Ibuprofen for Headaches/Migraines and menstrual cramps

[KamiDP 2]

Hello - I am still pre-op but a friend of mine did the sleeve about 1 1/2 years ago and said he can take ibuprofen with no problem and the doctor said it was fine. My doctors preference said never take it.

I have headaches that will transition into Migraines and ibuprofen is the only thing that makes them stop. I also have major cramps at that time of the month and ibuprofen is the only thing that stops those as well.

Need advice if just personal preference with the doctor and if other people post-op take ibuprofen and are ok with it?

I notice that my diet from one surgeon to another is a drastic difference and the one I am scheduled with is a lot stricter.

Also, advice on that.

And coffee. I understand giving it up for the 1 week prior and even 2 weeks after but my doctor says 3 months and that once I start drinking it again no Creamer even though I use fat free. Any alternatives out there. If not I will just have to give up coffee. I can not drink it black. I tried when I was on weight watchers and I was unable to do it. I tried skim milk, almond milk, soy mild all taste really bad to me in the coffee. I have added it to my vanilla Protein shake and that is not bad but I hope that is not the only solution.

Differences include:

Beef at 6 months verses steak at 3 months and hamburger at 1 month

Lean pork at 1 month versus 3 months

Toasted bread at 1 month verses

liquid diet until 2 weeks post-op versus soft/puree foods at 2 days post-op

No bread, rice, Pasta, no veggies, no fruit until at least 2 months post-op

What was everyone elses food intake like?

Thanks,

Kami

Edited April 17, 2015 by KamiDP

[Stevehud 1,790]

Hello, Nsaids, like ibuprofen are as far as I have been led to know, are an absolute no no. Now that being said , i was recently in the Emergency room for chest pain and even though I am not supposed to take aspirin, i had to for the chest pain protocol incase i was having a heart attack. I let the ER doctor know and they said that in this case since it was just a few baby aspirin to go ahead and take the risk, but even they told me in any other case, it wasnt worth the risk. My surgeon okayed me for tylenol gels, and liquid tylenol ( which tastes like ass) for occasional pain etc.

as for food intake for me, it was

liquids for 2 weeks, then pureed/soft for 2 weeks, then soft meats , ( ground meats etc) no unsoft vegetables or leafy veg etc then at the 3 month mark cleared for whatever i can tolerate. Although im 4 months ut and i still dont do like steak type harder meats.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

In this week's pre-surgical appointment my surgeon spent about 20 minutes talking about how one of the biggest causes of leaks/post-surgical complications is other doctors who don't have a clue about treating WLS patients.

[esskay77 785]

My doctor and several other WLS doctors I know are very specific--NO NSAIDS!! Which Ibuprofen is part of. Tylenol is fine.

[KamiDP 2]

Okay. Thanks everyone. I don't know what I will do after. My headaches & cramps too get super bad. Tylenol never helped me but maybe after the surgery everything will be a bit better and maybe it will work since I changed my chemistry.

[stephh 634]

I have a sleeve, and was told NSAIDS were fine. However, my book said no NSAIDS for bypass. My surgeon doesn't do lapbands or the switch. Now that I'm nearly 90 pounds lighter, I need a lot less! I used to take between 600-800mg of ibuprofen and now I can get away with taking 400mg. I also get severe cramping and occasional migraines; Tylenol just doesn't do the trick!

ETA: My surgeon is one of two physicians at a bariatric service center of excellence.

Edited April 18, 2015 by stephh

[Stephanie Stroup McIntosh 157]

My doctors diet...

12 days liquid diet preop. 4 shakes per day. No solid foods.

2 weeks clear and full liquids. broth, shakes, Strained Soups

3 weeks pureed foods. Yogurt, eggs, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, pureed moist meats

3 weeks soft foods. Boiled vegetables, moist soft meat, milk soaked Cereal

@8 weeks, I am able to include all foods as my body tolerates them.

Once you rid yourself of the need for caffeine, its not too hard to go without. Try to ween yourself down on the caffeine and creamer now, so it will be easier when you can't have them. If you need something in your coffee, use skim milk.

Tylenol is all you should take for pain. The others can cause ulcers. Your cramps and headaches may very well change with the weight loss. I haven't had any headaches since my surgery and I was still on pain meds with my period, so cramps weren't an issue.

[Soonerjoseph 14]

One of the biggest reasons to get the sleeve instead of a bypass is the ability to take NSAIDs the rest of your life. An ulcer is one thing; tons of people get them that don't get wls and they suck either way. But a marginal ulcer or an ulcer in the part of the stomach that can't be scoped is why you can't take them with bypass.

If this is the information dr.s are giving their patients...

[KamiDP 2]

With the NSAIDs I think I should follow the NO rule for this only because my husband hates me taking them anyway. But I will seek out other meds for both the Migraines and the cramps if they continue. The truth is they may not even be an issue after surgery so I will have to take it one day at a time and just do what is needed.

I appreciate everyone's shares and advice. I think this rule is a bit crazy and I do agree with Soonerjoseph you can get them normally from anything. However, if I can take away one of those ways, I feel that I should.

[NikkiDoc 312]

For the Migraines I would suggest talking to a neurologist. I used to get tension headaches which were pretty close to migraines and used Fioricet which is an acetaminophen based RX. My husband would get migraines really badly and he uses Relpax. There are a number of really good Migraine medicines that are not NSAID based.

For the cramps talk to your OB/GYN. After the sleeve most doctors recommend not getting pregnant for at least 1 year to 18 months. Maybe using a different birth control pill or depo provera shots would be an option. Many BC methods virtually eliminate your menstrual cycle and therefore the side effects.

A friend of mine used to get migraines related to her period. She would get a depo shot every 3 months to prevent the period and thus the migraine. Even after she went through menopause she would continue to get the depo shot to make sure she did not get migraines.

My surgeon does the no NSAIDs, however, he is allowing me to take a low dose of Celebrex as the COX2 inhibitors are much more gentle on the GI tract. I have SI and shoulder arthritis. Taking the Celebrex allows me to exercise.

[Bandista 7,466]

Hi there, I am a bander but the issue of NSAIDs is one all humans face (WLS or no) -- is it worth the risk? It kind of drives me nuts that my surgeon is absolutely fine with Ibuprofen. It makes me wonder if he is up-to-date with all the complications patients have because of NSAIDs. I have arthritis and really want to take Ibuprofen to help reduce inflammation. For me Tylenol doesn't touch the pain but lots of people benefit from that and it does not tear up your system. (By the way, Acetaminophen (Tylenol) works on pain while Ibuprofen, etc. works on inflammation.) I used to take both together on the advice of a physician, the 3-2 cocktail (3 Ibuprofen, 2 Extra-strength Tylenol). These days I'm not taking anything orally but I use Voltaren, which is an Ibuprofen gel. I have no idea whether it would work well for Migraines, cramps, etc., but I do get relief from the topical application of this gel and am even making trips to Canada to acquire it over the counter as my co-pay is kind of pricey (plus the Canadian version is stronger). This feels a lot safer to me than a system-wide pill with the potential of eating away of tissue in my esophagus, stomach, colon, etc. Hope this helps! We are all different.....

[NikkiDoc 312]

Voltaren is not ibuprofen. It is diclofenac. It is available as a gel or oral. I am actually more familiar with it as a cream for horses and the name is Surpass. Same strength but different base.

Oddly enough even when applied as a cream for the horses gastric ulcers can be an issue. I do not know if it has similar risks with humans. Just something to keep in mind.

[briefs199 337]

I used to take Advil 2-3x per week. Now that I lost 60 plus pounds I hardly ever need to take pain relief. I had a bad headache and took some liquid Tylenol which honestly did nothing. Other than that I would not worry about lack of advil. Talk to your dr and see what alternatives you may have for headaches. Your period pains may subside with weight loss.