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MiladyB · 02-15-2008, 03:22 PM

Safe Remedies for Colds or Flu

We are in the middle of cold and flu season. If you have caught a bug, you may be confused about which over the counter remedies are usually acceptable or not for us to take. This article from my book, “Weight Loss Surgery; Finding the Thin Person Hiding Inside You” will guide you through.
Taking Pills Post-Op

It is important to continue your prescribed medications post-op. But you may be concerned about taking pills that are large fearing that they might get stuck. You can try crushing your pills and putting them in something like a little bit of applesauce. Or you can buy a pill splitter to cut them in half. However, be careful if you take timed or sustained released medication. Check with your doctor or pharmacist to determine if the medication you take falls into this category. These medications are not designed to be crushed and can release medications too quickly into your system.

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.

In general, any non-steroid anti-inflammatory drug is not acceptable because they tend to cause bleeding and stomach ulcers.

The following list is a general guide to over-the-counter drugs. Be sure to check with your own surgeon to ensure that he or she agrees with these recommendations.

Medications to Avoid (NSAIDs)

Advil
Alka-Seltzer

Vanquish
Aspirin

Bufferin
Coricidin

Cortisone
Excedrin

Fiorinol
Ibuprofen

Motrin
Pepto-Bismol

Medications That Are Recommended For Colds

Benadryl
Dimetapp

Robitussin
Sudafed

Triaminics
Tylenol Cold Products

Medications That Are Usually Well Tolerated
(Try to obtain sugar-free or diabetic formulas for any of these products.)

Peri-Colace
Panadol

Tylenol
Tylenol Extra Strength

Gas-X
Phazyme

Colace
Dulcolax Suppositories

Fleet Enemas
Glycerin Suppositories

Milk of Magnesia

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Add: Some of you were asking about NyQuil and DayQuil so I thought I would add this information so that you can make your own choice if you want to use it or not.

I checked online for the ingredients of NyQuil and DayQuil in both forms. I've highlighted the ingredients of mild concern.

Here is what I found:

NyQuil Liquid Caps:

Ingredients
Active Ingredients (in each LiquiCap) (Purpose)
Acetaminophen 325 mg (Pain reliever/fever reducer)
Dextromethorphan HBr 15 mg (Cough suppressant)
Doxylamine succinate 6.25 mg (Antihistamine)

Inactive Ingredients
D&C Yellow No. 10, FD&C Blue No. 1, gelatin, glycerin, polyethylene glycol, povidone, propylene glycol, purified water, sorbitol special, titanium dioxide

NyQuil Liquid

Ingredients
Active Ingredients (in each 15 ml tablespoon) (Purpose)
Acetaminophen 500 mg (Pain reliever/fever reducer)
Dextromethorphan HBr 15 mg (Cough suppressant)
Doxylamine succinate 6.25 mg (Antihistamine)

Inactive Ingredients
Original: alcohol, citric acid, D&C Yellow No. 10, FD&C Green No. 3, FD&C Yellow No. 6, flavor, high fructose corn syrup, polyethylene glycol, propylene glycol, purified water, saccharin sodium, sodium citrate
Cherry: alcohol, citric acid, FD&C Blue No. 1, FD&C Red No. 40, flavor, high fructose corn syrup, polyethylene glycol, propylene glycol, purified water, saccharin sodium, sodium citrate

DayQuil Liquid

Ingredients
Active Ingredients (in each 15 ml tablespoon) (Purpose)
Acetaminophen 325 mg (Pain reliever/fever reducer)
Dextromethorphan HBr 10 mg (Cough suppressant)
Phenylephrine HCl 5 mg (Nasal decongestant)

Inactive Ingredients
Carboxymethylcellulose sodium, citric acid, disodium EDTA, FD&C Yellow No. 6, flavor, glycerin, propylene glycol, purified water, saccharin sodium, sodium benzoate, sodium chloride, sodium citrate, sorbitol, sucralose

DayQuil LiquiCaps

Ingredients
Active Ingredients (in each LiquiCap) (Purpose)
Acetaminophen 325 mg (Pain reliever/fever reducer)
Dextromethorphan HBr 10 mg (Cough suppressant)
Phenylephrine HCl 5 mg (Nasal decongestant)

Inactive Ingredients
FD&C Red No. 40, FD&C Yellow No. 6, gelatin, glycerin, polyethylene glycol, povidone, propylene glycol, purified water, sorbitol special, titanium dioxide

Basicly these are fine unless you are really sensitive to the alcohol, sugars or sugar substitutes in them. The caps may be better to take than the liquid but early postop the caps would be way too large for your pouch to tolerate. I wouldn't try the caps before 4 weeks postop.