Question:
I noticed a glip in one of the answers that alluded to
either be chewable or mashed for the rest of your life following WLS. Is this true? Every pill? For the rest of one's life? How do others handle this situation? I seems like it would be a chore to make sure of this. — Sandy C. (posted on September 6, 1999)
September 6, 1999
I had proximal RNY and the only pills I had to take chewable
were vitamins for a couple of weeks after surgery. All the pills
I take now (vitamins, protein, etc,) are full size
pills swallowed with water just like before WLS.
— dboat
September 6, 1999
Not all of us! it depends on your surgery and size of outlet. I've only had
pills jam up twice in 5 yrs. Last year, two "caplets" stuck
themselves in an "X" over the opening. That was cute. Ask me how
I know? And early on, maybe 1 yr? I got one stuck in there somehow. But
needless to say, I fetched it back on my own. No running to ER or anything.
Not sure what went wrong in that case. I still take that particular kind
of pill! Some prefer chewables, but I am not one. I'm saving my taste
buds for important things, like butter or mayo or chocolate! If I only get
a smidge, it's going to be The Best!
— vitalady
September 6, 1999
You can get liquid vitimans--I take Centrum.
You can also get a pill crusher at the pharmacy.
It is a small price to pay for being healthy.
— Barb S.
September 6, 1999
If it's a HUGE pill ... we break it in half to make it smaller, otherwise I
haven't split a pill since the hospital. Sometimes you can ask your
prescribing doc or the phamacy to make it two smaller doses as oppossed to
the huge pills, like potassium for instance either split the pill if you
take it or take two half the dosage pills. Pretty simple.
— Sherrie G.
September 6, 1999
We are all different. I swallow pills without any problem. My vitamin is
huge...a horse pill and I have some difficulty with it sometimes but I have
never crushed pills. We all probably have to find out our own tolerances.
We all have different eating abilities and the same will probably hold true
for taking pills. Diane
— Diane N.
September 6, 1999
No, not true. With gastric bypass aspirin sized pills should be doable
after the first month in the vast majority of patients. Of course, some
'normal', un-operated on people say that they 'can't take pills', so no
one could ever guarantee that a WLS patient could take pills after surgery.
— Bruce B.
September 7, 1999
I had RNY on 7/21/99. I've been taking my rx medications whole since about
2 weeks post-op. I've been told that it's the "size" of the pill
that will determine how you must take it. Those pills we know as
"horse pills" obviously can't be swallowed.
I think that the "pill taking" is very individual post
surgery---just like the food tolerances---that you'll only know what works
for YOU after you try it cautiously.
— MaryAnn K.
September 7, 1999
Hi Sandy, I had my WLS almost two years ago. I had to crush all of my
pills right after surgery. By the time I went in for my 1 month checkup. I
was told that I didn't need to crush them anymore. The swelling has to go
down inside before you can pass the pills
— Ellen M.
September 7, 1999
Hi, Sandy--I'm postop, and I can take pills, though I do take chewable
vitamins. I had strep last week and had to take oral antibiotics--they
were large pills, but I just cut them in half and did fine. I also was
taking Advil for fever at that time--I use liqui-gels and did fine. Hope
this helps!
— charlene M.
September 7, 1999
Just after my surg I had liquid meds. Then I was told I could swallow
anything smaller than an M&M. I could only take Tylenol and I had the
caplets( I get them from the Hospital I work at for a huge discount) so I
just broke them in half. I am 16 mo post op and after the first year I
tried to take the whole caplet and I could. So my answer to you would be
that no you don't have to take liquids and or crush your pills the rest of
your life. But for me, If that was what I had to do in order to lose all
the weight, then I would be happy to crush and drink my meds for the rest
of my life. Good Luck. Jan Terry
— Jan T.
September 11, 1999
I do not need to crush my pills, if they are too big I cut them in half and
take both halves, but I do not have to crush them.
— Kim C.
September 16, 1999
I was told not to swallow anything larger than a bayer aspirin. If it is
bigger than that I should use a pill cutter and cut it in half. A pill
cutter costs about 2-3 dollars.
— Donna D.
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