malabsorption of medicine
I'm 8 1/2 years out and 205 lbs down- lost the weight within 2 years and have kept it within a 30 lb. range since then. There was always a big focus on crushing or finding liquid versions of meds until I was 6-12 months out, but I was told that as soon as I was eating some solids, that I could begin taking tablets again as long as they weren't getting stuck.
The protein shakes and b12 sublinguals were the only special forms of "delivery" that I was advised to use. Everything else: vitamins, minerals, painkillers (no NSAIDS, Tylenol only) and the meds for my depression, anxiety and adult ADD were in either tablet form or extended release, and they seemed to be working fine. I took hard-tablet multi-vits with minerals and all of my blood levels were consistently good when I had check ups with my surgeon.
About 2 years ago, my extended release meds stopped working and tablets that I had been taking seemed to stop being anywhere near as effective as they had always been. I went online and noticed that there were newer studies coming out that said that people who were about 5 or 6 years out had started to have the same issues. There's now enough credible info out there that doctors who are not in the weight loss field, pharmacists, my psychiatrist, and even my insurance company was aware of what was happening to long-term weight loss surgery patients.
It's been nearly impossible to regulate medications since then because even if you spread out consumption of instant release drugs, you still only absorb a partial amount of many meds, and what is absorbed is quickly out of your system, making life feel like a roller coaster.
I'm sorry for the lengthy comment, but basically I haven't found a way to "smooth out" taking most of my meds in order to keep the correct and steady amount in my bloodstream.
I think your best bet is to sit down with either your prescribing doc or your original surgeon (or to consult both of them) to find out which drugs can be taken crushed, if there's a liquid form, if higher doses are appropriate, etc. You also may have better success taking them in the morning and afternoon- my psychiatrist ended up prescribing higher doses since I wasn't absorbing my medications well, and I take the same set of meds when I wake up and then in the afternoon, because by that time anything that was absorbed from my morning meds is long gone.
It's been a two year long trial and error process, and I've learned quickly that you have to stay on top of the triangle of the doc-pharmacist-insurance company pretty much at all times.
Good luck to you,
Emily
