Taking Medications

I'm 5 days post op and seem to be doing good except for when it's time to take my medications. Before surgery I could take them all at once with one swallow of water. I'm taking them one at a time, but sometimes they won't go down my throat all the way, and I have to cough them back up. Is this normal? I get nervous everytime I have to take a pill.

OHHHHH, you need to go slow here!  My suggestion is if a pill can be split in two, do that and wait a few minutes between each one, if it can't be split, like a capsule, then stir it into some SF applesauce. Might taste nasty, but until you can tolerate whole pills, it might help.

Congrats on making it to the loser's bench!!

Hello!  I am so glad you said something about medicines because I was just about to ask a question about that!  I am on a tablet that can't be crushed or broken..wellbutrin.  If I suddenly quit taking it I will have some unpleasant side effects.  So my question is will I be able to take it after lap band?  I was on a time released version and asked if they had one that isn't time released.  I figured that would work but when I picked it up today it had a sticker that said not to crush or break it.  I would have been weaning off of it if someone would have said something!!  

Hey Jeannie,

I take Wellbutrin also. Talk to your surgeon as soon as possible about how they want you to handle that. Don't stop taking it suddenly. From what I have read there is a possible risk of seizures with sudden cessation. Dr. Roller had me just take the whole pill and it's been fine. I have the VSG though so not sure if it's different with the lapband.

Good luck this week!

Tammy V.

Thanks Tammy,

I called and they said it should be fine.  I am just a worry wart!

If the medicine is coated (my wellbutrin is) then swallowing it should be easy.  I crushed most of my meds (that could be crushed) and mixed it with a little of breakfast (early out that was probably apple sauce or cottage cheese) and I would put a bite of crushed med on spoon and just enough food to mix and swallow and would repeat until all crushed pills were down. 

This obviously won't work with all meds, as some meds can't be crushed (like potassium chloride that you take with Lasix) and also some meds are just to nasty to eat crushed (like hydrocodone or prednisone). 

A pill splitter would be helpful to if the pills are really large.  I went and talked to my Dr and was able to get a medicine of mine that was a large pill changed into a smaller dose that was a smaller pill and instead of 1 large pill I would take 2 little pills.  Also some manufacturers (like some generics or name brands) make pills in smaller forms that other manufactures or the same medicine.  So talk to your Dr and/or pharmacist if you take a lot of meds and can't stop taking them.