How do you take your daily meds after surgery? I take gabapentin, estradiol, pantoprazole, citlopram, atrovatatin, & montelukast daily plus pain meds as I need them. How are meds broken down after a RNY?

You will need to crush all crushable tablets. Capsules can be opened, as in the gabapentin, and the powder dissolved with the crushed tablets in some liquids.

Protonix is not crushable (any pill form I have seen). You will need a substitute for that med or a liquid form if available for a few weeks.

Once on purée you can put the crushed medicine in a bit of pudding or applesauce instead of fluid which will be easier.

This should be covered in your pre op class before surgery as well.

Edited April 17, 20188 yr by KimTriesRNY
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That all sounds awful! But I know it has to be done!


Toodles,
Rue

Yes. It can be an uh, bitter pill to swallow

In the liquids it’s the worst. It gets easier though.

You just need to remember anything that is a sustained or extended release medication cannot be crushed so you need an alternative.

The day after surgery, we were allowed to swallow crushed pills in a spoonful of sugar free Cool Whip.

I had good luck with this.

Maybe ask your office if this is ok to try?

LOL. The day of surgery, the nurse brought me a big ass gabapentine horse pill and told me to swallow it. And I did. From then on til I stopped them a few days later I was swallowing all my pills without crushing or emptying. I now take Ca Cit capsules as large as the gaba. I don't know if they screwed up? And I was supposed to have them stirred into a medium? Dunno...I lived though! (Surgeon had told me anything smaller than a pencil eraser was fine to take whole.)