Upcoming January hysterectomy: Pain meds and an upset stomach

Anyone have issues with pain killers causing stomach upset longer term. I know the narcotics will to a certain degree ( they did after my last lap procedure) but I find any long term use of Tylenol and Advil really cause my stomach to sour ( like when sick with flu or cold meds). I guess I can’t avoid it but it concerns me taking pain meds during the night on an empty stomach. It’s not exactly convenient to eat in the middle of the night or conducive to getting back to sleep.

I have chronic stomach issues myself, and was also concerned about how I'd react to the pain medications. I was given Oxycodone, prescription strength Tylenol, and naproxen - an NSAID like ibuprofen - and my stomach was a complete mess for the first week. First of all, I wasn't allowed to eat anything - which would have buffered the irritation from the naproxen - while I was in the hospital, because my blood pressure had dropped, so the nurses thought I was dehydrated, and we're more concerned with my fluid intake, but in hindsight, I think it was more likely a reaction to all those medications. Then on day 3, I must have thrown up practically everything I'd eaten since coming home from the hospital. I checked with my family doctor, who advised me to stop taking the Oxycodone, and to take the naproxen with food - I would recommend keeping a box of soda crackers alongside your medication, and having a few with each dose, which can help. To top it all off, I looked up my medications on Drugs.com, where narcotic painkillers were listed as a "major interaction" for my specific condition, meaning I shouldn't have been taking them! I would recommemd discussing your issues with your surgeon, so he can take the appropriate steps to address them; also be sure to spell them out on your pre-op paperwork, so there can be no debate about what you need. Best wishes for a successful surgery and a smooth recovery!

Hi Udella -

I would definitely talk to your doctor about this, but I know exactly how you feel. A long time ago (~20 years), I had to take high doses of OTC Ibuprofen for a knee injury. My doctor had me eat soda crackers with the medication. That worked some, but I still had to call her to ask her to reduce the dosage because my stomach was turning into an acid bath. (ugh!)

There seems to be more options out there now, so maybe you could take something with the Ibuprofen.

Be careful with long term NSAID use.
I have chronic pain issues and one of the first things the doctors prescribed was Naproxen and because of heavy, long term use I have GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease)[AKA heartburn from hell].
Now I can't really use NSAID's for regular pain relief (one or two at a time per day is my max) and I'm on prescription antacids.

So be cautious and talk to your doctor about it.