Sure, you’ve heard of the various benefits to your health of drinking alkaline water. But taking medication is one scenario where you should steer clear of this type of water. This might seem surprising, but there are specific reasons why this combination is not recommended.

Why Medicine and Alkaline Water Don’t Mix

When you create reverse osmosis water with a water ionizer, the machine creates refreshing water with a reduced cluster size compared to regular tap water. While this can be a good thing in that it hydrates the body better than regular water, it is a liability when you’re taking prescription medication. That is because the water can enter the cells faster than they would with regular water, bringing the medicine along with it. This could potentially quicken your body’s absorption of your medication, which might cause problems with how well the medication works and/or how your body reacts to it. Although it’s not recommended to take prescription medications in general with alkaline water, it can especially be a problem with extended-release medications. This type of drug is specially created so that your body absorbs the medication over a length of time. Alkaline water might interfere with that time and speed up the process.

There might be some exceptions to medications that are okay to take with alkaline water. To be safe, avoid this water around the time you take your medicine. But if you want to be sure whether it’s a problem, ask your doctor or pharmacist about your specific medication.

Times to Drink Alkaline Water

When you’re taking medication, the recommendation is to stay away from ionized water at least 30 minutes before taking the drug. After you take it, wait about two hours before you start drinking this type of water again.

What is The Right Water With Medication

Your best bet when you take medication is to swallow it along with purified water that has a pH of 7.0. You can create purified water with a water ionizer like you would to make your alkaline water from tap water. These machines allow you to change the pH of water from a full range of alkaline to acidic. Alkaline water is associated with many health benefits, but to use it safely, it’s best to follow your individual health factors. This includes not drinking it around the same time you take medications.