Question:
How do I take all my pills?

I am preop and concerned with my multiple medications - 13 pills in the AM without supplements - some need to be taken with food, and many cannot be crushed. I have a hard time getting them down now! - any suggestions for post-surgery?    — missnan (posted on September 21, 2010)

September 21, 2010
You need to discuss this with your Dr, there maybe a smaller dosage he can give you for a while. Just think, after surgery some of those meds maybe gone forever. I know for me, this is true.
   — FSUMom

September 21, 2010
Your surgeon should have a plan for you... some medications are avaliable in liquid form, some will be discontinued. Remember to discuss any suppliments you are currently taking because they may be stopped and replacedwith the vitamins, b12 and calcium that are required after gastric bypass surgery. The doctor will have a plan just for you and your meds.
   — fortywhat2

September 22, 2010
Not sure what all you need or take but I take liquid vitamins and then take calcium, Vit D, Biotin, Gelatin capsules, Flax Oil and Milk Thistle for my liver. I am five months out and have no hair loss, down nearly 100 pounds and feel super. I am not on any prescription drugs and I am 52 years old.
   — tfqh99

September 22, 2010
You don't say which surgery you are headed for. But I had the roux-en-y procedure, which left me with a pretty small orifice at the bottom of my stomach remnant through which everything I ingest must now pass. As others (above) have noted already, you may be pleasantly surprised when you find you can discontinue taking some of your meds post-op. Within one month of my RNY bypass, I was taken off all blood pressure meds as well as my Lipitor and a diuretic. Pre-op, I was taking another med for prostate issues named Avodart. The WLS had no apparent effect on my prostate, so I was supposed to continue it. The problem was, my surgeon recommended that I not take whole pills for a time following my surgery. And Avodart is a soft capsule that cannot be crushed. So my PCP changed me to a different drug named proscar that is much smaller. I took that for a month or so but began finding it did not have the same positive effect as the Avodart had. To make a long story a little shorter, I was lucky to discover about a month post-op (by experimentation) that I could easily tolerate whole pills. I began taking Centrum multivitamins (2x daily) and Costco calcium citrate pills (4x daily) and these are not small things. So I have returned to Avodart and all is well in prostate land. The upshot for you is that even if you must continue to take your 13 pills post-op, you are likely to be able to tolerate them whole within a month (or less) of your surgery.
   — MastoDon

September 24, 2010
I had to crush mine and put it in some low sugar cranberry juice. I'm 3 weeks out RNY and I still have to. eww
   — eurasian2000