Some medications should be taken on an empty stomach. This is usually because food prevents the medication from being fully absorbed into the body.

Medications that should be taken on an empty stomach include:

• ampicillin
• bisacodyl
• cloxacillin
• didanosine
• etidronate
• risedronate
• sotalol
• sucralfate
• tetracycline
• zafirlukast

A number of other medications should also be taken on an empty stomach. If you are not sure, check with your pharmacist. If your medication needs to be taken on an empty stomach, take it 2 hours before meals or 2 hours after your last food with a full glass of liquid (usually water). Some medications that should not be taken with food should also not be taken with milk. Check with the pharmacist to see if this is required for your medication.