Question:
What did you do for meds post-op?

I have to crush them, but they are sssssoooooo gross they make me gag. Did anyone find a good why to mix them?    — Erin W. (posted on January 22, 2003)

January 22, 2003
Dear Erin, I purchased a little blue plastic container with a built in razor(Walgreens has a variety of them available) - it cut my pills into as small a portion as I could swallow...seemed to really help. Deb
   — Deb K.

January 22, 2003
I never personaly tried this but several of my patients have told me that they crush their meds with one of the children's chewable vitamins then throw in a blob of Cool Whip Free. Sounds pretty gross to me but my patients are raving about it. Good luck!
   — ronascott

January 22, 2003
Pre-op, I could swallow about a dozen or so pills every morning with a gulp of water. Now I can't get anything down that way. I use yogurt. I take a spoonful of yogurt, pop the pill in, and then swallow. I eat a small container of yogurt every day to get my meds, calcium, pre-natal vitamin, etc. in. Early on I used sugar-free Jello the same way I now use yogurt. I also used applesauce when I was in the two rehab facilities because they didn't have sf Jello nor did they have yogurt. Anyway, this works for me, so it might be worth a try. I do use either Yoplait Light or Dannon's Lite and Fit, either creamy, which is new, or the regular kind.
   — garw

January 22, 2003
NEVER take your multivitamin or iron with a dairy source or with calcium. They contain calcium which will prevent the absorption of iron. You may want to speak with your PCM to see if you need to continue taking all your meds - I was off of most of mine by the second week post-op. My Dr. also gave me liquid or powdered versions of the things I needed to stay on. That being said, protein shakes, made with water, will often help you to swallow a pill or vitamin. I've also heard that applesauce can be used with crushed pills. I never found anything that worked well for me and was glad that my health problems were resolved enough to stop everything!
   — JoAnn B.