1. < Bariatric Surgery & Weight Loss

What pain meds work well for Gastric bypass patients?

Posted by aprilarlady @aprilarlady, Mar 24, 2017

Good Morning. I am a gastric bypass patient 13 years out from surgery and maintaining my 150 lb weight loss. I have chronic daily pain from arthritis, degenerative disc disease, cervical herniated disc(s), torn meniscus, labral tear in my hip and recurring tendonitis in various places. I take Hydrocodone/Apap 10mg/325 4 times daily for pain since as gastric bypass patients we are not supposed to take NSAIDS. I get very little relief from this. It is in pill form. Does anyone else that is a weight loss surgery patient have this issue and find that it is due to malabsorption and/or anyone taking pain meds in liquid form get better relief?

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Sophe | @sophe | Sep 30, 2022

An academic article I read said pain pills don’t work for gastric bypass but that transdermal pain med patches will work. I have ortho problems like yours and the only thing that works for me is the fentanyl patch, it really works well.

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Sophe | @sophe | Sep 30, 2022
In reply to @gailb "@aprilarlady, I had RnY gastric bypass surgery 7/8/14, with a weight loss of 85 pounds currently...." + (show)
@gailb

@aprilarlady, I had RnY gastric bypass surgery 7/8/14, with a weight loss of 85 pounds currently. Because of this I too am unable to take NSAIDS. I started taking Hydrocodone/acetaminophen 5/325 mg over a year ago to relieve my pain from herniated disks at L5-S1 and L4, as well as a compression fracture at C7 and stenosis, degenerative disk disease, and arthritis. The Hydrocodone did not work for me. Last summer, I began seeing a pain doctor who took me off the Hydrocodone and put me on Tramadol/acetaminophen 30/325 (as I remember). That was working great, still with pain, but tolerable.

Then I injured my back additionally through traveling and lugging my suitcases back and forth weekly between my home and a job site. I had sudden acute pain that ended p with me in a wheelchair after several days of trying massage, chiropractic and acupuncture (my first time ever). I then had an MRI that showed the problems I described at the beginning of this post. My pain doctor added Baclofen 10 mg and changed my Tramadol to 50 mg without the acetaminophen. He said I could add acetaminophen for breakthrough pain as needed. This has been working great for me. I had outpatient spinal surgery on my L5-S1 on 12/22/16. I have had complete relief from the pain on my left side since then. But the pain on my right side continued. My pain doctor added Gabapentin to my medications. 300 mg twice a day.

My spine surgeon put me on Physical Therapy in late February, with both our goals to improve my core muscles and avoid surgery on my L4, which is completely out of alignment with my spine. The PT seemed to be working until my 4th session, after which I was in excruciating pain the following day and for several days after. Then suddenly it felt much better. I waited 2 weeks before I had another PT session and after that very gentle session, again I had excruciating pain and ended up in bed for 5 days only walking to the bathroom, icing and changing position about every 30 to 45 minutes. That was 2 weeks ago and I am still in pain. My pain doctor then tried Hydrocodone again when I requested it. But when I had used it previously, I took it with the Tramadol and I had good pain relief. He told me I should never take the 2 medications together. On only the Hydrocodone I had very little relief and after 3 days, I began noticing withdrawal symptoms from stopping the Tramadol suddenly. I stopped taking the Hydrocodone and went back to the Tramadol.

I am doing ok currently, but my pain level is a constant 7. I can't do much exercise like walking around more than half a block (yesterday), which was very hard to do. This morning I am very tired from my activities yesterday. I had bought tickets, 2 months ago, to take my granddaughter to see "An American in Paris," live at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood. I was determined to go if at all possible. She drove and was helpful for me in walking. But I'm paying for my fun today. I'm also participating in a medical research study for Alzheimers at the University of California at Irvine. Today I am having a PET scan as part of the study. Thankfully, they are sending a cab to pick me up and bring me back. It will be another active day for me.

So, I can recommend Tramadol and Baclofen as having been very helpful for my pain. I would not take Gabapentin, and i have asked my doctor to withdraw me from it. I wish you luck in your search for pain relief. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Gail B

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Get your doc to prescribe a transdermal patch. Oral meds don’t work well w gastric bypass surgery bc of less time to absorb and less gut to absorb it. I’ll fine the article and post it if I’m allowed to.

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nicole6417 | @nicole6417 | Mar 22, 2023

I wish I had that answer too I just fell recently while walking my dog .I tried Tylenol but it didn’t work and on top of that it gave me diarrhea . I have always been sensitive to medication Vicodin cause me to break out in hives and feel like things are crawling on me so I don’t know what to do I’ve been in bed with a heating pad waiting now to hear from my Dr

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1 reply
Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Apr 3, 2023
In reply to @nicole6417 "I wish I had that answer too I just fell recently while walking my dog .I..." + (show)
@nicole6417

I wish I had that answer too I just fell recently while walking my dog .I tried Tylenol but it didn’t work and on top of that it gave me diarrhea . I have always been sensitive to medication Vicodin cause me to break out in hives and feel like things are crawling on me so I don’t know what to do I’ve been in bed with a heating pad waiting now to hear from my Dr

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@nicole6417, so sorry to hear about your fall. What did you learn from your doctor to take for the pain? How are you doing?

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nicole6417 | @nicole6417 | Apr 3, 2023

He put me on Tizanidine 2mg I only took half and it did wonders o was so happy it didn’t go through me either . Gabapentin ask started to go through me it was an awful week thank goodness I had plenty of electrolyte drinks

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cntrlcoastgirl | @cntrlcoastgirl | Apr 26, 2023

Because absorption changed for me after my gastric bypass I went on the generic version on the Butrans patch for my chronic back pain. I have had four back surgeries with cages placed in my lumbar spine. The patch controls my pain a lot better and then I use Norco daily for breakthrough pain

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michelle1970 | @michelle1970 | Dec 4, 2023
In reply to @shrinkerbell "I had gastric bypass in 2012 and had lost around 150lbs before my surgery and then..." + (show)
@shrinkerbell

I had gastric bypass in 2012 and had lost around 150lbs before my surgery and then I lost 250lb after surgery. I started at almost 600lbs. The lowest weight I got down to was 157lbs, and just looked horrible. But right now I am struggling with my weight. I have probably gained at least 50lbs in the last couple years. I have arthritis, fibromyalgia, ankylosing spondylitis, and scoliosis. I take oxycodone (30mg for the day, I also take gabapentin 300mg/3x daily, and I also am on a fentanyl patch (25mcgms for 72hrs). when I began using the fentanyl patch, I started with a patch that was 150mcgrms. So, I have worked my way down from 150 to 25. No, my meds do not take away my pain. Some days are worse than others. I have real problems with my pain and weather. Every time the barometric pressure changes, my pain feels "it". My pain is worse in the cold, rainy weather, and I live in Oregon. If your pain meds are not working, maybe you should talk to your doctor about changing your meds or adding another med to the one's you already take. I hope this helps a little bit. If you have anymore questions or want someone to talk to, send me a message.

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Hello
Nice that I found you. I have been diagnosed with Ankylosing spondylitis and am at hi risk for Osteoporosis I also have disc disease. I am starting therapy to start the journey to gastric bypass surgery. Before I got sick I was much more active then i am at to the point that it was hard to do much at all. I am on a biological injectable medication and i take anti-inflammatory medication. I for the life of me cannot get pain meds which is horrible. My biggest concern is what I will have available to take for my pain after the surgery. I also will have to stop my injection about a month before surgery which will make me miserable. Just wondering if your surgery helped with your health issues and how to get them to listen to me regarding my pain

REPLY
3 replies
shrinkerbell | @shrinkerbell | Dec 5, 2023
In reply to @michelle1970 "Hello Nice that I found you. I have been diagnosed with Ankylosing spondylitis and am at..." + (show)
@michelle1970

Hello
Nice that I found you. I have been diagnosed with Ankylosing spondylitis and am at hi risk for Osteoporosis I also have disc disease. I am starting therapy to start the journey to gastric bypass surgery. Before I got sick I was much more active then i am at to the point that it was hard to do much at all. I am on a biological injectable medication and i take anti-inflammatory medication. I for the life of me cannot get pain meds which is horrible. My biggest concern is what I will have available to take for my pain after the surgery. I also will have to stop my injection about a month before surgery which will make me miserable. Just wondering if your surgery helped with your health issues and how to get them to listen to me regarding my pain

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Well, I have to say yes and no my surgery helped with my health issues. I mean, I feel better as far as being able to move, get around, etc. however, I have had a rough time with different issues since my gastric bypass. I have had 2 internal hernia surgeries in my small intestine, I had both knees replaced, both hips replaced (my right hip got infected, so I was in the hospital for over a month straight & had 7 surgeries - then I got a blood clot in my leg). Then I had shoulder replacement and then several years later, I fell a couple times and ended up pushing the rod into my shoulder blade and broke it into 3 pcs., and my Dr. said that he need to take it out before it went completely through my skin. So, I do not have very much movement in either arm because my surgeon wouldn't even do surgery on my left shoulder because it was too far gone, it was completely out of its socket permanently. I have had 2 kidney stone surgeries. I have had several of my surgeries where I have gotten infections or I have started bleeding after my surgery and had to be taken back into surgery. So, now I have 5-6 crushed disks in my neck and my neurosurgeon doesn't want to do surgery because he doesn't think the benefit would outweigh what I would go through with my surgery. I was bummed because I get really bad headaches all the time. I also have a lump in between my breasts and I got it when I had hernia surgery and then it got infected, so they told me I don't have a hernia. This lump I have is basically the same as a hernia except it is not through the skin, but it is just pushing against my skin. So, why is it that you are unable to get pain meds. I would have a fit if I could not get my pain meds. Anyway, I hope this helps some. If you want to write me back, I will be here and answer.

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Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Dec 7, 2023
In reply to @michelle1970 "Hello Nice that I found you. I have been diagnosed with Ankylosing spondylitis and am at..." + (show)
@michelle1970

Hello
Nice that I found you. I have been diagnosed with Ankylosing spondylitis and am at hi risk for Osteoporosis I also have disc disease. I am starting therapy to start the journey to gastric bypass surgery. Before I got sick I was much more active then i am at to the point that it was hard to do much at all. I am on a biological injectable medication and i take anti-inflammatory medication. I for the life of me cannot get pain meds which is horrible. My biggest concern is what I will have available to take for my pain after the surgery. I also will have to stop my injection about a month before surgery which will make me miserable. Just wondering if your surgery helped with your health issues and how to get them to listen to me regarding my pain

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Hi Michelle, I'm not sure if you saw @shrinkerbell's helpful reply to you. Shrinkerbell, I think you get the prize for the most creative username. I love it.

Michelle, you may also be interested in these related discussions about ankylosing spondylitis
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/search/discussions/?search=Ankylosing+Spondylitis

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skegee84 | @skegee84 | Dec 8, 2023
In reply to @michelle1970 "Hello Nice that I found you. I have been diagnosed with Ankylosing spondylitis and am at..." + (show)
@michelle1970

Hello
Nice that I found you. I have been diagnosed with Ankylosing spondylitis and am at hi risk for Osteoporosis I also have disc disease. I am starting therapy to start the journey to gastric bypass surgery. Before I got sick I was much more active then i am at to the point that it was hard to do much at all. I am on a biological injectable medication and i take anti-inflammatory medication. I for the life of me cannot get pain meds which is horrible. My biggest concern is what I will have available to take for my pain after the surgery. I also will have to stop my injection about a month before surgery which will make me miserable. Just wondering if your surgery helped with your health issues and how to get them to listen to me regarding my pain

Jump to this post

I had gastric bypass Oct 2021. I have Rheumatoid Arthritis and had to hold my biologicals, prednisone and other meds three weeks before my surgery and four weeks after. Every surgical group has their own restrictions regarding the biologicals. Yes, I was miserable for the most part. I was provided hydrocodone post-op for 2 weeks. Prior to surgery and after the hydrocodone, the rheumatologist recommended tramadol 100mg three times a day, Tylenol Arthritis three times a day and the use of heating pads or ice packs to joint and topicals like Voltaren for short-term use. I staggered the tramadol and Tylenol Arthritis so I was taking something about every three hours or so. I responded best to the ice pack over the heating pads which is unusual. The surgery did help my pain in my knees, ankles and back. Thankfully, my rheumatologist and the weight loss surgeon actually consulted with each other to determine the best approach in managing my treatments and pains. If the doctor managing your biologicals and the weight loss surgeon haven’t consulted regarding managing your pain during this period, request that they do to address your pain management needs while you’re off your biologicals.

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