Will I be able to take advil?

[SECRETSLEEVE]

I'm a little confused if I will be able to take advil since I have had people say yes and no. I will be 3 weeks out tomorrow and at about 4 weeks I will get menstral cramps which I usually take advil to deal with the cramps. My question is will I be able to take advil after being a month out of surgery?

[atx_sunshine4vr]

I did for the exact same reason!!! Nothing else works for me during that time.

[SECRETSLEEVE]

do you take advil now?

[atx_sunshine4vr]

Yep, this week was that time of the month. I have taken 2 pills, 3 different times. It seems to kick in a lot faster but I haven't noticed any other side affects. I have only needed to take them for cramps and the headache that comes with it. I am 3.5 months post op and have used Advil for each montly.

[SECRETSLEEVE]

From what i ready advil is fine to take after this surgery at least a month out. I read with the bypass you cannot take advil anymore after that surgery since it can make developing an ulcer more likely. I read some people write you can't take advil anymore with the sleeve, I'm just trying to make sure that I am correct.

[atx_sunshine4vr]

Each dr. has their own guidelines. Sometimes I have to do what is right for me, knowing the guidance but I make the decision. Ibuprofen in Advil is not good on the stomach lining if taken continously every day, every 4 hours, it can destroy a normal stomach lining. Take the minimum amount needed to help with your cramps and you should be fine.

[SECRETSLEEVE]

Each dr. has their own guidelines. Sometimes I have to do what is right for me, knowing the guidance but I make the decision. Ibuprofen in Advil is not good on the stomach lining if taken continously every day, every 4 hours, it can destroy a normal stomach lining. Take the minimum amount needed to help with your cramps and you should be fine.

I will take one gel cap instead of 2 and see how that works.

[grammargirl0309]

Each doctor has different instructions, because Ibuprofen has not been studied in terms of its effects on a smaller stomach. My doctor said yes, 6 months out of surgery. I have had no need to take it yet. I used to take it all the time for aches and pains, but I literally haven't even had a headache since I got the sleeve! I would say yes, after at LEAST 3 to 6 months, and in MODERATION (two capsules every once in a long while). I think the issue is it can cause bleeding even in a "normal" stomach, and when you have a smaller stomach, those effects (and chance of ulcer) can be more severe.

[drisner]

Talk to your physician about it, but for Kaiser we've been told no NSAIDs, which includes ibuprofen, for now. If you do feel you have to take ibuprofen, get liquid since we're really not supposed to do pills, especially larger ones, yet. Also, try using as small as a dose as you can.

You can take both Tylenol and ibuprofen, so maybe a normal dose of Tylenol along with a very small dose of ibuprofen would be a good compromise. The reason ibuprofen works better than Tylenol for you is because of the anti-inflammatory effects of ibuprofen, so maybe a small amount of it will reduce the inflammation enough that along with the pain killing effects of the Tylenol, you'll feel better.

Ibuprofen is really hard on the stomach and at this stage your stomach isn't fully healed yet. Do not take the ibuprofen on an empty stomach. In the long term, one of the benefits of the sleeve over bypass is being able to take NSAIDs, but you do have to be careful since they can cause ulcers and with the reduced surface area we have in our stomachs, an ulcer is a lot more dangerous for us than for those with full-sized stomachs.

I don't know anything about your medical history or if you plan on trying to get pregnant soon, so this might be bad advice, but as a long term solution, you might want to look into getting on birth control pills, or change which ones you are on if you're already on birth control, just because they can make the period less severe and shorter. Different ones have different effects, so definitely talk to your gynecologist about it. You also should let them know about your sleeve to make sure you get pills that are easy on the stomach.

My wife gets pretty severe menstrual cramping about half the time, so I understand a bit what you're going through. One plus, losing weight usually helps, so you're on the right track. Good luck!

[Misty Michelle]

If you're that worried about it, get some children's liquid. It shouldn't be too hard to figure out the appropriate dosage.

[Lisa S. Cooke]

I was told to only take Tylenol, no NSAIDs. I worry about my arthritis flares because Tylenol is not as effective for that, but for now I am doing OK without any pain meds.

[ToniDay]

I was also told only Tylenol.

[hnybun128]

I was told very specifically that I could not take NSAIDs ever again. My doctor's office shared a few ulcer horror stories with us to make their point. I would consult your physician. I ususally experience pretty bad cramps myself, but I just went through this at the beginning of the week and was able to get by with a heating pad.

[SECRETSLEEVE]

there is so much conflicting thoughts among doctors on this, plus I was researching it online and half say never again and the other half say they are fine to take after 3 months. This is something there shouldn't be a conflict on, every doctor shouldn't say something different.

[hnybun128]

there is so much conflicting thoughts among doctors on this, plus I was researching it online and half say never again and the other half say they are fine to take after 3 months. This is something there shouldn't be a conflict on, every doctor shouldn't say something different.

I completely agree. I would personally rather err on the side of caution, though. I know that taking a lot of NSAIDs can screw up a normal stomach. Imagine what NSAIDs could do to our tiny sleeves.