Preparation for your weight loss surgery - 2. Medications
Medications you are taking may interact with bariatric surgery or with medications that your surgeon will prescribe before and after your procedure. Be sure to tell your surgeon about any medications you are taking or plan to take throughout recovery. Vitamins, minerals and herbs can also interact with medications, so tell your surgeon about them as well.
Here are some examples of how surgery and surgery-related medications can interact with normal medications or food supplements :
- Aspirin, Coumadin, Plavix and vitamin E can increase the risk of bleeding at the time of surgery.
- Estrogen hormone medications such as birth control pills can increase the risk of blood clots.
- After surgery, your stomach or the outlet of your new stomach will be smaller.
Pills may irritate your new stomach pouch and cause nausea or pain, so you may be asked to crush your tablets for several weeks. You should check with your surgeon about which pills to crush and for how long. Some medications can't be crushed because they are "sustained release" and may need to be changed to a non-sustained release form.