How long does it take a once-a-day medicine to leave your system?

[Anonymous]

I know this might seem like a silly question and the answer might be 24 hours. But say you miss your blood pressure medicine by like 8 hours and then take it (so you go 36 hours instead of 24)

Will the affect of the medicine be gone by then? Or is there some overlap?

[TSWIFT243]

It's all about pharmacokinetics. Since you take this medicine once a day, then that means that the drug remains pharmacologically active in your body for 24 hours until it gets metabolized. After 24 hours, there will be no more active drug in your body, so that's why you have to take it again. I hope this answers your question.

[Climber]

Read the enclosed instructions. It is medicine dependant, so there is no clear rule. And if you forget to take it, it also depends on the medicin. Some are critical, some are not. The doctor or the pharmacy can advise you clearly on that. It can be dangerous to rely on opinions here.

[jacquesvol]

That depends on the molecule and on your liver condition. It may be 1 hour or 144 hours.

[Asker]

do you mean the amount of the drug?

[jacquesvol]

the amount and the kind of drug molecule: in the barbiturates family phenobarbital will metabolize much slower than pentobarbital.

[jacquesvol]

But the low hormone content BC pill has to be taken each day at the same hour or there's a risk of pregnancy. Thus it will get out of the system very quickly.