work better when mixed with food inside the stomach this varies with each drug and following rules is essential when asked to take a pill after meals you should ideally take it 1520 minutes after the last bitesay no to coffee tea coke drugs can react to several food items and thus pharmacists and doctors say a glass of water is the best thing to take drugs withthe calcium in milk can bind with the drug and form a complex substance that could lead either to an adverse reaction or mar the efficacy of the pill hot beverages and sugars in soft drinks often destroy drugs efficacy