Question:
RNY - What is your experience with crushing pills?
Am about to have RNY surgery and am on several meds. I am having real aversion to the idea of crushings these pills and vitamins, as my surgeon has us on lots of calcium and other vitamins. What is your experience with this? — Stonelady (posted on October 31, 2009)
October 31, 2009
First check with your doctor and or pharmacist to be sure the medications
you are on can be crushed! Some are not meant to be crushed and will alter
the way they work. Vitamins come in liquid form.
— kmom1420
October 31, 2009
I have never crushed my pills...And I take a lot of meds. I had RNY 1.5
years ago and never had a problem...
— okbuffy
October 31, 2009
I never crushed my medication either and still don't. I had to take them
one at a time because for some reason could not swallow them at once like I
used to, but even in the hospital after surgery my doctor gave me my
regular medication whole. I did have to change my depression medication
from time released to regular release twice a day but that is the only
change. I also agree that many meds cannot be crushed. I think this is an
old way of thinking and with new procedures and more studies they are
finding it is not necessary.
— Kathy Thomas
October 31, 2009
The first month post surgery I had to crush everything. I also didn't
start the vitamins and calcium until the 1 month mark. Now I don't have to
crush anything. Oh and get the liquid Tylenol,the crushed tylenol was
terrible. Good luck.-SS
— Nurseducky
October 31, 2009
crushing pills was horrible. i got so sick from crushing my zoloft in the
hospital that i stopped taking it for over a week. i then started cutting
them into little pieces instead which worked a lot better.
— greenpunchbuggie
October 31, 2009
I crushed most things for the first couple of weeks. The taste was awful.
Ask your doctor if you can just cut them up into tiny pieces instead. It is
much more tolerable that way. If you must crush them, take a little sip of
orange juice after you take them in order to get rid of the bad taste. A
little bit of 100% orange juice won't hurt you.
— Elizabeth_Ann
October 31, 2009
I was only instructed to crush my pills for the first 7 to 10 days. I
switched to chewable multi-vitamins (Centrum Adult or Flinstones (childrens
you need two a day) and used Tums 1000 for my chewable calcium - takeing
two Tums twice a day. I crushed my allergy meds, migraine meds and
migraine pain pills as well as the Pepcid my surgeon ordered for after
surgery. They were bitter but I mixed them in either my liquid pain med
that was either Tylenor Blast Liquid or the liquid prescription pain med
the surgeon sent me home with. From day 3 I was also allowed my milk as
part of my clear full liquid diet. I made a batch of slightly thinner
sugar free/fat free pudding and used about a tablespoon of that to mix my
crushed pills into to make it go down easier and hide some of the taste. I
also stopped taking anything I didn't really need for the 7 to 10 days. In
the end, it wasn't so bad and the bad taste went away quickly. Do check to
make sure you don't have a med that is time released and therefore should
not be crushed.
Good luck!
— Annette M.
October 31, 2009
I'm 10 days post-op and my surgeon directed me to crush my pills. I've
found that SF chocolate pudding (jello brand) does the best job of masking
the taste. The first 2 days home were the worst, but now, they don't seem
to taste as bad.
— looking4ward
October 31, 2009
I wanted to respond to Annette's comment about taking chewable Tums for a
calcium supplement: it is very important that people who have had gastric
bypass take Calcium Citrate, not the kind of Calcium that's in Tums.
Gastric bypass patients are at a higher risk for Osteoperosis, so this is
important. My doctor's instructions are to start taking calcium citrate
beginning at one month post-surgery, and at that point it's easier to take
pills. Best success.
— Janell C.
October 31, 2009
I crushed my pills for 2 1/2 months, because my Dr. told me to do so. I
bought a crusher, I am sorry I do not know what it is called, but it is for
garic and herbs. It is a bowl with a long stick with a hard ball shaped
object that crushed my pills really well.
— FSUMom
October 31, 2009
The first thing to think about is that depending on the meds you may not
need them after the surgery. I was on 8 - 10 different ones depending on
the day before and now 1 plus vitamins. I only had to crush mine for the
first couple of weeks. I also changed to liquid vitamins for everything
else. The Soma tasted really bad crushed but I put it in a little shot
glass and mixed it with juice and it went down.
— phyllismmay
November 1, 2009
The first month or so, I had to crush my calcium pills. They were nasty,
and I ended up mixing them with applesauce to take them everyday.
— Ursie77
November 1, 2009
I went through a phase where I crushed what pills I could - but it didn't
last long as it was disgusting!
— ditzyangeluk
November 1, 2009
Hi! I was on lisinopril and another bp med -can't think of it at
moment...and nexium. I crushed them for the two weeks I was on them after
surgery, but soon discovered I didn't need them any longer. I still took
the nexium for several weeks. Now a days they put you on some form of
nexium or prilosec...as an aid in preventing ulcers. I did the chewable
flinstones vitamins for first year. And walmart sells a chewable and quite
tasty chocolate calcium chew..by spring valley or something..in a yellow
bag and they are sugar free. My blood tests have always been good. Hope you
discuss this with your nutritionist. Best of luck! hugs,Kim
— gpcmist
November 1, 2009
Im a year in and I still crush my pills and the caplets I pull apart take
it down with water. When I take them reg they hurt my stomach
— kaybusk
November 1, 2009
I did the crushing for about six months then whole pills were fine. Others
in our support group were sent home with regular pain pills from the
hospital and never crushed them.
I think it is easier for you to digrest especially early on when they are
crushed.
— trible
November 2, 2009
I never had to crush pills, for the first three months I had to use a
powdered form of my potassium supplement, but the rest of my meds I just
swallowed.
— rkurquhart
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