Hello all,

I went to my lapband support group the other night and one of the members said that Lapband patients shouldn't take Advil. I know that your not supposed to take it before surgery, but after that I thought it I could take it. I heard something like that with RNY patients but not Lapband. I have terrible cramps today and I'm questioning myself whether I should take Advil or not. That's the only over the counter that helps my cramps.

Please let me know.

I was told no, bandsters should not take Advil, ever. Try tylenol...maybe that will help.

I can't believe that. WOW. Do you know why?

My book is upstairs, but from what I remember it has to do with posible stomach irritation that would lead to errosion.

Want2lose,

Thank you so much. I just took Tylenol. I am so upset. Before my surgery, I lived on Advil. This will take some adjusting. I think Advil is the best thing out there for over the counter medication. Tylenol is not as good as Advil.

Anyway, thanks again.

Best regards,

Hi, Em. I read somewhere that you can take pain meds like Advil if you need it, but not habitually. For some people, the only thing that will do the trick is an anti-inflammatory drug like Advil, Celebrex, etc. I think taking Advil this month might be more of a problem simply because you've had stomach surgery so recently. Otherwise, I think it would be okay, as long as you didn't take it all the time. Maybe you can live with the Tylenol this month, then check with your doctor.

Thanks Dedi. Appreciate the advice.

I was told no Advil, Alleve, Exedrin or anything containing Aspirin and no Nsaids. All having to do with the stomach irritation that can lead to erosion. I get horrible headaches and Exedrin Migraine was the only thing that helped. I agree Tylonol doesn't work. I do get prescription pain killers from my PCP that are allowed according to my surgeon, so check with him/her as to what they list as an allowed med.

Robin, what kind of pain killer does your doctor prescribe? I'm not banded yet, but I'm a little worried about not being able to take an anti-inflammatory for arthritis pain. Tylenol doesn't put a dent in it. It was my understanding that Advil was okay if it wasn't taken on a regular basis. I'll definitely check with my PCP. She has some other lap band patients, so I'm hoping the issue has come up before. Thanks. This needs investigatijng.

No! No Advil! Not even once or every once and a while. My dr says if you HAVE to take it, liquid only. Nsaids (Advil and all other ibuprofen) will sit in your stomach and eat into the lining, thus setting you up for erosion. No ibuprofen for any bandsters OR for RNY. It's too hard on the stomach (for RNY is sets them up for ulcers, a prob RNY'ers are prone to).

Tylenol! And a heating pad or a hot bath for cramps.

Contact your surgeon and ask him to prescribe something that you can take to replace the Advil. According to my surgeon, when NAISDs such as Advil, Motrin, ibuprofen or any medicines containing NAISDs enter the pouch they sit there for a while, which can cause ulcers in the pouch and erosion of the band into the stomach.

So be vigilant in ensuring that you check the ingredients of all over the counter medicines prior to taking them and always remind your primary provider of the restriction as well. 'Cause we defintitely don't want to see you over in the complications or the band removal threads.

Advil, Motrin, Aleve, Orudis etc. are all members of a drug family called Nonsteroidal Anti Inflamatories (NSAIDS). They work better than Tylenol type drugs for many types of pain. BUT, and this is significant, one of the unavoidable side effects is bleeding in the stomach, sometimes causing ulcers and even (rarely) death. So you want to minimize the amount of these types of drugs you take.

I called my surgeon's office yesterday, talked to the nurse, and she said it's OK to take them, for a short time in small doses with food or antacids. It's worth it to check with your own doctor -- as we know, different docs have different opinions.

I think, if Tylenol will work, use it. If not, check with your own doctor.

I was told only Tylenol. However, some surgeons will allow their patients to take Advil on occasion. Check it out with your surgeon!

Good luck with the cramps. Shawn

I was told to only take Tylenol, but that my Mobic for my arthritis was ok but as for over the counter only take tylenol..

I was told I could start taking liquid advil for my hip pain but that I should se my PCP and get swtiched over to celebrex shortly. Apparently, the COX-2 inhibitors have a lower rate of gastrointestinal complications.