Pill Question

[Aaron in Tulsa 147]

I'm still pre-op, but I'm wondering this: I take bp meds, an anti-anxiety and a mild anti-psychotic for OCD. I assume I won't be able to take pills for awhile after surgery, so how will I take these meds?

[Supersweetums 1,164]

You will be able to swallow smaller medications after surgery. Actually, my antibiotic was a HUGE pill...breaking it in half hurt going down and I couldn't stomach it crushing it up, so I tried swallowing it whole, making sure it was pointing in a good direction, and it went down fine.

But I would suggest talking to your surgeon to see which pills you should continue to take and which you will have to stop before surgery and which you can resume taking after surgery. You might not need your bp medication after surgery, or shortly after surgery, so make sure you have regular check ups to ensure your blood pressure is not dropping too low.

[jh5497 105]

I work in a mental health clinic and would strongly advise you to talk to you psychiatrist about stopping meds and having a plan in place should your OCD/anxious thoughts become overwhelming. I know some anti-psychotics can be given by injections. Talk to your psychiatrist, or even a psych nurse or pharmacist. They will know the options!

[Izuri 428]

Many medications come in liquid form. I take Trileptal and they ordered it for me in liquid no problem.

Some medications can be crushed and mixed with liquids or applesauce. No extended release or delayed release medications can be crushed/cut.

Some medications that are capsules can be opened and sprinkled over food/liquid.

Some medications come in oral disintegrating tablets.

Ask your pharmacist what's available in the medications you take and then talk to your doctor - most medications can be worked out =)

[missjenny 43]

You still should beable to keep taking your medication. My Dr's had me crush all my pills for the first month. Which taste horrible and they also have liquid in alot of meds but some can be hard on the stomach.

[kimbernada 190]

I am able to take my Wellbutrin XL pill plus I take one Prilosec twice a day.

[Livinglifeout 217]

I take two thyroid meds, two prilosecs and Zoloft. I was told to go ahead and take them after the leak test was performed. Sometimes the Zoloft doesn't go down to smooth, have learned to take that with my Protein Shake. I also really space out my pills in the morning, so everything goes down whole and ok.