Question:
Can you really stop taking medications after surgery?

I have heard and read that beginning right after surgery I will no longer have totake any more insulin injections and possibly stop all medications? I take following meds: vasotec,lasix, estrogen, detrol, KDUR, Lipid, celebrex and advil. I would like to hear from others regarding their experiences? it almost sounds too good to be true!!    — janice J. (posted on April 13, 2001)

April 13, 2001
This is a conversation you need to have with your Dr. I'm not sure what all those meds are for, but personally speaking, I had to KEEP taking my meds, as I lost weight my dr was able to cut the dosage in half, then we cut it in half again, and finally I was able to stop....mine were for high BP....funny thing is, now my BP is almost low...,.go figure!
   — tlg6056

April 13, 2001
I had Lap RNY on 4/2/01 and am down 20.5#'s. Pre-op, I was on 500mg Glucophage 2x's a day and Glyberide 2.5mg 2x's a day for my diabetes. I have not had any Glucophage post-op, and I'm down to 2.5mg Glyberide as needed. I haven't taken any of it in DAYS. My BP medicine was also dramatically reduced, and I believe it will also be history before too long. Good luck to you!
   — Laurie L.

April 13, 2001
HI! I have (had?) Type II diabetes (steroid induced) and was definitely insulin dependent. I was diagnosed in 1997, and I was devastated. I hated the thought of taking injections for the rest of my life! Well, after doing much research about WLS, I was convinced it was my only chance to get off the insulin. I read about a lot of people who no longer needed their insulin immediately after surgery, but for me, it was a little different. It took about three weeks before I noticed a difference, but suddenly, I was down to two shots from 3-5 a day. Then about a week later, I noticed I was waking up in the middle of the night starving! doc suspected low blood sugars so sure enough, the next night I tested and was down to about 50! So then I was down to one injection a day first thing in the morning. I have now been totally off any insulin for almost two months now. I am only 4 months post op and not only off the insulin, but I just stopped taking one of my oral diabetes meds (Avandia) and doc thinks I may be able to cut my Glocophage down from 1000 mg. 2x/day only once a day! It really seemed to good to be true to me also, but I'm so glad I took the chance. My blood sugars have never been under better control, and I may be able to stop taking ALL my diabetes meds. I don't know if I'll ever be able to stop taking ALL my meds, but certainly not having to take the diabetes meds for the rest of my life helps improve my outlook on life! LOL! Anyway, sorry for such a long post, just wanted to share my experience. If you have any other questions, please feel free to email me at [email protected] Good luck! Maria
   — Maria H.

April 13, 2001
I stopped high BP, diruetics, asthma drugs, migraine preventers (ha ha), and using my CPAP. I kept the estrogen (and my dose stayed the same, though many adjust UP, to compensate for malabsorption). I kept pesky sinuses, but they are not nearly in the same league as pre-op. Just pesky, not miserable. I still have arthritis, and I take a non-irritating med for it. I take lots of vites! But not all those meds with all their side-effects! Yahoo!
   — vitalady