I am a newbie, Can anyone tell me how would you take vitamins and pain killers after surgery????(Crushed???). Also can I get back on my vitamins schedule after the surgery???? I hear protein is very important, I currently take a very good hair vitamins and I would like to continue it, due to the problems with hair loss after the surgery....

I take a chewable vitamin with iron. But you should be able to get by with just cutting larger pills in half with a pill cutter. If the pill is really large maybe cut it into 3 pieces. Not a big deal.

Gigi:

I take my regular meds that are pills, one at a time with a sip of Water as directed by my surgeon. As for Vitamins, I was instructed to take Centrum Chew-ables (Orange flavored and available at Wal-marts/Walgreen/etc.) Most of your over the counter pain meds like Tylenol are available in liquids, which are easier to take than a pill. You really need to discuss this with your surgeon. Each surgeon is different and some will not allow you to take a pill unless you crush it. I hope this helps.

I've always been told to ask your pharmacist if pills can be crushed or broken into pieces because not all medicines can be. There are plenty of chewable vitamins on the market you just have to find one that you don't mind chewing on. I use Flintstones Complete for myself and I use Caltrate chewables for calcium supplents. For pain meds I've been told we can't use NSaids because they sit in the upper portion of your stomach too long and can cause problems. Tylenol is about all that I've been told I can use other than prescriptions by my doc and even those should be NSaids unless they are in liquid form. My bariatric center also said that any pill bigger than a birthcontrol bill is a no go unless it is chewable or crushable mainly because it can get stuck depending on the fill amount in your band. So it's best to always check with your Bariatric center/surgeon or doctor prior to taking any meds. Even then...if you find you've been prescribed something by your PCP that is a bigger pill as your pharmacist if it's ok to crush or break prior to taking it. Good luck with your surgery and definately ask these questions with your Lapband surgeon :huh2: