Before I was banded I always used Advil liquid-gels for pain relief. Is advil okay to take after banding or is there something better for us. I read somewhere that some painkillers have been linked to erosion, which one do they mean. Also can you take a gel pill like advil without it getting stuck? I'm only a few days banded but wondering for the future. Thanks

This is the first time I have heard anything about advil being linked to erosion, so I will leave that to the more knowledgeable/experienced bandsters to answer. However, I am a little over 4 weeks post-op and have taken advil fairly frequently without any problems with it going down.

Advil = Ibuprofen. This is what my doctor suggested I take for pain relief after surgery. When I take gel caps, I leave them in my mouth with a little water for a few seconds to make sure they are slippery. Actually, I do that with any pill I have to swollow. They go down more easily, then.

Check with your doctor because mine said no ibuprofen due to risk of gastritis ( irritation to the stomach lining). He told me if I absolutely need it and tylenol doesn't work then call the office first and he may prescribe protonix or something to take with it and he would only allow liquid advil.

Deb

My doctor said the same thing, no Advil, ibuprophen products. Tylenoyl is my first and really only choice. Wal Mart, Walgreens, CVS, etc. sell a liquid adult Tylenoyl in daytime and PM dosage. The regular stuff is cherry and the night stuff is "Golden Vanilla". I keep both on hand just in case. Liquids just cruise on down....

<TABLE id=HB_Mail_Container height="100%" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0 UNSELECTABLE="on"><TBODY><TR height="100%" UNSELECTABLE="on" width="100%"><TD id=HB_Focus_Element vAlign=top width="100%" background="" height=250 UNSELECTABLE="off">Please don't take any gel caps. I learned the hard way when one got stuck. I was going on 36 hours without any food or water before I was able to see the doctor. They had to unfill my band and clear it with hot tea. If that hadn't worked, they were going to have to do endoscopy. Only take medicine you can chew or drink. </TD></TR><TR UNSELECTABLE="on" hb_tag="1"><TD style="FONT-SIZE: 1pt" height=1 UNSELECTABLE="on">

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The problem with NSAID's (Advil, ibuprofen, Motril,Aleve, etc.) is NOT their physical form and getting them down, even though some have had problems with that. The problem is their chemical compositon.

The chemistry that makes them work is bad for EVERYONE's stomach--which explains why, since the development of those meds, there has been a need for things like Nexium, Prevacid, Aciphex...the proton pump inhibitors you see all over the tv ads.

What they do, along with relieving pain, is to thin the mucosal lining of the stomach. It's just the "bad news" part of the good news that whatever was hurting isn't hurting so much. But, after very little time, that thinned stomach lining can need help of its own.

A banded person who takes NSAID's on a fairly regular basis has a thinned mucosal lining, too. The "pouch" area (I prefer to think of it an "an upper stomach") holds food for longer than the rest of the stomach. If the lining of the pouch is thinned, the food sitting there longer can cause more irritation and ulceration.

BTW, I didn't learn this until AFTER I had purchased a cabinet full of liquids and chewables...

Great info, thanks guys. The next problem is that I havn't been able to find liquid tylenol in Canada, only sweet, syrypy, gooey childrens kind. You have to drink about half a bottle and I could just puke thinking about it. Does anyone know how I could get it shipped to Canada? Is it agaisnt the law? I have a friend in NC, could she mail some to me?

Hey Cloe,

I too haven't been able to find liquid tylenol here. I stocked up on the kids stuff before surgery, but never used it more than once, although it wasn't that bad.

What I did do alot was buy tons of Junior strength chewable acetaminophin... I normally would take 2 Extra Strength tylenols, so it takes about 6 to equal that (junior strength is 160mg). They taste good, so I don't mind.

Then I ran out of those, and saw 'Tylenol Rapid Release Gelcaps" so I tried them. They're not full of gel or anything, they're like normal 'caplets' but coated with a gel. I just snapped them in half and took them like I normally would. They're smaller than normal tylenol caplets too. That was a few weeks ago.

Ran out of them, so I went and tried my reg. caplets, snapped those in half, and haven't have a problem.

Anyways, LOL, ,what I'm saying is that you should first try those chewable junior strength tylenol's... then once you get sick of chewing 3 or 5 pills, start taking normal tylenols, and just break 'em up into as many pieces as you can! (Tylenol tastes disgusting, but I throw 'em in my mouth and swall with lots of Water as fast as I can!)

Mandi

Up for a weird solution?

There is a product called "TYLENOL® Sore Throat Daytime Liquid with Cool Burst." (Actually, there are THREE, but there is only once that contains nothing but the Acetaminophen in the active ingredients, the others have cough stuff in them.)

It's an adult liquid...and maybe there is a similar generic in you area.

I was just wondering about NSAIDS and erosion when I found this thread. It makes sense to me that they wouldn't be good for a banster. I'm not at all comfortable with taking tylenol, so I'm wondering if enteric coated asprin would be a good choice. I don't know much about enteric coatings, does anybody know where in the digestive tract the meds are released? Could I even get a pill like that down once I'm banded?

I am so glad you asked this question. I am 9 days out and am having my worst cramps (not from banding if you know what I mean) and I have always used advil for pains. It's a week early and the worst it has ever been. Any good meds to help. Sorry not hi-jacking thread. Just in desprate need for info. thanks

I was told that aspirin (which is contained in iburprofen) is a big no-no, which presents a major problem for me. I am (and have to stay on Plavix) which is a blood thinner for clots. I also have to take one baby aspirin a day and will for the rest of my life. When it comes to life-threatening conditions your physician will most likely tell you that you need to take your meds, but if you are talking about just a headache Tylenol based products are definitely the best. Anything with aspirin in the ingredients is a no. It adds to fast erosion of the band (or at least they think it does, although no one really knows) and is hard on the stomach in general (could cause ulcers). I have no choice but to take mine, but I'm also on Prevecid to somewhat counteract it.

If I had the choice I would not touch anything with aspirin in it, and I'm sure your dr. will tell you the same. (Mind you this is a theory that it causes erosion, just as carbonated beverages do). No one actually knows what causes it. Some of the best bandsters in the world have taken none of these products and end up with erosion. Maybe someday they will have all the answers for us. I'm signed on for a study group at Vanderbilt (if the day ever gets here I can get my band) thatis studying erosion of the band and slippage and the things that might cause it. They will talk with me (and a lot of other people who are participating) every mo. and see if anything happens if there is a common denonminator. Mr. dr. says the band is the very best they have for now, but that it still needs fine tuned and over the years will just become better and better.

I'd actually prefer we could take aspirin based products over the Tylenol, which leads to a lot more liver problems, but unfortunately most dr's. rules are NO aspirin. Hope this helps.

Dody

My doctor also said no ibuprofen! Tylenol only for pain. Although I have a list of drugs that are acceptable. For severe pain problems, things like Vicodin, and such are OK. But for everyday pain, only Tylenol.

Enteric coated medications are dissolved in the small intestine.

I am on Coumadin and take Aleve for severe arthritis. Because it is NOT possible for me to come off these meds without risking my health, I was placed on Nexium. My surgeon has no problem with this and allows his patients to take an occasional NSAID. Bottom line... check with YOUR MD.