Steroids question?

Hello, my allergist prescribed me 20mg prednisone to take for the next 5 days. Has anyone ever taken prednisone after VSG? The doctor seemed to think the low dose would be ok with sleeve. I thought I would check here before taking since everyone usually has great advice! Also when she was checking my throat she noted what she called " these little bumps " that occur with acid reflux. I had mentioned to her I felt like my esophagus goes get irritated from time to time but I'm already on Prevacid and Zantac everyday so I'm not sure if I should bring this up to my surgeon or not? Any advice would be great! Thanks!

There's no problem with taking steroids post-op. It's just NSAIDs which are problematic. And they're non-steroidal.

You should definitely bring up the reflux/bumps to your surgeon, YES. Reflux is nothing to play around with and it's a known complication of VSG.

Actually, prolonged steroids after VSG CAN cause ulcers. 5 days should be ok, but it may be beneficial to put a call in to your surgical office for clarification.

Ditto this. Steroids and NSAIDs affect prostaglandin in similar ways, and that effect is what raises the risk of ulcers. Usually the elevated risk is with long-term use for both meds and short runs don't tend to cause a problem for most people.

However, no strangers on the internet are qualified or licensed to dispense medical advice for your specific situation. Always make sure any doc prescribing for you knows you have had VSG, and what other meds you are on. Make sure your surgeon knows what meds you are being prescribed. Docs don't generally exchange information, it's up to you to make sure everyone on your team is well informed. And the rules/advice from your medical team trump any information/advice you get from the internet or well-meaning friends & acquaintances.

And yes, any sign of reflux needs to be evaluated by your surgeon. Not all people respond as well to the standard PPIs, you may need a different treatment plan.

People here can generally good advice, but we are NOT doctors. If in doubt, check with someone who's gone to medical school, not a bunch of random strangers on the Internet.

• I took 60 mg of prednisone for a month just 10 days after my VSG for bells palsy. It didn't effect my weight loss or cause any problems. It is important that you tell all your doctors you have a VSG.
• As for reflux. Yes, you do need to call the surgon. Noting when you have an episode in your food journal to see if you can figure out which foods or what volume of food causes it it a good idea too. For the first three months abuse vegetable and coffee gave me reflux but it stopped.

Thanks guys! I sent an email to my surgeon asking about the acid reflux. He's usually good about getting back with me in about a day.

I've been on Protonix for reflux since before my surgery. I've been on Steriods for my asthma for about 2.5 weeks after surgery. (Surgery in August, steroids in January). My first was a 5 day burst 20 mg 2x daily. When that didn't take down my asthma flare, I was put on a 10-day taper. My allergist knew about my VSG. We had talked about the possibility of prednisone prior to surgery so we would have a plan because I would usually wind up on it twice a year. I also raised the issue prior to surgery with my surgeon.

In my case, the consensus of the two docs was that if we could keep it to under a month at a time at a lower dose, that would be fine. If that didn't work they would discuss alternative options.

When in doubt, as both docs to speak with each other. I hope the prednisone resolves your issue. Best of luck.