Post-op pills - do I really have to crush them?

[Malaika 50]

I was really wondering about this...I have 3 huge horse pill I have to take every day for my ulcerative colitis. I have no idea how they'll taste crushed. But they are BIG.

They will taste NASTY crushed - I would suggest getting a pill cutter and cutting them into the smallest pieces you can and then taking them with applesauce or as Nana said dk. chocolate SF pudding (wish I'd have thought of that).

[DownInSocal 12]

I too take Effexor XR. I don't chew that one don't worry. I just pop open the caps and put the little balls in a medicine cup. I take a "sip" of the balls and wash it down with Water. After I have taken them from the cup I take a few swishes of Water around my mouth and swallow to make sure i got them all. Sometimes one will hide out and I will get a bitter taste a few mins later but water takes care of it.

Hijack and TMI alert:

Has anyone else noticed on Effexor that sometimes not all the little balls are fully "digested". Like you can errr see them in the toilet? This was going before surgery so I don't think it has anything to do with surgery but it is odd. I feel like I am not getting all the medicine if the balls are not disolving.

[Malaika 50]

I too take Effexor XR. I don't chew that one don't worry. I just pop open the caps and put the little balls in a medicine cup. I take a "sip" of the balls and wash it down with Water. After I have taken them from the cup I take a few swishes of Water around my mouth and swallow to make sure i got them all. Sometimes one will hide out and I will get a bitter taste a few mins later but water takes care of it.

Hijack and TMI alert:

Has anyone else noticed on Effexor that sometimes not all the little balls are fully "digested". Like you can errr see them in the toilet? This was going before surgery so I don't think it has anything to do with surgery but it is odd. I feel like I am not getting all the medicine if the balls are not disolving.

I was told by the pharmacist NOT to open the capsules since they were time released - so I haven't done that - do you notice any difference in the effectiveness of the medication by doing that?

Haven't noticed the second issue you talk about.

[OrchidFan 0]

Interesting that a couple of us are on Effexor, it has somewhat of a bad reputation up here. It works better than the newer fancier ones for me so I love it.

I am really sensitive to antideps, and if I miss a day, or am even very late taking it, I get very bad nausea- that hasn't happened since surgery. (Except for the day 2 barf-fest, but I really don't think that was the effexor!)

I poked around the web, drugs.com says:

Swallow Effexor XR Extended-Release Capsules whole. Do not break, crush, chew, or place in Water before swallowing. If you cannot swallow the capsule whole, you may open it and sprinkle the contents over a spoonful of applesauce. Mix the medicine with the applesauce and swallow the mixture right away, followed by a glass of Water. Do not crush or chew the medicine before swallowing.

It's awfully bitter if you miss a little speck and bite it accidentally. I haven't noticed anything going out the other end..

Ivy

[DownInSocal 12]

Funny, both my doctor and two pharmacists said I could open the capsule because the beads were the time release portion not the capsule. One pharmacist showed me with Vinegar how the capsule dissolved in about 2 mins.

Maybe I am the only one taking a close look at stuff when it comes out. Not that I am a freak like that or anything. :001_huh:

Oh and I have not noticed a difference in the effectiveness.

http://www.effexorxr.com/about-effexor/dosage-information.aspx

Straight from Wyeth.

Edited October 5, 2009 by DownInSocal

[Malaika 50]

Oh and I have not noticed a difference in the effectiveness.

EFFEXOR XR®: Dosing and General Information

Straight from Wyeth.

Well I think starting tonight I'll be taking my little balls with a spoon of applesauce -- I'm tired of it getting stuck and sometimes coming up ... I'll be glad when I can swallow without getting that feeling. THANKS!

[Bookgirl 0]

Alright everyone - I have a reply from Gaby in Dr. Aceves office - oh no don't worry Susan - if you have no problem taking them, go ahead and do so - sometimes patients are too swollen after surgery, they have trouble taking medication (whole pillls), they get stuck but I have heard many patients that take them whole really soon after surgery and have no problem at all - so if you have no problems doing so go ahead and take them.

YeeHaw - I am taking mine whole from now on! :001_huh:

[LAN2k 18]

I would email Gaby and ask her - tell her what you've been doing. I don't think it will hurt you -- I know I that everytime I crushed my pills and mixed them with Water, I threw up. I started crumbling them intead of crushing them and taking them with just a tiny bit of yogurt or applesauce (this was about 10 days out). I know others have swallowed their pills since the day after surgery.

I think it best to go to the source and ask Gaby (or Nina or Renee) and see what they have to say.

Let us know.

Who are Gabby, Rene, and Nina??

[Malaika 50]

Who are Gabby, Rene, and Nina??

Gaby, Rene and Nina are on Dr. Aceves staff - Gaby is the nutrionist and Nina and Rene do his scheduling, etc.

[Malaika 50]

Alright everyone - I have a reply from Gaby in Dr. Aceves office - oh no don't worry Susan - if you have no problem taking them, go ahead and do so - sometimes patients are too swollen after surgery, they have trouble taking medication (whole pillls), they get stuck but I have heard many patients that take them whole really soon after surgery and have no problem at all - so if you have no problems doing so go ahead and take them.

YeeHaw - I am taking mine whole from now on! :001_huh:

Well there you have it!

[MacMadame 81]

A lot of program say you can swallow pills the size of an M&M or smaller immediately after surgery. Mine did.

[Chancie 65]

I take effexor TF too- but was also told not to open them- or anything that was time released. I was able to swallow pills early! ( Thank Goodness!! ) I was one of those that vomited all the time right after surgery- and opening the pills YUCK! Instantly sick- so I figured I wasn;t getting them in correctly anyway- and Doc said if I can swallow them- go head!

I also started taking the Vitamin for hair and nails- big green pills / no problems!! And they are BIG! BUT THEY ARE WORKING- starting to get all kinds of new Hair growth :lol0:)

[barefootinablacksea 0]

Hi all - I am now 5 days post-op and feeling great but a little guilty! I was told to crush all medication (or dissolve it). On the plane ride back home, I got a headache but I had packed my dissolvable pain meds - so I bit a Tylenol into 3 pieces and took that with a lot of liquid and didn't have any problems. Have since taken my allergy med without crushing and tolerated that just fine too. Is there some hidden risk to not crushing the pills? Won't they will dissolve anyway as they are meant to do? I am worried that I am being a little to lax with the rules but I haven't suffered any consequences... :confused1:

It's really down to how you feel and the advice of your doctor - if you tell you're doctor how you've tolerated the pills so far he'll probably let you continue what you're doing. I was being given whole paracetamol pills the night of my surgery! I couldn't believe it! And I continued to take them like that the whole time I was in hospital. Sometimes it felt a bit funny but on whole I tolerated them straight away.

[cajun 46]

It's really down to how you feel and the advice of your doctor - if you tell you're doctor how you've tolerated the pills so far he'll probably let you continue what you're doing. I was being given whole paracetamol pills the night of my surgery! I couldn't believe it! And I continued to take them like that the whole time I was in hospital. Sometimes it felt a bit funny but on whole I tolerated them straight away.

Right you are! Here is what Gaby emailed to me when I asked about taking pills whole:

1) The doctor suggests that you wait at least until you are 30 days away from surgery to take the whole Vitamin intact. You might ask your PCP to change it to a liquid form.

He really prefers patients swallow whole pills until 3 months after surgery. Some patients are very tight and he needs to protect them from vomiting.

Nevertheless, we have heard that some patients swallow pills whole before that time, even as early as a month after surgery.

Everyone is different

What the doctor does is to establish a rule

( that way he protects everyone ) he cant risk it.

three months after surgery all patients are doing great and never have a problem swallowing them whole.

I'm using some liquid Vitamins prescribed by my internist, and dissolving others, like the nexium, bp pill and thyroid pill.

[LAN2k 18]

I take effexor TF too- but was also told not to open them- or anything that was time released. I was able to swallow pills early! ( Thank Goodness!! ) I was one of those that vomited all the time right after surgery- and opening the pills YUCK! Instantly sick- so I figured I wasn;t getting them in correctly anyway- and Doc said if I can swallow them- go head!

I also started taking the Vitamin for hair and nails- big green pills / no problems!! And they are BIG! BUT THEY ARE WORKING- starting to get all kinds of new Hair growth :001_smile:)

Hi can you tell me what brand of Vitamins you are having good results with for hair/nail growth?? Thanks.