Hi all,

I am very worried that the RNY surgery will not allow me to correctly absorb my oral med for Multiple Sclerosis. Without this med my MS could worsen and the advanced forms of MS could be horrible. I left a message for my surgeon on Friday about my concerns. I’m waiting to hear his response and I’m so scared he’s going to tell me to not have the surgery now. Are medications as much of an issue as vitamins and minerals due to potential malabsorption?

Thanks!

Megan

Edited July 8, 20188 yr by MN_Meg770
Wrong forum

Unfortunately, little is known about the malabsorption of many medications. Pharmacists (my daughter is a PharmD) are far more knowledgeable regarding meds than doctors. What's the name of your MS medication? Is it immediate release or extended release? I can try to find out for you. Sometimes it's not the medication per se, but how it's dosed, ie. immediate release vs extended release. The location of the receptors in the body for a particular medication also makes a difference.

The malabsorption of vitamins and meds is an area that I find interesting. I'm always trying to make sure that my info is up-to-date.

Edited July 8, 20188 yr by Missouri-Lee's Summit

Thank you so much!! You must have a bright daughter!! PharmD is an impressive, great career! My medicine is called Gilenya. I’m not sure if it’s immediate release but I think it is because there are no initials after it like Cr or Xr. I would have thought the surgeon would say something about it at my previous appointment, but maybe it didn’t occur to him that this could be an issue. Thanks for your reply and offer!!

Megan

I will try my best to find out for you. Two of my three sons are medical doctors, and they can vouch for the fact that they learn embarrassingly little about most meds in medical school. Scary but true.

Best thing I did before surgery was to have a medication management appointment with a PharmD. He took about 45 minutes to go over EVERY detail about my current medications and gave me instructions. It was actually a requirement of my program, and I'm really glad that it was. If you are on multiple medications, I would definitely suggest seeing if this is available to you as well.

Great idea! Thanks!

@MN_Meg770 I sent you a private message.