Tylenol post surgery

[ponytaila1a]

I read on the threads that Tylenol is the "drug of choice" after one no longer needs the stronger stuff. I was going to "stock up" before the surgery. Do you take regular strength, arthritis pain formula, Tylenol PM, are generics OK? ......or do the docs recommend something entirely different from the over the counter stuff?

 

[Ross]

I'd get the most potent one I could find. Probably arthritis strength. Generics are fine.

 

[Bina]

I found that I only needed regular Tylenol or the generic Acetominophen.....But I have always been sensitive to meds and have never taken any extra strength stuff. You may not need to stock up at all. I was off of the Tylenol after a couple of weeks.

 

[Freddie]

In hospital, they gave me Extra Strength Tylenol and I continued using it (when needed) until I went for a follow up with my surgeon. He told me I could use the arthritis formula. I find it works so much better even on headaches - and that's taking only 1 tablet.

 

[BigOwl]

I picked up a bottle of Target's brand of arthritis strength acetaminophen this afternoon, and popped one the minute I got home (it was my first trip out). Since then I've felt better than I have to this point.

Now, if I could only find a magic taste-bud replacer pill, I'd be in hog's heaven.

 

[lilteach3234]

I picked up a bottle of Target's brand of arthritis strength acetaminophen this afternoon, and popped one the minute I got home (it was my first trip out). Since then I've felt better than I have to this point.

Now, if I could only find a magic taste-bud replacer pill, I'd be in hog's heaven.

You poor thing....I promise....the taste buds will get better. I think I was probably one of the worst on here regarding taste buds and 6 wks post op it's getting better.....I still don't want sweet or coke but everything else is much better.

I still do crave the darned pickles and salt crave, but being very careful.

 

[ccummins]

I use extra strength. You can also take Ibuprofen (Advil) at the same time. I found Advil to be better for muscular pain. I needed this for my back which hurt like heck the first few weeks.

 

[Jkm7]

I used extra strength tylenol and it worked very well for me. When I spoke with my cardio about it, he was very pleased with that choice.

 

[tobagotwo]

As you've had mitral repair and not replacement, your choice of painkillers is unaffected (unless you are currenty on warfarin [Coumadin] or other drugs for ACT).

For someone on ACT (AntiCoagulation Therapy), please ensure your doctor is fully in the loop on any painkillers or other over-the counter medications you are taking.

Ibuprofen may not be appropriate if taken by someone on ACT, especially if they are just starting out on warfarin and their dosage is not yet stable. Ibuprofen is an NSAID, and can cause stomach bleeding, which could be a problem if a not-yet-controlled INR is too high.

http://www.drugs.com/tylenol.html:

The maximum amount of acetaminophen for adults is 1 gram (1000 mg) per dose and 4 grams (4000 mg) per day. Taking more acetaminophen could cause damage to your liver.

This can be true in even smaller doses if the patient is a consistent moderate to heavy drinker, especially if used often.

http://www.medicinenet.com/acetaminophen/article.htm makes an interesting notation:

Acetaminophen doses greater than 2275 mg per day may increase the blood thinning effect of warfarin (Coumadin) by an unknown mechanism. Therefore, prolonged administration or large doses of acetaminophen should be avoided during warfarin therapy.

2275MG would be the equivalent of only seven, "regular strength" (325MG) tablets during a 24-hour period, or five "extra strength," or four "Arthritis Pain" caplets. These are well within normal dosage ranges, so be aware of this possibility. Again, this could cause misdosing of Coumadin for someone who is just starting out on ACT, so make sure your doctor is in the loop.

http://tylenol.com/page.jhtml?id=tylenol/ask/subpfaq.inc displays the over-the-counter standard amounts (rearranged here for easier reading when posted):

TYLENOL® Arthritis Pain: 650MG Acetaminophen each caplet, Bi-layer immediate release & extended release, Dosing adults 18 years of age & older Two caplets every 8 hours, Do not exceed 6 caplets in any 24-hour period

Extra Strength TYLENOL®: 500MG Acetaminophen each caplet, Immediate release, Dosing of children 12 years of age & older Two caplets every 4-6 hours, Do not exceed 8 caplets in any 24-hour period

Regular Strength TYLENOL®: 325MG Acetaminophen each caplet, Immediate release, Dosing of children 12 years of age & older Two caplets every 4-6 hours, Do not exceed 12 caplets in any 24-hour period

Best wishes,

 

[ponytaila1a]

WOW!! Thanks for all of the information. As my date approaches I am coming up with more and more questions. I imagine many will be answered before discharge...but I always jump the gun....you all are so helpful!

 

[BigOwl]

Thanks for the poop on the acetaminophen doses, Bob. Since I'm in the process of trying to stabilize my warfarin dosage, I was being pretty conservative (one tablet rather than two of the 650 mcg arthritis formula). It's not perfect (I don't drift around on floaty clouds of contentment), but it works well enough. I see my surgeon on Thursday and will confirm with him, but I think I'm on the same dose I got in the hospital for headaches over the same period of time.

 

[laurad37]

I am on 2 (325 mg each) every 4 hours and Oxycodone 1 (5mg) every 2 hours. One week post op. I would stop up.