I have been very careful to stay away from caffeine and any and all NSAIDs, and all the other no-no's. I had some dental work done and was prescribed Norco (rather than ibuprofen) for the pain. What I found was that within 15 minutes of taking half of a dose, I was doubled over with intense pain in my pouch. The pain lasts for about 30 minutes and then goes away. I talked to my doctor about it and they did an ultrasound and didn't see anything to be alarmed by. She said she couldn't understand why Norco would cause me pain because it's what she prescribes to all her Bariatric patients and I am the only one who had problems. She prescribed me Tramadol as a replacement....same result. Intense pain that leaves just as suddenly as it begins. Other wise, I'm very healthy. I'm almost to goal weight. I'm a little over a year out and I haven't had any other complications at all. Has anyone gone through this? My concern is that I just can't take pain meds at all when I am in pain. NSAIDS are out the window and the opiates CAUSE more pain.

Is there any chance it is pill size? That would seem odd 1 year out, but I was just thinking if you maybe tried crushing the pill or trying it in the liquid form as we too right after surgery if it works. That would be very frustrating. I have to take pain med for chronic kidney stones, so I would be in BIG trouble if I couldn't take NORCO (or whatever other hydrocodone combo pill). Or maybe they can give you a pain patch next time? (I have never had that, so I don't know if they make one small enough dose for dental pain but might be worth asking.) That would just process in your bloodstream not stomach.

Sorry I know that doesn't really answer your question of why it is happening. Just trying to figure out how to get around it. Hope they can find a solution!

I have the same reaction to Tylenol 3 and Tylenol 4 - my bariatric surgeon chalks it up to an increased sensitivity to Tylenol. What about straight hydrocodone or oxycodone, or even dilaudid or morphine?

I'm not sure what the culprit in Tramadol is, as I take it PRN for herniated discs and a shoulder injury and have had no issues with it.

Does it help to "sandwich" pills in some cheese or yogurt? Take a bite of the food and swallow, take the pill, then take another bite. I did that in the past while taking anti-depressants, since they can cause minor stomach irritation and I have had problems with ulcers (TWO emergency perforations; and two ulcers in between - I have bi-annual EGDs to keep track of them, and am on lifetime prescriptions of Protonix and Carafate).

It's not the pill size, my vitamins are waaay bigger. I've tried taking it with high protein foods. It's awful. Right now I'm waiting for my new insurance kick in so I can see a doctor, but at this point I'm just always in pain because of my dental issues.