M: When they tell you to take something with medication, is water sufficient or are they looking for something a little more substantial to begin some form of digestion?
G: TL;DR:
For almost all medications, water is exactly what they
mean. Not juice, not food—just water—unless the label
explicitly says otherwise.
Direct answer:
“Take with medication” or “take with water” means use water to
swallow it, because water helps the pill go down, dissolve, and
prevents it from getting stuck or irritating your esophagus.
It does not mean they expect food, calories, or
anything to “start digestion.”
Only when the instructions say:
—then they want something more substantial.
Otherwise:
Water is fully sufficient.
Two Japanese-grade-1 lines (simple, inline):
水 を 飲みます — I drink water.
薬 と 水 が いい です — Medicine and water are good
together.