Using bottled water to take over-the-counter and prescription pills or capsules
In rare instances, when consumers take over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, supplements, or prescription pills or capsules by drinking water directly from a bottle, the pill or capsule that the consumer believes they have swallowed – as well as the remains of other medications or food – may be carried by the flow of the water from the consumer’s mouth into the bottle. Consumers who take pills or capsules with a bottle of water while lying down or reclining in bed are more likely to experience this issue. They may think they’ve swallowed the pills or capsules, but instead the pills or capsules could have inadvertently been drawn into the bottle. If the room is dark, a consumer would even be less likely to notice the pills or capsules enter the bottle.
As the pills or capsules dissolve in the bottle of water, they may change appearance. Shortly after entering the water in the bottle, the pills or capsules may no longer be recognizable by the consumer. For example, the capsules (made of a type of gelatin) begin to swell in the water. Within a short period of time, the inner and outer capsule sleeves separate and release the micro-capsulate ingredients into the water. These swollen capsule-sleeves halves typically take on a form or shape similar to the look of a plastic (latex) glove tip. The micro-capsulates soon dissolve and may create a cloudy appearance in the water. The color of the capsule and capsule ingredients in the water may change over time. If shaken, the water may turn cloudy and take on the color of the medication in the capsule. Some settling usually occurs on the bottom of the bottle if undisturbed. This may resemble powder.
To avoid this rare occurrence, consumers may want to pour the water from the bottle into a cup and drink the water from the cup when they take their pills or capsules.
Provided below are links to photographs showing what various medicines and supplements look like when they are in water for various lengths of time
