I was banded on 8/27/07 and just entered Phase III. Can I stop crushing my medications or is that something a bander does forever? I hate having to crush pills and open capsules. I can always taste them no matter how hard I try to hide them in yogurt smoothies. Does anyone have a better idea of how to take them crushed?

I have been taking my meds whole since Day 1. Even in the hospital they gave them to me whole. But of course you should check with your doctor before you take my advice.:eek:

shelli:ranger:

It depends on the size. I have several customers (I'm a pharmacist) who have been banded (mine is 11/1) and many of them started taking their SMALL tablets about 3-4 weeks out. You will have to crush them after your fills too, for a few days. Talk to your pharmacist as there are many tricks that we have that can help. There are a lot of ways to mask different types of foul meds, so you need to talk to your pharmacist since I don't know which meds you are talking about.

As for me, I have had my Dr's switch me to liquids already. I still have some tabs left, and will use them until band date. Then I will use them when I can and save the liquids for use after fills. Also there are a lot of meds that are made as sol tabs or dissolve in the mouth tabs, or even chewables. There might also be a therapeutic substitute that can be made by your Dr. (Like if you take Nexium they could switch you to Prevacid SolTabs). But to answer your question, depending on the size of the Tabs you may be able to take them now. I am scared of capsules as they tend to stick easier, so I wouldn't risk that.

I'm one of those that has started risking it even with some of the horse pills. I worry it could get stuck but am tired of the effort to break them up.

Tricks for swallowing larger pills if you are so inclined are to one space them out so they don't stick together and clog things up easier, take them with warm liquids that help "loosen" the band.

Tips for stomaching crushed pills. You can try chewing something with a fairly strong flavor that also leaves your mouth coated with a residue. I sometimes chew on a mint or even chewable Vitamin first. I've tried mixing the meds with honey and even frozen orange concentrate. Didn't help with some of the stronger flavored ones. What worked best was when I got a local pharmacist to sell me a small bottle of the syrup they use to mix up the liquid meds. I store it in my fridge and crush and mix my meds when needed. I was told once not all meds can be pre-crushed and dispensed as a liquid at the pharmacy as it will reduce its effective life substantially. But as long as it isn't a time release med you should be safe to crush and mix just before taking each dose.

I crushed for about the first 30 days. Then I broke them in half for a little while. I am four months out and have been taking my meds (actually several at a time for the smaller ones) whole for two months. Not a problem for me at all.

This is exactly where pharmacists earn their pay. You are a "special needs" customer now, and deserve a little more assistance. Ask them to note on your account that you are a bariatric patient.

Be a pest. Ask your pharmacist about EVERYTHING, even your over-the-counter meds. Some have coatings specifically to protect the meds from your stomach acid, and so can't be crushed without losing effectiveness. Ask about masking taste, etc.

I'm lucky--I have an old-style compounding pharmacy a quarter-mile from my house. I'm thinking about asking the pharmacist whip up an answer for buffering my Aleve (I have joint pain, and I try to avoid prescription pain meds). I know it's an OTC, but it's worth paying a little extra for a "spoonful of sugar" to help the medicine go down.

That's good to know that you can get the liquid to mix in at the pharmacy. I was able to take my medications one at a time with warm water before I had this 4th fill. Since then, it's been a big problem. I haven't even taken some of my normal supplements because I am afraid they will get stuck.

My doctor sent me home on whole pills and told me to simply break them in half and wash each half down with water. My regular meds I have been taking whole since day one. I was told that if they are no larger than a regular M&M, it would go through the opening just fine. So far, so good. Nothing has stuck yet.