How to Take Medicine After a Lap-Band

Having a Lap-Band put in can help you to lose weight, but it also forces lifestyle changes. The amount of food and drink that can be consumed is drastically limited after the surgery. Lap-Band surgery also affects the way in which medications must be used--certain pills cannot be swallowed, and extended-release medications, such as Metformin, may no longer be appropriate as they will pass out of the system quickly. Pills may need to be crushed or replaced by medications in liquid or injectable forms.

Instructions

• 1

  Discuss your medications with your doctor. Certain medications may not be able to be chewed or crushed and your doctor may be able to prescribe an alternate form of medication that will be acceptable.

• 2

  Crush medications that come in pill form into powder before swallowing. This prevents the pills from getting stuck. Powdered medications can be taken as they are or dissolved and then used. Not all medications are safe to be used when crushed, so clear your medications with a doctor first.

• 3

  Take medication capsules as normal. A capsule is defined as a medication that has an outer shell that can be pulled apart to release a powdered or granulated drug. Since the outer capsule dissolves to release the medication, the capsule will not cause problems.

• 4

  Switch to a liquid form of medication. Liquid medications can be taken as directed with no alteration.