pills, gelcaps, capsules??? long - vent

My surgeon/nut/clinic says to crush pills and empty capsules FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE.   If it's not chewable or liquid, it has to be dumped on food and eaten. 

My meds are super nasty and the things I've tried to get them down are nasty too.  I asked my PCP for a different allergy medicine and he said to just crush my pills and put them in gel caps.  He said gel caps dissolve easily in water so it would be fine to use them to get my pills past my tongue. 

After I got my less than stellar labs back, I went back to my handbook from the clinic to make sure I was taking everything per their recommendations.  And again IN CAPS it says NO WHOLE PILLS, CAPSULES OR GEL CAPS EVER.  And I'd been following their vitamin recommendations to the letter with the exception of the iron.  They don't recommend you take iron at all until after your 3 month labs show you need it.  I was anemic before so I took it from day one. 

The reasoning behind the no whole pills is that it could get stuck in your pouch and cause an ulcer.

So has anybody had a stuck pill cause an ulcer?  Has anybody had a stuck pill after the first 3 months?  Does anybody have trouble taking gel caps? 

I've been taking the gel caps with my meds in them since my PCP visit.  It's a huge pain in my ass but well, it's way better than trying to EAT the damned pills. 

I want to follow my clinic's plan.  I do but this is so frustrating!  Now that I'm taking 6 of the 5000iu d3 pills, it would be even more ridiculous to have to put it on or in some food.  I'm sorry but d3 does not taste good, neither does Allegra or lamictal. 

It just makes me wonder about the whole clinic.  Flintstones are listed as an okay vitamin.  I'm to stay under 600 cal and more than 80g of protein is unnecessary and can be harmful.  Add that to an hour of cardio 5 days a week and weight training 3 days a week and no fruit, no snacking and no shakes, it just all seems so unreasonable. 

It's been more than a week since my labs came back and I still haven't gotten a call about what to do for the high iron and low d3.  The vitamin gurus on here say the iron is okay but my d is way, way low and my b12 is way low.  You'd think that would be important enough to give me a call. 

As the vets say on here all the time, I'm ultimately responsible for my own well being and health.  So I'm following the vitamin recommendations from the ladies on here, I upped my calories and protein when I started working out (and feel much better) and now I"m wondering if I should just say to hell with it and swallow pills? 

I haven't slept well all weekend and I'm more than a little edgy and pissy.  Sorry for the tone. 

Well, the ASMBS says pills are OK as far as vitamins go, so I don't see why they wouldn't be OK for medication as well.

I've never heard of pills causing ulcers and I don't understand how that could happen.  The only way a pill could get stuck in your pouch would be if the opening between your pouch and smally intestine was extremely small, much smaller than they normally make it.  If you have to take a really big pill, you might wanna cut it in half, but I don't see how swallowing a pill could cause an ulcer.

Thanks, Kelly.  Nothing I take is time released so .... 

Also I'm going to have my PCP do full labs when he gets back from vacation.  I don't like half assing things and I kinda feel that's the way my 3 month labs were.  

 Sounds like your program is so restricting and frustrating!! I think you sometimes do have to take things into your own hands.  The best we can all do is gather all the information that we can and make the best decision possible.  I really like my surgeon and plan but I don't agree with some of the things the nut says like take Flinestones and a D level of 39 is just excellent and to not swallow pills for a year; what happens at a year I ask.. and she just looked at me blankly and said "that's just the plan" hmmm well if I can swallow them at 12 months I think I'll try swallowing them at 2 months! lol  I take D3/biotin/colace all in pill form I have never had a problem and I've researched online and never found anyone with stuck pills and never heard of the ulcer concern? 

The no shakes, no fruit, no snacks seems crazy to me.  My surgeon made a big thing about this is NOT A DIET this is a new lifestyle.. I don't think it would be healthy or make me very happy to never eat fruit or have a snack again!  I actually eat quite a bit of fruit.. My meals consist of 95% protein, 5% veggie and during the day any snack I have (because I've gotten all my protein in during 3 meals and shakes) I will eat a handful of cherries or grapes or a bowl of watermelon.. 

Good luck

Regardless of how my surgeon/clinic views things, this is MY life and my lifestyle change!  I agree with you 100%.  The no fruit, no bread, no pasta etc is only supposed to be until I've lost all my excess weight.  I have a sweet tooth and I'd rather allow myself some fruit than "cheat" with a donut or ice cream, kwim?  

Thanks!

I used pills while in the hospital from my surgery. I've NEVER crushed one pill in the 5 years since my RNY.  Liquids may be a viable option for some supplements, like calcium citrate or pain meds or daily vitamins.  Dry D3 is what you want. I don't know if those D3 you're taking are in softgel form or not, but DON'T use them if they're a softgel in oil. I get the dry D3 capsules, in 50K IU strenth from vitalady.com. Small capsule and easy to swallow, and the 50K dosages of D3 are not easy to find at your local stores either.  Use a daily sublingual B12 too.  Sublingual B12 is readily available at most pharmacies, Trader Joes, Walmart, etc.  I even just ordered a bulk bottle of sublingual cherry flavored 2500mcg online, 1000 small pills for $40 and free shipping.  Swallow the pills and don't put your taste buds through any more agony.  Your taste buds probably already have challenges dealing with the taste of some foods post op.  Get to some support meetings too. And you'll likely find meetings not associated with your clinic, so you'll get a different point of view of many things.  Fruit is ok in moderation.  High fruit diets, or using high calorie fruits in shakes in advisable.  Grapes, mangos, pinneapple are among the high sugar fruits. DAVE

 So has anybody had a stuck pill cause an ulcer?  Has anybody had a stuck pill after the first 3 months?  Does anybody have trouble taking gel caps?  


 I noticed early out the iron capsules I take sometimes get stuck, and I can feel a  slight burn, unless I drink allot of water after taking them and NOT lay down.

Thaks, Dave.  The d3 I'm currently taking is dry.  I just ordered the 50k's from vitalady.  I'm just loading up with what I've got on hand now which are 5k's.  I do get 1200mcg of b12 daily but when my PCP gets back from vacation, I'm going to ask for the shot.  Just less to deal with, kwim?  I'm also going to have him order a full set of labs.  What my surgeon's office did was very little.  Luckily my PCP trusts me to research and know what I need done.  

Thanks!

Hmmm, I don't have those same restrictions. I have an assortment of chewable AND regular pills/vitamins to take, and I was told I could take them 'normally' from day one.

I had pneumonia last week and had to take steroids, an antihistamine, a decongestant, cough syrup, and antibiotics and everything was a pill except the cough medicine. I am assuming everything got absorbed and worked because I am better?

I don't know about pills causing ulcers. At three plus months out if food isn't getting stuck I can't see a pill being big enough to get stuck unless its just massive.

if I should just say to hell with it and swallow pills? 

I would say - yes... but... 3 years out and I still have problem with some pills. Some - no big issue. But some sit so hard inside my pouch.  I never had any pill "stuck" bu some, specially the multivitamins - are just too big and have too many things and may irritate my pouch.
Capsules or gel caps - are not a problem. There are very easy.  Never an issue.

You just may to have to try them. 
I still do my multi as chewable, but calcium, and some other  - I can take in pill form.