What medications are you able to take as a post op?

Hi everyone,

I am pre-op, in hopes to be having surgery early next year. I have severe TMJ and I take Neurontin / Gabopentin for the pain. It has helped tremendously, and I fear that after the Roux en y, I won't be able to take this any longer !

Anyone take this med as a post op? Also, I'd love to hear about the medicines that you cannot take after having the RNY, if you'd like to share I would greatly appreciate it !

You can not take NSIADs post op. NSAIDs= Non Steroidial Anti Imflamatories  Also we have a problem with time released medicaiton at first. You will want to contact either your pharmacy or your dr and see if  either of these are NSAIDs or can be crushed (time released usually cant). For most meds there are versions out there that are not time released and your dr will be able to help you decided what meds are best for you. Good luck with your journey!

There are really only two categories of medications that you should not take post-op: NSAIDs (Motrin, Aleve, aspirin, etc.) and extended/controlled/time release meds.  Notice that I said SHOULDN'T not CAN'T.  

NSAIDs out you at risk for ulcers in your pouch and, more problematically, in your blind remnant stomach (the only access to it, for diagnosing and treating problems after the RNY is via surgery).  If you must have NSAIDs for something SHORT TERM, some doctors are willing to give them along with some kind of PPI (e.g., Nexium) to HELP protect the pouch.  You can still get an ulcer, though.  If you are dependent on any kind of anti-inflammatory, you should probably consider a WLS other than RNY.

The reason we shouldn't take time-release medications is that, because out small intestine has been shortened because of the bypass, the meds pass out of our small intestine too quickly and we don't absorb all of the medication.  Sometimes people are able to take them at a higher dose than pre-op, though.  The problem is finding the right dosage, especially with meds like antidepressants where you can't just do some blood work to see if you are absorbing enough.

Neurons in comes in both a regular and time-release form, but is not an NSAID, so you should be able to continue taking it... you might have to take it multiple times a day instead of just once, though.

Lora