Gastric-bypass procedures restrict the size of the patient's stomach and bypasses part of the small intestine, helping the patient lose significant amounts of weight, according to the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgeons. Because of the changes in the patient's digestive system, some medications and supplements no longer absorb properly. Other medications may cause side effects such as ulcers.
Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, also called NSAIDs, include aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen. They relieve pain and inflammation, but they may also cause serious side effects. Surgeons caution patients to avoid non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs after gastric bypass because they may cause ulcers at the surgical site joining the stomach and the small intestine. Approximately 0.71 percent to 5.1 percent of gastric bypass patients develop ulcers after surgery, according to Dr. Stacey Brethauer, lead researcher of a study published in the November 2006 issue of the Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine. Other possible causes may include smoking, problems with the surgical staples or sutures that join the tissues together or excessive acid. Patients who take aspirin for heart disease must use an anti-acid medication with the NSAID to avoid ulcers.
Calcium Carbonate
Elemental calcium supplementation should be taken in amounts that preferably exceed daily recommended levels as mentioned to prevent early osteoporosis. Calcium deficiencies cause weak and brittle bones. Postoperative gastric bypass patients must take calcium supplements for the rest of their lives, but their bodies will not absorb well because the surgery bypasses the lower stomach where the acidic environment helps to absorb the nutrient. Instead, patients should take calcium citrate 500mg three times a day, according to the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgeons.
Vitamin B12 Tablets
Postoperative gastric bypass patients risk developing fatigue if they do not take vitamin B12 supplements for the rest of their lives because they cannot absorb the vitamin from their food. However, the pill form of vitamin B12 does not absorb well so the patient must either take a high dose every day or use another form of the supplement. Therefore, surgeons recommend avoiding the pill form and using the sublingual -- under the tongue -- form, a monthly injection or a nasal spray, all of which the body absorbs better than the oral form, according to the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgeons.
References
- University of Michigan Health System: Post-Op Phase for Gastric Bypass Surgery
- ASMBS: Bariatric Surgery: Postoperative Concerns
- Drugs.com: FDA Approves Nexium for Prevention of NSAID-Induced Gastric Ulcers
- Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine: Risks and Benefits of Bariatric Surgery: Current Evidence
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