How to Know What Medications to Take Prior to Your Carpal Tunnel Surgery

Carpal tunnel syndrome can be a crippling disease. It can prevent a patient from effectively completing almost any task that they need hands for, which doesn't leave much. Luckily, it is also often a very treatable condition. Depending on the severity, one of the options to fix carpal tunnel syndrome is surgery. If you're going to have surgery, it is important to know what medication to take prior to your carpal tunnel surgery.

Instructions

1. Consult with your physician as to whether you want to have carpal tunnel surgery or not. Carpal tunnel syndrome has many different treatment options and surgery is just one of them.

2. Talk to an anesthesiologist once you've decided you definitely want to have carpal tunnel surgery. The problem with taking medications before a surgery is the adverse reactions they might have to the anesthesia and thinning of the blood which could increase blood loss.

3. Have the anesthesiologist give you a list of the drugs you are or are not allowed to take prior to and following carpal tunnel surgery.

4. Remain on the anesthesiologists plan until after the surgery. At that point you can consult with another physician and likely begin taking the medications you were prior to the surgery as needed.

5. Continue all of your regular medication with the exception of blood thinners and the medications the anesthesiologist said would cause an adverse reaction to the anesthesia. Common blood thinners include non-steroidals like Aspirin and Advil.

6. Ask whichever physician put you on a blood thinner (if you're on one) if it's alright to stop it for surgery. Depending on your condition, stopping the blood thinner may not be a safe alternative.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not eat or drink anything the night before your surgery. Do not consume anything on the day of your surgery until after the operation is complete.

• Keep the incision clean. This is sometimes difficult on the hand, and it takes extra care on the part of the patient.

• You must always be 100 percent forthcoming with the medications you're using. Some medications are contraindicated and can react with deadly consequences.

• Rehabilitative therapy for carpal tunnel syndrome may take months or even as long as a year after the surgery.