Question:
Are RNYites allowed to take injectable NSAIDS?
I know were not allowed to take NSAIDS orally because we could develop an ulcer. I was just curious because I was in the ER about 3 weeks ago for passing a kidney stone (still havent passed the dumb thing yet). I had told the ER staff that I was allowed no NSAIDS, but the ER doc asked if I could have it in injectable form. I told him I didnt know. They decided not to give me any to be on the safe side and gave Morphine instead. Anyway I was just curious. — Kris T. (posted on October 15, 2003)
October 15, 2003
I am pre-op, so someone else (even your surgeon) may be able to better
answer this question, but what I was told by my rheumatologist (I have
rheumatoid arthritis) is that with gastric bypass surgery I would not be
able to take NSAIDs even rectally because of the way that NSAIDs work. He
told me that the way they hurt your stomach is after they are absorbed into
the bloodstream. I've looked on the internet for a better explanation, but
haven't been able to find one.
— Debbie P.
October 15, 2003
I spoke to soon! I found this information on a website that explains why
NSAID's in any form are bad for WLS patients:
website: http://emoss.info/Drugs.htm
******
"I want to help everyone understand the reason NSAIDS are dangerous
for us. Contrary to popular belief, it is not just that they are
"pouch burners" as the industry wants us to believe. It goes much
deeper than that. According to an article published in the June 1999 New
England Journal of Medicine, NSAIDS, once absorbed into the blood stream
cause a chain of chemical reactions that affect the prostaglandins and this
in turn reduces the production of mucus in the GI system. The mucus is what
lines our GI system and protects our pouch and intestines from damage.
If the mucus production is reduced, this would allow ANYTHING, including
eating something with too sharp of an edge or foods that are extremely
spicy, to inadvertently begin a marginal ulcer. The best answer is to avoid
NSAIDS at all cost. Taking an H2 receptor drug such as Prilosec,
Prevacid or Nexium is only a band-aid and no guarantee that it will protect
you."
— Debbie P.
October 15, 2003
For some reason my first post never posted- hopefully it still hasn't by
the time this posts, or I'll sound really silly! I'm still pre-op, but my
rheumatologist explained to me that NSAIDs wouldn't be allowed in any form
after a gastric bypass because the damage happens after the NSAIDS are
absorbed into the bloodstream. The article I previously posted explains it
a little better :)
-Debbie
— Debbie P.
October 15, 2003
There is an anti-inflammatory drug we can take in limited dosages by
injection but it is very potent. I had Toradol after my RNY for 24 hours
to help with the pain. Then two days later, I hurt my knee badly and they
gave it to me again (ijnjections instead of IV) for the inflammation in my
knee. It works wonders but is very strong and shouldn't be taken for more
than 5 consecutive days.
— Patty_Butler
October 15, 2003
thank you debbie P . I have tried to explain this to others who thought I
was crazy and that the pouch burner aspect was all there was to it. thank
you! thank you!
— **willow**
October 15, 2003
What Debbie says is correct. I had the ingenius idea to come up with
enteric coated NSAIDS. I asked a WLS surgeon I work with if this would
work for us. He said the same thing....."no, because the damage comes
NOT from the NSAID physically laying in your stomach, but from circulating
in the bloodstream and effecting the stomach." A friend of mine went
to the doctor and he wanted to give her a patch for her skin that has
NSAIDS on it to be absorbed into the skin. The surgeon said no because it
would be absorbed and affect the stomach.
— Lynette B.
October 15, 2003
I do have something to add to my post. I get hideous abdominal cramping
for about 10 hours the first day of my period every month. I used to take
Motrin. I asked the internal medicine doctor who works with my WLS surgeon
and she said that taking a couple motrin once or twice ONLY during
"that time of the month" wouldn't hurt me. She did advise taking
an over-the-counter zantac along with the Motrin dose. I'm over 3 years
post op and didn't take anything for the first 2 years....just suffered
through the cramps. Now, once a month, I take 2 Motrin when the cramps
start and I good until the next month. But, of course, ask your surgeon.
— Lynette B.
October 16, 2003
I was given Toradol, an injectible NSAID, while in the hospital for two
days after my gastric bypass surgery Sept. 9. Because I was taking 50
milligrams of Vioxx each day prior to my surgery (and very worried about
giving it up), the idea of an injectible NSAID that could reduce my
inflammation and give me pain relief was a wonderful notion.
But, alas, the qualities of NSAIDs that increase the probability we'll
develop ulcers exist regardless of whether the medication is delivered by
pill or injection. (It's not just a pill sitting in your stomach; it's the
systemic effect -- inhibiting prostaglandin formation -- that these types
of drugs have).
I've been told this by numerous people, including the pain management doc
at my hospital, my surgeon and my pharmacist mom. :)
— Jennifer ..
August 7, 2004
— Michael M.
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