Question:
Can you take long acting pills?

I am 15 months out and I take antidepressants 3xdaily. At this point is it safe to take the long acting coated ones. Wellbuteran comes in a daily pill that would be so much easier to take than the uncoated 3x a day pill. Is anyone else taking the daily pills without a problem?    — Connie M. (posted on May 20, 2003)

May 20, 2003
I have read that sustained release medications don't work well with some WLS patients. Should be in the library though. :) Good luck!
   — Cheryl M.

May 20, 2003
I have also read in some places that we should not do timed-released pills now because we can no longer break them down. However, I asked my doc who is new to this surgery and he said he didn't see why not. But he just doesn't know and was probably never asked this question before.
   — Delores S.

May 20, 2003
The problem being that the SR, XR, TR meds (little balls) all break down gradually with exposure to stomach juices. That is now moot for us since exposusre is limited, and not predictable. Breaking the pill or crushing it is out because then you get the whole dose at once--you can OD yourself! It really is not hard to take the tabs 3X per day. You're taking calcium citrate 3X per day anyway, right?
   — vitalady

May 20, 2003
I think I would contact the company that manufacturers the drug and pose the question to them. There are some medications that are in a matrix, and the actual medication "leaches" out in the intestines and is not dependent on gastric juices. In fact, it will look like the pill has passed through intact, when the medication in it really has been absorbed.
   — koogy