Taking the Meds - ThinnerTimes - Gastric Bypass Forum, Lap Band Forum, and Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Forum

lowdown1968 · 08-01-2007, 10:55 AM

Hey guys I just wanted some advise from anybody out there.... I have never been good with taking my meds the way I should and now after my surgery I should be taking 8-10 pills per day! In the beginning I was taking them religiously but after a while I noticed that I felt no different when I didnt take them. ( meds include:vitamins, prylosec, calcium...) and they are not cheap any advise?

Rachel · 08-01-2007, 01:30 PM

I think of it this way... the cost of the vitamins doesn't even come close to the amount of money I was spending on food. So the cost doesn't bother me that much anymore.

As for do you still need to take them, YES! there isn't anyway for your body to get the vitamins and minerals that it needs from the little amount of food you can take in. You traded the food and signed up for the supplements when you had the surgery. Sure you can stop taking them and not feel much different, but in the end your body will feel the difference. Our bodies need those vitamins and minerals to function properly.

Not trying to be mean. Just trying to help out

LisaM · 08-01-2007, 02:38 PM

I, on the other hand, won't pull any punches.

Without your supplements, your body will not absorb enough vitamins from your food, as well as a number of other nutrients, including iron. Your hands and feet will start to become numb, and eventually you won't have any feeling in them at all... If you don't get help by this time, some of the nerve damage may be irreversible.

You will also suffer brain damage, as your brain needs the essential minerals and vitamins that your body can no longer get from food.

Your bones will become thinner and thinner from lack of calcium, as when your brain and heart can't get the calcium they need to operate from what you eat (and they can't) they will start leaching it from your bones to make up the difference. Eventually, you'll be able to walk across a room and break an ankle just from the force of walking on it.

You won't care, because you won't be walking, because you'll be in a bed somewhere, brain dead, drooling on your pillow.

Oh, and the prilosec keeps your stomach from overproducing acid, causing an ulcer, which for us can be not just painful, but life-threatening.

Take your supplements and medications. They're important.

mikenbaltimore · 08-01-2007, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lowdown1968

Hey guys I just wanted some advise from anybody out there.... I have never been good with taking my meds the way I should and now after my surgery I should be taking 8-10 pills per day! In the beginning I was taking them religiously but after a while I noticed that I felt no different when I didnt take them. ( meds include:vitamins, prylosec, calcium...) and they are not cheap any advise?

Recently as part of my pre-op journey, I started to consider if I could commit to taking medications forever daily. I mean, who wants to take meds - even if they are just vitamins! Then I reached for my bottles of Lipitor and Benazapril and I began to think... do i want to take medications like these forever?

The vitamins and supplements did not seem to be such a bad trade off. Take the supplements, they are meant to keep you healthy. I am not great at taking meds regularly either... but I will do what I have to do.

lowdown1968 · 08-01-2007, 11:19 PM

Wow Lisa thank you for being so raw and honest! I never realized the dangers in not taking my supplements until I saw your response. I guess in the past I have not alway taken meds as I was suppose to and I never suffered any long term damage so I assumed I could do it now as well.

I am four months out from my surgery date so Im not to far gone yet and the response I got has SCARRED me straight! Hold on....while I take me supplements...LOL again THANK U

LisaM · 08-02-2007, 06:22 AM

I'm sure you've seen my rant on the other thread by now, as well. I try VERY hard not to get ratty with people, but this is a real hot button for me. Thanks for taking it well--and taking your supplements! I care, or I wouldn't get bent about this subject...

LyndasRoom · 08-02-2007, 09:17 AM

Ron,
Another thing to remember is that our bodies hold on to stores of a lot of the vitamins and minerals, so that by the time you get low, it's a tough fight to get back to where you need to be. And with our malabsorption issues, it can be devastating as Lisa has pointed out. I'm glad you're taking your vitamins. Be sure to take your b-12 sublingually, or in a shot, it doesn't get absorbed thru the stomach, and people seem to have ugly symptoms when they get low on it.

Duckie · 08-02-2007, 10:06 AM

Lisa, I LOVE YOUR POST!

Dyann · 08-02-2007, 10:15 AM

I know it is a great deal of pills. I have an AM and PM routine

I bought two pill boxes that are 7 days with 4 compartments in each day. I use the top two rows as am and pm for 1 week and the bottom two for the next week. So I only need to fill all the pills in once a month. In the morning I open the compartment and take them mindlessly. Same thing in the PM. Opening all the bottles and trying to remember if I already took something was just such a drag. This made it quick and easy. I did help with compliance!!!!

B12 and thiamine deficiencies can cause IRREVERSIBE nerve damage. It is much easier to prevent a deficiency then fix one.

Robin W · 08-02-2007, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dyann

I know it is a great deal of pills. I have an AM and PM routine

I bought two pill boxes that are 7 days with 4 compartments in each day. I use the top two rows as am and pm for 1 week and the bottom two for the next week. So I only need to fill all the pills in once a month. In the morning I open the compartment and take them mindlessly. Same thing in the PM. Opening all the bottles and trying to remember if I already took something was just such a drag. This made it quick and easy. I did help with compliance!!!!

B12 and thiamine deficiencies can cause IRREVERSIBE nerve damage. It is much easier to prevent a deficiency then fix one.

Dyann,

I'm wondering what exactly is in each of the compartments per day. My surgery is in 19 days and I want to start out right. I currently use a 7day pill box for my HBP/anti depressent and I know this has saved me several times from either missing a dose or doubling up because I had already taken today's pills. My plan is to continue using the 7-day pill compartments as that works best for me. I understand there are some supplements that shouldn't be taken together and I'm totally clueless about what they are. So I've determined that you'd be my best role model

and to start out with, I'd like to emulate your daily procedure when it comes to vitamins and supplements. I hope you don't mind.