The passage through the stomach is only the first step in the process of absorption of a medicine by our body. In fact, most of the active ingredient – the chemical that will trigger the healing – is absorbed not in the stomach but in the intestines. After that, the medicine still goes a long way to act in the exact point of the body where the problem is. Of course, we are talking here about drugs taken in the form of capsules or pills. There are other, faster ways to get a product into the bloodstream. One of them is the absorption of medicines placed under the tongue – an area with many vessels. Another is injections given directly into the veins. The option for one of these various ways of receiving a medication depends on the problem presented by the patient and his/her physical condition.
Therefore, any medicine should only be ingested with the indication of a doctor, the most qualified professional to assess these situations. For those who have a gastric ulcer, for example, it may be much more advisable to ingest capsules with that kind of protective plastic cap than common pills. It’s just that with this «packaging» the medicine only begins to be absorbed in the intestine, sparing the patient’s sensitive stomach.
Experts estimate that drugs generally work for approximately 90% of the population – in the remaining 10% drugs may not work as expected or even have the opposite effect. And, to ensure maximum efficiency in the treatment, a good tip is to strictly obey the scheduled times to take your pills. It’s just that our organism has precise limitations and time intervals to absorb the active principles.
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Drug is absorbed mainly in the intestine
1. As soon as you take a medicine by mouth — or “orally”, as the doctors say — it goes down through the pharynx and reaches the esophagus. Drinking a glass of water or milk together helps the pill pass through these first two «channels» more easily. At the end of the esophagus, the medicine reaches the stomach.
2. In the stomach, digestive enzymes begin to break down the swallowed pill — the same function they perform when you eat something. If the medicine does not have a protective capsule to contain the enzymes, part of the medicine’s active principle will already be absorbed in the stomach, entering the bloodstream.
3. From the stomach, the crushed pill “goes down” into the intestine. It is there that most of the active principle will be absorbed, as this organ is surrounded by many blood vessels. As most medicines are very soluble, the active principles cross the permeable membranes of the intestine and penetrate these vessels.
4. Once inside a blood vessel, the active principle of the medicine begins to circulate through the body’s arteries and veins, which function as large avenues and small streets responsible for taking the chemical substance of the medicine to the exact point where it needs to act
5. In general, the medicine circulating in the blood stream does not penetrate only one part of the body: the brain. To preserve this sensitive region from collateral damage, there is a physiological protection called the blood-brain barrier. It prevents the passage of most chemical substances into the cerebrospinal fluid, the liquid that bathes the central nervous system.
6. The secret of the medicine is that it only comes into action when its active principle interacts with body molecules called receptors. As each organ (heart, lung, liver…) has specific receptors, the medicine only works when its active ingredient finds molecules that “fit” perfectly with its chemical formula.
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Each drug works in a different way. Know the forms of action of three types of them
Analgesics and Anti-Inflammatory Drugs
These are examples of remedies that do not act only in contact with receptor molecules. To reduce pain and inflammation, they inhibit the production of a substance called prostaqlandin — which comes into action when the body is invaded by some bacteria or aggressive agent. With less prostaglandin in the organism, the person feels less pain
ANXIOLYTICS (CALMANTS)
It’s a large class of complex remedies. Some are able to cross the blood-brain barrier (which protects the brain from chemicals) and act on the central nervous system. Anxiolytics then attach to receptors that reduce excitation in neuron transmission—the passing of an electrical impulse from one neuron to another. It reduces nerve impulses that cause anxiety.
ANTI-HYPERTENSIVE AGENTS
They are remedies that act in different ways, but always seeking the same goal: to reduce blood pressure. Antihypertensive drugs can both dilate the arteries (increasing their caliber and blood flow) and reduce the heart rate, making the heart beat slower
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