How much food is necessary to buffer the stomach when taking medicine?

Question

Very often, doctors or pharmacists will advise patients to take certain pills with food to "act as a buffer" so the patient is less likely to get a stomach ache from taking the pill. How much food is necessary to act as a buffer to protect the stomach? Some doctors claim that a couple of crackers are sufficient, whereas other doctors claim that you need to eat an entire meal. So what's the truth? And what are the best foods to eat (or drink) for this purpose? In order to simplify your answer, feel free to answer for an "average" adult, meaning average weight, height, etc., and no specific illnesses that would complicate your answer. *(As a side note, not all pills should be taken with food; some pills are to be taken on an empty stomach.)*

Answer 1

The answer depends more on the type of medication than on the person taking the it, and there’s not really a hard-and-fast rule; your practitioner will recommend what has worked best in their experience. If the medication should be taken “with food” because of a common side effect of nausea/stomach upset (like most antibiotics), a few crackers or a few bites of yogurt will be plenty. I mention those foods because carbohydrates and dairy “coat” your stomach (absorb stomach acid), so they are good choices for this purpose.

For medications where food affects the efficacy of the medication, such as lurasidone, common wisdom is that you need to eat 250 - 350 calories before taking it.

Answer 2

There really isn't a "right" or "wrong" answer. You don't have to necessarily eat an entire meal unless the specific medication you are taking requires that. Keep in mind that some medications have restrictions on what you can eat while taking that medication. Most people who take medications that require some sort of buffer will figure out what works best for them. No one two people are identical. So while a cracker and some milk might work for one person that doesn't necessarily mean another person taking the same drug will require the same thing. This other person may notice that a cracker and milk did nothing for them and they still had GI upset so for them they may have to have a full blown meal before taking their medication. Hope that helps some.