers depend on many factors.

In studies on the effects of food on medication, the FDA recommends giving medications within 30 minutes after a full meal. This is then compared to taking them on an empty stomach. So if you’re taking food with your medication to enhance absorption, you should probably take it with a meal for the best results.

If you’re taking food with your medication to prevent stomach irritation, typically a small snack or glass of milk is enough. Since everyone responds differently, you may need to try a few different foods to see what works best for you. To prevent stomach upset, foods with a lower acid content are best (like bananas, potatoes, or oatmeal).

It’s important to ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist if there’s a specific time you should eat in regards to your dose. This will depend on your specific medication.

Are there any foods to avoid?

If you’re taking your medication with food to prevent stomach upset, you should avoid acidic foods and drinks. Soft drinks, coffee, and milk cause more acid release in the stomach than water. You should also try to avoid fatty, sugary, or spicy foods.

Additionally, some foods may worsen side effects of some medications. For example, salty or sugary foods can worsen side effects of corticosteroids, like swelling and high blood sugar. You’ve probably also heard that grapefruit juice can interact with medications as well.

If you aren’t sure what foods and drinks are OK to take with your medication, ask your pharmacist for help.

Why trust our experts?

Written by:

Kristianne Hannemann, PharmD

Kristianne Hannemann, PharmD, is a licensed pharmacist in California. She has been a retail pharmacy manager and staff pharmacist for over 7 years and has contributed drug information content to different health companies.

Edited by:

Stacia Woodcock, PharmD

Stacia Woodcock, PharmD, is a pharmacy editor for GoodRx. She earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Kentucky and is licensed in New York and Massachusetts.

Reviewed by:

Joshua Murdock, PharmD, BCBBS

Joshua Murdock, PharmD, BCBBS, is a licensed pharmacist in Arizona, Colorado, and Rhode Island. He has worked in the pharmacy industry for more than 10 years and currently serves as a pharmacy editor for GoodRx.

Our editorial standards

Meet our experts