drug question

My insurance company just called me and told me to stop taking the advil.(1-weekbefore surgery) My doctor did not tell me this.
I did not stop taking it the last surgery (2 months ago). What do I do? My doctor takes a while to call me back or I would call them.
Also what about alcohol? Do I need to stop taking it too??? The insurance co said to call the doc but the doc knows that I am drinking daily.

Oddiefish - I was told to stop taking my anti-inflammatory meds 10 days prior to surgery. Call your drs office and talk to his nurse.

Not sure about the alcohol.

Definitely stop the Advil - it can affect bleeding. As for alcohol I don't know ... maybe it stays in the body?

Rosa

I found the following on Yahoo Health:

Ask your doctor or pharmacist before using any other medicine, including over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products.

You should not use ibuprofen with aspirin, products that contain aspirin, or other pain and arthritis medicine, including naproxen (Aleve®).
Ibuprofen can cause stomach bleeding. Drinking alcohol can make this worse. If you have 3 or more drinks of alcohol every day, ask your doctor if you should take ibuprofen. One drink of alcohol is the same as 4 ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer, or 1 ounce of hard liquor (gin, whiskey, and others).
Make sure your doctor knows if you are also taking Coumadin®.

I believe that the Advil causes thinning of the blood and that's why you should stop taking it before surgery. I am on Naproxen and I stopped it several weeks before my TAH BSO. If I were you, I would stop drinking alcohol also. I believe this may interfere with the blood clotting also.

Just to be sure, try to check with your doctor. Hope this helps.

Kim