Hi, for those who have to take prescription daily medication how do you take those Post Op? Crush, grind, etc

Thanks

I have been fortunate enough to swallow all mine, I have had to break a few in half. My friend who had surgery done called her doctor and had the kid versions called in for her because she couldn’t swallow.

Ask your doctor if they are okay to crush first because some pills can't be crushed. For me, I was chewing my meds even before my surgery due to my EOS (autoimmune disorder that causes narrowing in the throat and leads to choking) so nothing honestly changed for me. Some meds come in liquid form or chewable so I'd ask my doctor were I you.

I could swallow everything except for Ursodiol and those giant calcium tablets as soon as I got out of the hospital. The PA at my bariatric clinic said anything the size of a pencil eraser or smaller could be swallowed whole - so, I did. The above poster is correct, though - some meds can't be crushed, so check with your doctor or pharmacist.

Always consult your doctor. As NovaLuna said above, some medications should not be crushed. I'd also add that every doctor seems to have their own standard on this issue.

I was taking whole pills (about the size of an M&M) while still in the hospital. They gave me a prescription for pain medications and the med was a "caplet", an oblong tablet slightly larger than an M&M. I specifically asked if this was safe and they said it was OK.

That being said, I did have chewable children's Tylenol on hand, just for peace-of-mind.

Thanks everyone

Just another post that I could swallow my medications fine the day after surgery. It helps to use a thick liquid, like milk, protein shake, or tomato juice to wash them down.

I had my surgery a year ago and still crush certain medications because they are easier to swallow. I used to choke on some when I tried to swallow them whole.

Addendum question: what about vitamins/ supplements? I take a LOT of vitamins for assorted things now (pre-op) and some of them are rather large- will I be able to take them still post-op?

Yes, you'll be able to take them. But I wanted to put in a good word for BariatricPal Multivitamin One. (This isn't an ad!) Prior to surgery, I had been taking several vitamins but post-surgery I switched to BariatricPal Multivitamin One. I was worried that my blood test results would show low levels of necessary vitamins because so many other WLS patients said they had continued to take lots of different vitamins separately. But it's a year later and I just had my one-year blood test results, and everything is perfect. And the price for BPMO is truly reasonable.

Oh- I take non-essentials like collagen, saw palmetto, and hyaluronic acid for skin and hair. Plus flaxseed oil (omega 3,6,9), vitamin C, and D3. But thank you- I'll likely replace my multivitamin with the bariatric pal one when I get my surgery. Currently I take a pre-natal as my multi because it makes my hair amazing. (Yes I know I may lose some hair after surgery).

10 hours ago, Suzi_the_Q said:

Addendum question: what about vitamins/ supplements?

Suzi, I also took a lot of vitamins/supplements before surgery (still do). I find that my ability to tolerate these changed over time, likely part of the stomach healing.

For the first 2 or 3 weeks after surgery, I focused solely on getting my fluids and protein in and did NOT take my usual cocktail of vitamins/supplements. There just wasn't much room. BTW: my doctor also told me not to worry about taking vitamins for the first month.

After the 2nd week, I started trying out chewable or soft-chew type vitamins. My doctor was kind enough to send home a large sample bag with several types and brands.

My vitamin trial/error took me almost 2 months. Not because I couldn't swallow them or choked or they caused pain or anything. I found that I got sick with some of them: nausea, headache, general sick feeling. I experimented with different brands, methods (chewable/swallow whole/gummies), and different times of the day, with or without a meal. I finally settled on VitaFusion gummies, taken with my evening meal. You might need to experiment as I did to find what works for YOU.

By the time I figured out my multivitamin situation, I started introducing my usual supplements. Experimenting with chewables/gummies where I could.

Long story short, at about 6 months out, I could tolerate all of my usual supplements no matter what size they were. I might not be able to take them all at once but I could take them. Today, I split my supplements to morning and evening doses.

6 hours ago, Suzi_the_Q said:

Oh- I take non-essentials like collagen, saw palmetto, and hyaluronic acid for skin and hair. Plus flaxseed oil (omega 3,6,9), Vitamin C, and D3. But thank you- I'll likely replace my Multivitamin with the bariatric pal one when I get my surgery. Currently I take a pre-natal as my multi because it makes my hair amazing. (Yes I know I may lose some hair after surgery).

Regarding hair, I started taking biotin right after my surgery. Maybe I was lucky, maybe it was the biotin, but I didn't lose any hair. I had another major surgery the year before, and didn't lose any hair that time either. I hope you are lucky, too.

I have been able to swallow all my meds and nonchewable vitamins/supplements from day after surgery with no problems. I bought a pill crusher before surgery but never needed it. Everyone is different but not everyone have problems swallowing pills postop.

Talk to your doc (your surgeon may ask you to talk to the prescribing doc). One of my pills was small enough to swallow. The other I had to switch to a liquid form.

6 hours ago, over65 said:

I have been able to swallow all my meds and nonchewable vitamins/supplements from day after surgery with no problems. I bought a pill crusher before surgery but never needed it. Everyone is different but not everyone have problems swallowing pills postop.

Me too. In fact I can take 2-3 pills at a time (I take 7 in the morning). I can drink 18-20 ounces in an hour because I can drink 3 swallow at a time with no pain. I hit my protein and water intake every day and have since day 1 almost, when I could easily drink 2 ounces at a time every 15 minutes in the hospital (1 protein, 1 water). The days I didn't I was about 75%. My biggest fear was about being able to swallow adequately and drink more than sips so I know I'm lucky!