Typically, Dr. Donovan prescribes 2-3 medications for your surgery. The prescriptions will be given to you at the hospital prior to your discharge or preoperatively in the office. The number and type of medications you receive will vary depending on your individual needs. These prescriptions should provide you with enough medication until your first visit in the office after surgery. If you require additional medication before this appointment please plan ahead as some pain medication cannot be called into your pharmacy and will either need to be mailed to your home or require an office visit. We can only handle medication request during regular office hours. Please keep in mind that the laws have now changed for prescription narcotics and we can no longer call in refills for Norco (hydrocodone). They have now moved to the Schedule III category like Percocet (oxycodone) and the prescriptions now have to be hand carried to the pharmacy.
Your medications may include:
A narcotic pain medication such as Percocet (oxycodone), Vicodin/Norco (hydrocodone). Please remember that these medications seriously and adversely affect your judgment and response times, so drive responsibly. You should not consume alcoholic beverage while taking narcotic pain medication. In addition to the pain component of these medications they also include Tylenol (acetaminophen). You should not take any additional product that contains Tylenol (acetaminophen). This prescription, like most narcotic pain medications, has a tendency to cause constipation. The best remedy for this, should it occur, is to increase fluid intake, increase activity as tolerated and increase dietary fiber by eating more fruits, vegetables and whole grain cereals, breads and bran.
A medication called Aspirin. This medication requires a prescription and can be picked up at your local pharmacy. Take it once daily until you are full weight bearing without a cast or splint. This medication and a compression sock on the non surgical leg are used to help prevent deep vein thrombosis commonly referred to as blood clots. If you are prescribed Lovenox, Xalerto, Heparin or Coumadin due to a history of blood clots or due to the length of your non weightbearing perior post operatively, we will have you stop the Aspirin.
An anti-nausea medication Phenergan (Promethazine) or Zofran(Ondansetron). This medication may be taken every 8-12 hours as needed to assist with nausea after surgery.
It is recommended that you spread out your medications and not take them in the same sitting. This will help us determine which medicine may need to be changed should you experience any intolerable side effects. Should any of these medications cause itching or hives, stop the medication and notify us so Dr. Donovan can prescribe an alternative medication. Increasing your fluid intake will help flush the medication out of your system and get you quicker relief. You may also find Benadryl helpful in calming your reaction. Benadryl can be found at your local pharmacy without a prescription.
Another possible adverse reaction when taking new medication may be nausea and/or vomiting. Should this occur, discontinue the medication. Dr. Donovan may prescribe an alternative medication and something to calm the nausea if necessary.