anyone taking Ibuprofen?

[katieboo 25]

some research says it is ok, my doctor said no, any thoughts?

[MoreganK 164]

No. My doctor said that ibuprofen is really hard on your sleeve. He said Tylonel or similar store brand only. I haven't tried anything else since surgery.

[FeeIsMe2 508]

My doctor said only Tylenol or the generic.

[Lisa :) 231]

My surgeon and Kaiser NP (my ins changed so follow up is with Kaiser) said absolutely not!! I actually had a conversation with the NP when I saw her in January about it because I had sprained my ankle while running. She said she had 2 sleeve patients in the past 6 months that had gotten ulcers after using ibuprofin. One had been taking it for a few months and the other had only been taking sporadically.

[mokee 588]

Just asked surgeon the other day if I could take anti-inflamatories again. I have been off of them for 5 months. I have a lot of muscle and bone pain everywhere. I know they would help but he said no because of ulcers.

[Carolina-Girl 28]

I just left my pre-op meeting with my surgeon and they said no NSAID's for the rest of your life once you have the sleeve.

[MICKEYMANTLE 8]

most doctors say no for 5 months and then allow it, see if he can give you a non nsaid that will work, if you must have a nsaid there are drugs they can give you to prevent ulcers( not a ppi), they coat your sleeve,nsaids prevent the coating that goes on your sleeve to protect it from acid

[bigsleeve56 266]

The only thing that matters is what your doc said.

[aroundhky 1,174]

My doctor said no for the first few months, then said to be very very cautious with taking them after that. As in only when you really really need relief for a very bad headache and tylenol will not work at all. I've only had about 3 of these instances in over a year that I had to turn to ibuprofen. In the past it really helped with a headache and of course inflammation. The few times that I've used it due to tylenol not helping with pain since being sleeved, it helped. I just try use it only as a last resort. With that said, I would just do what your Dr said and go with that. Mine gave me permission to use it on a very limited basis, which I adhere to.

[PdxMan 4,292]

Hmmm ... of course, listen to your Dr, but I just had a couple back surgeries and had no issues taking them. All the doctors involved know about my sleeve and I told them there is a concern regarding NSAID's.

Their stance on it is this ... there is a cost/benefit/risk for everything in life, right? Does the benefit of taking the NSAID's outweigh the potential risk? Was it more important to reduce the swelling around my spine than the potential ulcer? As long as I was taking it as directed and listening to my body, the Drs had no issue with me taking it. I have also taken it a few times after physical therapy when things were a little aggressive.

Everytime has been only for that day or perhaps a few days. Taking it everyday for a period of time, though, is something all together different.

[Sannah 258]

I have taken ibuprofen since right after surgery. I am almost 4 months out. It's not caused me any problems and worked better for post surgery pain than any narcotics.

[Kristina J. 581]

One of the reasons I chose (along with my doctor) the sleeve over other WLS is that I need to take a baby aspirin daily for a clotting disorder. So it really something that each surgeon decides for their patients, but I would always say to go with what YOUR surgeon suggests for you! I've also been taking my aspirin with the band which according to my original surgeon was a no-no but my hematologist and PCP told me it would be safe (I'm also already on a PPI daily, so that may have factored in).

Pdx nailed it I think when he said, it's about weighing the risks. The risk for me was greater not taking it, than taking it.

[MrsG 329]

I agree, always go with what your surgeon says. That being said, I had my 2 month post op appt and was told if its a once in a while thing it's ok. But if I were to want to use it say every month for my period, that's a no no. I was given the reason it causes ulcers also.

[MichiganChic 3,262]

I was cleared to take it at about 6 weeks. I take it almost daily, no issues thus far. It's one of the reasons I chose the sleeve - because I could take NSAIDS. Still - I'd consult your physician first.