eating with meds

[mcdoll]

So I'm taking a lot of medications. I'm having a problem though because to take my elmiron, I have to go without eating for 3 hours 3 times a day (I'm a snacker more than a meal type). But then I have my amitriptyline which I have to eat with 3 times a day, and the atarax which on my bottle tells me to take at bedtime but with food. I'm really having a hard time fitting all my medications into one day. Does anyone know why you have to eat when you take amitriptyline and atarax? I figure if I know the reason, I'll be able to decide how important it actually is.

[snowgirl]

personally I take my atarax and elavil at night. I don't eat before I take them. Elavil gives me such CHO and sugar cravings. ON elavil you will want to eat all the time after taking it . So take it and wait then you will be having cravings in the kitchen. Elavil generally puts weight gain on pt's from them eating as one of the side effects. VN

[lisabar36]

Hi, my bottle of Elavil and Atarax do not say take with food. I take them at bedtime with my Elmiron. I to snack at night, I have always been that way. So I try and remember no snacks 2 hours before bed so I can take my pills. I have never gained weight from any of the meds. I never eat with the Elavil and Atarax and I have never had any problems but I only take them at night.

[mcdoll]

I'm thinking about asking a pharmacist if I can take all my elavil at the same time at night, to make things easier for me. I'm not sure why it was prescribed for 3 times a day, I know anywhere between 1-4 times a day is common, I just am not sure why. The thing about the elavil and atarax is that sometimes they say to eat just because it helps with absorption, but other times it's because the meds can mess with your digestive system, (like with a lot of antibiotics). I think I'll end up speaking with a pharmacist about all of it and see if there's a way to simplify things for me so I don't have to take a pill every 2 hours or so. It's so easy for my schedule to get off track and then I end up not able to take all my meds.

[mcdoll]

Oh, I forgot to add that I haven't had any problems with increased hunger or weight gain either. In fact, I'd say I was actually less hungry these days than I used to be. I guess everyone reacts differently. But any time I've taken a medication that makes a lot of people gain weight it's never been a problem for me.

[ICNDonna]

I ended up having to stop elmiron, but when I took it, I took it two hours after a meal. It was just easier for me. And some meds are taken with food because they can be irritating to the digestive system if taken on an empty stomach.

Donna

[kuntrygurl78]

I take my elavil right before bed. Its part of my bedtime routine. Change into jammies, bathroom, then a sip of water to get down the elavil.

[pratt]

Does anyone know what happens if you take the elmiron with food, or not two full hours after eating? I have trouble fitting everything in.

[stef000]

If you take it with food then it just doesn't absorb well.....
Thats why you should take it without food so it will absorb a bit better....
:hi:

[Claredale]

I don't take Elmiron anymore but when I used to take it years ago, I would eat a light breakfast when I first woke up for work, then I would take the Elmiron when I first got to work, that way, it was a couple of hours since I had eaten. I would do the same thing with lunch and dinner.

With Elavil, I am looking at my patient information that I keep in my file at work. I no longer am taking it. Hopefully it will be for good since I tend to crave sweets and I am not normally a sweet eater at all. My information doesn't say anything about eating it with food. I take most of my meds at night. Since I don't eat dinner, just a small snack in the eveings, I normally eat a small banana or a piece of bread with my meds, just to help with any stomach issues. I don't know if it's true or not, but my mom used to tell me that pain meds work faster with food. She is a retired nurse, and it may just be in my head, but that seems to be true with me.

T83

[mcdoll]

I read somewhere that if you can't handle the elmiron without food you can have a light snack with it and it shouldn't affect the absorption. I don't know if this is true for sure, but it was a doctor who wrote it. It is true though that it already barely makes it to the bladder so it's best not to eat. I finally stopped my amitriptyline so I don't have as much of a problem fitting my meds into a day anymore. I also read that you can combine 2 doses if you have a hard time fitting them all into a day.