Can You Put Alka-Seltzer in Soda?

Are you wondering if you can safely put Alka-Seltzer in your soda, Sprite, or Coca-Cola drink? If so, then you need to find out what the pharmacist has to say about the effects this action may have on the medication. And also on your ability to get relief from your heartburn, headache, upset stomach, or any relief you sought to gain from this med.

A Brief Overview of Alka-Seltzer

Alka-Seltzer is an over-the-counter medication used in the treatment of headaches, body pains, heartburn, upset stomach, and other kinds of minor pains. 

It is formulated as an effervescent tablet and contains aspirin, sodium bicarbonate(baking soda), and anhydrous citric acid as active ingredients.

The aspirin serves to provide efficient relief to pain, fever, and inflammation. It also has the ability to prevent the clotting of blood and the narrowing of blood vessels. This justifies its use in the prevention of heart attacks.

Sodium bicarbonate is an alkali and an antacid. It reacts with citric acid to produce carbon dioxide, water, and salt. The reaction between these two is what causes the characteristic fizz or bubbling associated with the use of Alka-Seltzer.

The gas produced in addition to giving the formed solution a refreshing taste, also helps to distribute the aspirin within the stomach. Hence favoring effective absorption and timely relief from symptoms.

Overview of Soda Drinks

Soda drinks are carbonated drinks. They are made from water in which carbon dioxide has been dissolved. 

Apart from the carbonated water, it also contains other ingredients like sweeteners(e.g. high-fructose corn syrup, cane sugar, or artificial sweeteners), flavorings, acidulants(citric or phosphoric acid), and preservatives.

The carbon dioxide dissolved in water is what gives the characteristic “tssssh” sound heard when the cap of a soda bottle is popped. The escape of these gasses is what causes the fizziness and bubbles seen in sodas.

The sweeteners give taste to the drink, flavorings add flavor to the mix and the acidulants impart some tangy taste that balances that of the sweeteners.

Sodas come in various flavors, including cola, lemon-lime, fruit, and more. There are also different brands of Soda drinks available in the market. 

Popular ones include Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, 7Up, Mountain Dew, Sprite, Dr Pepper, Fanta, Ginger Ale, etc.

Can You Put Alka-Seltzer In Soda?

If you are taking Alka-Seltzer for relief of symptoms like headaches, minor pains, heartburn, or stomach upset. It is not recommended to add Alka-Seltzer to soda before drinking. This is due to the risk of losing some doses of the drug to spillage caused by the intense bubbling, fizzing, and overflow that will result from this action.

Losing any amount of the drug to spillage can leave you with underdose. This can make the drug not to be effective in treating your intended condition. Thereby leaving your symptoms to prolong and even worsen.

In order to get the best out of Alka-Seltzer, it is recommended that you add it only to clear water, not soda, orange juice, or lemonade. 

Water has been proven to be the ideal liquid for dissolving Alka-Seltzer tablets. Apart from allowing the reaction between the ingredients in the tablet to proceed seamlessly, it also ensures that it takes place within the fastest amount of time. 

This effect of liquid on the dissolution rate of Alka-Seltzer was demonstrated by a student at the California Science Fair. Of all the liquids used, the reaction with water recorded the fastest rate. While that of Sprite and Lime-lemon juice were the slowest.

Hence, it is not ideal or recommended to dissolve Alka-Seltzer tablets in any kind of soda drink, be it Sprite, Pepsi, or Fanta. The liquid approved by the manufacturers as evident in their direction for use on the drug leaflet, is water.

However, this may not be a problem if you are just looking to have fun trying out a little science experiment. 

Maybe you just want to simulate a volcanic eruption for your students in a science class. Or try out a self-inflating balloon courtesy of the liberated carbon dioxide. 

It is totally fine to mix the two in this situation. But if it has to do with your health and getting relief from an uncomfortable symptom. The liquid of choice remains water!

What Happens When You Mix Alka-Seltzer and Soda?

When you mix Alka-Seltzer and soda, a chemical reaction occurs between the ingredients in the tablet and that of the Soda.

As earlier mentioned, Alka-Seltzer contains Aspirin, sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), and citric acid. Soda contains carbon dioxide dissolved in water(carbonated water), and acid (could be citric or phosphoric acid) among other ingredients.

When you drop an Alka-Seltzer tablet into the soda, the citric acid and sodium bicarbonate present in the tablet dissolve in the water present in the Soda. This dissolution allows the two compounds to come together to react, producing carbon dioxide gas. 

The carbon dioxide gas forms bubbles, causing the soda to fizz and release gas, similar to the way it fizzes when shaken or opened. 

This reaction is the same as that which occurs when an Alka-Seltzer tablet is dissolved in water. But the only difference here is that the bubbling and fizz that will result from the reaction in the soda will be more intense and far greater than that observed with water.

The reason is that the dissolution medium(soda) already had some carbon dioxide in it.  So, using it as a medium for a reaction that will result in the production of additional carbon dioxide causes an excessive increase in the amount of gas liberated in the reaction. Hence, the thrilling volcanic eruption-like bubbling seen with this reaction.

If you were to drink the liquid left after the reaction for symptom relief, you’d realize that you have very little of the solution left. And in that solution, you cannot guarantee the concentration of the active drug in it. Hence the need to avoid adding Alka-Seltzer to soda but rather dissolve it in water.

Can You Put Alka-Seltzer In Sprite?

No, you shouldn’t put Alka-Seltzer in Sprite because Sprite is also a soda drink. And all soda drinks have carbon dioxide gas in them already. 

Adding Alka-Seltzer to Sprite will liberate way too much carbon dioxide than it normally should, thereby leading to excessive bubbling and overflow that will not only leave a mess but also reduce the quantity of the active drug available to grant you relief.

So, to avoid that from happening, avoid adding Alka-Seltzer to Sprite, 7up, Mountain Dew or any other soda drink out there and use only water.

Final Thoughts

There is no dangerous interaction between Alka-Seltzer and Soda but the concern is that you may not have enough quantity of the drug left in the solution after the intense bubbling and fizzling that results from the reaction of this tablet in soda. As such, it is recommended that you use water as the only dissolution medium for Alka-Seltzer tablets.

References

1. Scientific American. (2013, August 29). Carbonation Countdown: The Effect of Temperature on Reaction Time. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bring-science-home-carbonation-time/
2. HowStuffWorks. (n.d.). Why does Alka Seltzer fizz?. HowStuffWorks https://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/science-questions/question116.htm
3. Alka-Seltzer. (n.d.). Alka-Seltzer Original. Retrieved November 12, 2023, from https://www.alkaseltzer.com/original/products/original
4. DailyMed. (n.d.). Alka-Seltzer- Aspirin, Citric Acid, Sodium Bicarbonate Tablet, Effervescent. Retrieved November 12, 2023, from https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/fda/fdaDrugXsl.cfm?setid=5be36a7f-7d1f-468d-9c29-92c8cd3ef1bc&type=display
5. Drugs.com. (2023, June 23). Alka-Seltzer. Retrieved November 12, 2023, from https://www.drugs.com/cdi/alka-seltzer.html
6. MedlinePlus. (n.d.). Sodium Bicarbonate. Retrieved November 12, 2023, from https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a682001.html