You will be regularly reviewed by our doctors to manage any medications you may be taking and will receive personalised advice in this regard as part of our program.
In general however, the intragastric balloon may slow down the time it takes for you medication to work, given the balloon slows down the time it takes the stomach to empty. Otherwise, intragastric balloons do not cause any problems in terms of the effectiveness of medications.
Anti-inflammatory medications must be stopped and should be avoided with an intragastric balloon. This includes ibuprofen (eg. Nurofen, Brufen, Herron), diclofenac (eg. Voltaren or Fenac) and meloxicam (eg. Mobic). These medications increase the risk of developing a stomach ulcer and therefore must be avoided. Cream or gel preparations are OK, as is paracetamol (eg. Panamax or Panadol).
Blood thinners would need to be stopped (only with the OK of your prescribing doctor) around the time of an insertion, adjustment or removal. Generally, low dose aspirin (eg. Cartia) is OK.