Question:
I am on lots of medication, will i still be able to take them after the surgery?

I am a 32 year old female, I weigh aprox. 425. I am bipolar, and I have anxiety disorder. And thyroid disorder. And on a lot of medication to treat these problems. Will I still be able to take my meds?    — tina H. (posted on September 9, 2002)

September 9, 2002
hiya i don't know about the thyroid meds but i too am bipolar. i take prozac and depakote. prozac has a 6 week life so i stayed off it for several mos. after surgery then started on the minimum dose (which i discontinued a week ago since i haven't had a "depression" since pre op) but the depakote i had a prob with post op. about one-two weeks post op i felt a bit out of sorts so my doc prescribed liquid depakene but i dumped on it so then they tried depakene sprinkles (gelatin capsules that you open and sprinkle the "sprinkles") into applesauce and swallow but you can't chew them and i had to take soooo many i just couldn't do it. so about 4 weeks post op my doc put me on the lowest dose of depakote, very small pills, and i've been on that ever since. i went down from 5000 mg to 500 mg!! also your hormones change as you lose weight. be sure to discuss these issues with your surgeon and pcp. good luck! kate open rny 6-14-01 pre op: 268lbs goal: 135lbs current: 130lbs
   — jkb

September 9, 2002
Hi. I did have a little bit of problems swallowing pills right after surgery. Most of them I just didn't take for a few weeks and then gradually started up with them again.(with my PCP's ok.) I was on Prozac and I kept having trouble swallowing it so I was put on once weekly Prozac. It worked well for me but some have problems with time released meds. If you are on synthroid (as I am) it also comes in liquid form. Within 1 week after the surgery, I no longer had to take my Blood Pressure meds or my osteoarthritus meds. Good luck to you!!
   — Leah H.

September 9, 2002
I've been on Synthroid for the last 26 years and I stayed on the pills all along. They are just a tiny little pill. They started giving them to me against after the NG tube was taken out.
   — John Rushton

September 9, 2002
Your surgeon would be the best person to tell you what you should or shouldn't take. Mine allowed my usual meds (synthroid,premarin,doxepin,accupril,zoloft); the only constraints were the size of the pill. Anything bigger than a 1/4" in width had to be split or crushed (just till the pouch and stoma healed). The premarin was stopped two weeks before the surgery as the hormone can cause blood clots; restarted it a week after surgery.
   — LLinderman

September 9, 2002
I am 3 months out. I am still able to take all my psychmeds and pain med for menstrual cramps. I just had trouble swalling the big pills at first. Cherie-Doudenal Switch May 21, 2002
   — Cherie L.

September 9, 2002
You should be fine so long as the pill is small enough (as stated in an earlier post). You also must avoid any sustained-release drug (like Wellbutrin SR, for example).
   — Patricia E.