
Gastric Bypass Surgery Support Group
Gastric bypass (GBP) is any of a group of similar operative procedures used to treat morbid obesity, a condition which arises from severe accumulation of excess weight in the form of fatty tissue, and the health problems ("co-morbidities") which result. If you are considering gastric bypass or have had it, join the community where we share our experiences and find support.
I know I'll have to change from a long-acting pill to a child's version of the same medication because the long-acting one can't be crushed or chewed and won't fit through the new stomach opening.
Thanks for bringing up this important topic! I for one would be interested to hear what you find out.
But your medicines won't stay in your new pouch long enough for the time release to work
When discussing this with your Dr., also have him/her check to see if any of these meds fall into the NSAIDS list. NSAIDS are called pouch burners because they will ulcerate your pouch.
I'll be back as soon as I can with the time-release info
God Bless
Janelle
Ok as a RN and an Effexor patient, lol...my 2 cents: The reason time release is less effective (note I didn't say doesn't work) is that with this little pouch we have now, pills and liquid pass relatively quickly, and there is not as much stomach acid to degrade or "use up" your medication. Time release and/or long acting medications work by having an outer coating or capsule that degrades slower in your stomach acid or digestive juices during digestion. Since we WLS patients have 1. smaller stomachs, with 2. Less digestive juices, and 3. our pathway of digestion is altered, these types of long acting medications may have partial to NO absorption for us. This from a recommendation for primary care physicians now caring for post-op bariatric patients: "Clinicians should not prescribe extended-release drugs because reducedtransit times and changed intestinal anatomy influence the amount ofmedication that reaches the bloodstream. In the immediate postoperativeperiod, medications with small therapeutic windows, such as lithium oranticoagulants, should be monitored closely, and dosing changed as indicated.Clinicians should not prescribe nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents, whichincrease irritation and bleeding. " Link to this article: http://docnews.diabetesjournals.org/cgi/content/full/3/7/14 Bottom line though hon, work closely with your physicians. They and you, know your case history and should be making the best and appropriate choices for your medications and treatment.
http://www.wlscenter.com/
Timed and sustained release medications may no longer be the best choice if you have had gastric bypass surgery. These are designed to slowly break down in the stomach and intestines. Because of the change in your anatomy, they may not be absorbed correctly. Immediate release medications seem to be better suited for gastric bypass patients. Talk to your doctor about this.
Also, be sure that your primary care physician understands how rapidly you will be losing weight. Many conditions are drastically improved soon after weight loss surgery including high blood pressure. Your physician needs to monitor your medicationsso that they are correct for your changing needs. A patient from my local support group was on blood pressure medication and about a month or two after surgery started complaining of dizziness and feeling faint. When her problem was isolated, her doctor discovered that her high blood pressure medication was now too strong for her, causing her blood pressure to drop too low, making her feel faint.