I sprained my ankle this week really bad. In fact, I debated whether or not it might be broken. A quick trip to the emergency room revealed a severe sprain. The Dr gave me Arthrotec, and anti-inflammatory.

I asked about my lap band and the problem with anti-inflammatories and he said that I should be fine. Plus I needed it really bad for my foot.

I read about this stuff and it's supposed to be pretty bad for your stomach. I'm pretty worried, but my ankle is in terrible shape. Help me!!!

You could give your surgeon a call just to see what he/she thinks. Personally, I would think that taking something like that for a week or so until your ankle starts to heal up wouldn't be so bad. It's not the same as taking something every day, you know?

But definitely check with your surgeon.

Hamu: Any anti-inflammatory I have come in contact with is bad on the stomach. I personally would try alternatives to the drug for the relief of the swelling. If you are really worried then call you band surgeon and get his recommendations on taking the drug. He might be able to prescribe something different to take.

I haven't had surgery yet, but I went to a Dr seminar last night and asked about NSAIDs and meds b/c my family all has rhuematoid arthitis and i wanted to be prepared if i have to take those drugs someday,,,, well, he said it was fine as long as you crushed them up b/c the denger of erosion is when big peices of medicine get caught by the band and sit by the stomach wall, but apparently if you crush them they pass through. hope this helps!

Sometimes crushing the medicine can destroy the protective coating. Some Nsaids are designed to dissolve in the small intestine where they have less likelihood of causing direct injury to the stomachs mucosal layer. So crushing them is not always a good idea. Arthrotec is a combination of diclofenac (nsaid) and misoprostol (cytoprotective agent). The misoprostol agent is added to reduce the incidence of GI induced ulcers. I would not crush this specific formulation. However, I would consider taking a PPI like prilosec OTC while you are taking the Arthrotec. Short term use of a NSAID probably will not cause any stomach injury. I would try to take it for the minimum amount of time and try using tylenol as well to help. I would recommend still getting your surgeons opinion because if anything went wrong you could say you consulted him concerning the matter. Also cyctotec is not supposed to be prescribed to women in child bearing age due to risk of spontaneus abortions.

do not crush this kind of medication without first checking with a doctor, they are extended release and crushing will make you get too big of a dose all at once. I take Diclofenac and have checked this out.

Dont you just love doctors? How irresponsible of him to simply assume it will be OK. I would never take the word of a non-lapband doctor that anti inflammatories are OK. Clear it with your surgeon and dont accept anyone else's word. And any responsible doctor would have advised you to speak to your own doctor or better yet, have liaised with your doctor himself.

Having said that, my surgeon's view on it is that for short term use in times of real need, it is unlikely to do any harm, but I agree, you'll probably need some sort of antacid - I've taken Voltaren once and it was agony until it cleared the pouch, the burning and pain were really bad. Had to wash it down with a gallon of Mylanta. If you can get a liquid formulation or a coated one that wont dissolve till later, that would be loads better.

some NSAIDs are fine on the stomach. I'm perscribed celebrex by my lap-band doctor.