How long does the pill have to be in your system for it to be considered absorbed?

Question

What if you go to the bathroom an hour or so from when you took the pill...is its effectiveness questionable?

Answer 1

For most oral medication, it takes between 10 and 30 minute for complete absorption. This applies to easily dissolved "regular" kinds of tablets and capsules. Extended release formulations  purposefully stick around longer in your GI tract.

However, all drug formulations should either be absorbed  or perform their actions by the time any remnants are excreted from your body. Even if you had constant diarrhea, the waste from your body is actually coming from fluid and waste in your lower GI tract. The drug would have plenty of time to be absorbed, before passing to your lower intestines.

The only time you really need to be concerned is if you vomit up the pill within 5-10 minutes after taking it. If that happens, you'd need to call your doctor and ask for some advice.