Medications to Avoid before and after Plastic Surgery

During your pre-operative consultation, your plastic surgeon will discuss your medication history and advise you on the medications that you should avoid in the weeks preceding and following cosmetic surgery. Certain medications can increase the risk of bleeding during and after surgery, Here, we review the list of medications, herbs, and vitamins that should be avoided around the time of your surgical appointment, along with safe pain relief options for patients.

Pain Relief Options after Cosmetic Surgery

After most major surgeries, patients are prescribed some kind of narcotic pain medication to help them feel comfortable in the first several weeks after their procedure. If you have had problems with opiate addiction in the past, you must notify your doctor so that you can discuss your options.

Possible medications include Percocet, Vicodin, or Darvocet depending on your pain level and needs. 

It is important to remember that these medications are mind-altering. Patients should not do the following while on prescription painkillers:

• Drink alcoholic beverages: Alcohol consumption can intensify the medication, cause gastrointestinal problems, or damage the liver.
• Combine with other drugs: It is unwise to combine prescription painkillers with drugs other than acetaminophen. Patients should also reserve use of these prescriptions for making themselves comfortable while they are in genuine pain; not use them recreationally.
• Drive: Driving while under the influence of prescription painkillers is a lot like driving drunk; while some people do not feel affected by medication in this way, it is best not to drive or operate machinery after you have taken your prescription.
• Work or make major decisions: Again, these opiate medications are mind-altering drugs, it is best to take them while you are taking time off work and have time to recuperate from pain and swelling. 

The safest over the counter pain medication is acetaminophen, also known as the brand name Tylenol or paracetol. It does not thin the blood and can be combined with most opioid painkillers.

Medications to Avoid after Surgery

Patients should avoid the following medications before and after surgery:

• Aspirin: Aspirin is a powerful anti-inflammatory, it can reduce pain, fever, and some researchers say it even prevents heart attacks and certain cancers. Unfortunately, it is a very potent blood thinner and as a result must be avoided in the weeks before and following invasive surgery. In order to heal properly after surgery, the blood must be able to clot to prevent excess bleeding. If this clotting is counteracted by an anticoagulant like aspirin, the patient risks hematoma and an extended recovery.
• NSAIDs and ibuprofen: Medications that contain ibuprofen act similarly to aspirin. Over-the-counter versions of these medications include Advil, Aleve, and Motrin.
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Coumadin or Heparin: If you take Coumadin or Heparin for clotting, tell your surgeon so you can discuss an possible alternatives. 

• Antidepressants: Patients with depression may need to stop medication or seek an alternative treatment option for a few days as certain antidepressants,specifically Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, can thin the blood. People with bipolar disorder may need to temporarily cease medication. Some tricyclics are intensified by the pain medications prescribed after surgery. Notify both your psychiatrist and your surgeon.
• Herbal supplements: Herbal supplement such as St. John’s Wort, ginger, garlic, gingko biloba, among others can also thin the blood.
• Vitamins: Vitamin E and K also thin the blood. Supplements containing vitamin E and K should not be taken before and after surgery.

Other Tips

Tell your doctor(s) about anymedications or supplements you take regularly or have taken in the past. It is important to discuss this with your surgeon in case they react to anesthesia or any medications you may be prescribed for pain.

Contact Jefferson Plastic Surgery to learn more about safety precautions for plastic surgery patients.