Over the Counter Medicines After Abdominal Organ Transplant

Over the Counter Medicines After Abdominal Organ Transplant

 

After your transplant, it is important that you:

  • Do not take any herbal products.
  • Do not take any medicine without first talking to your transplant doctor, transplant coordinator or pharmacist.
  • Read medicine labels carefully as ingredients may change over time.

Listed are some medicines you can use for minor problems. If you have trouble finding a product or you have questions, ask the pharmacist for help. Follow the package directions for how much to take and how often. Ask the Pharmacist if there is a less expensive generic product for a brand name product.

 

Minor aches, pain or headache

  • Use acetaminophen (Tylenol), but do not take more than 2,000 mg in 24 hours.
  • Read the medicine label of all drug products to see if acetaminophen is a listed ingredient. Do not take more than 2,000 mg in 24 hours.
  • Do not take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve) unless instructed by your transplant provider.

 

Diarrhea

  • Call your transplant coordinator if diarrhea lasts longer than 2 days.
  • Use loperamide (Imodium) no more than 24 hours unless instructed by your transplant provider.

 

Cough

  • Use guaifenesin (Mucinex), dextromethorphan (Delsym), diphenhydramine (Benadryl), or a combination of guaifenesin and dextromethorphan (Be sure to read the medicine labels of Robitussin or Vicks products to identify ingredients).
  • Read the medicine label of all drug products to see if acetaminophen is a listed ingredient. Do not take more than 2,000 mg in 24 hours.
  • Do not take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve) unless instructed by your transplant provider.

 

Allergy, cold symptoms

  • If you have high blood pressure, use Coricidin HBP Cough and Cold, diphenhydramine (Benadryl), loratadine (Claritin), cetirizine (Zyrtec), or a saline nasal spray.
    • Do not use products that contain pseudoephedrine, phenylephrine, or oxymetazoline, such as Sudafed, Dayquil, Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold and Cough, Claritin-D, Zyrtec-D, Cetiri-D, and Afrin unless instructed by your transplant coordinator.
  • If you do not have high blood pressure, it is okay to use pseudoephedrine (Sudafed), phenylephrine (Sudafed PE), diphenhydramine (Benadryl), loratadine (Claritin, Alavert), cetirizine (Zyrtec), oxymetazoline (Afrin), or a product that contains a combination of these ingredients, such as Zyrtec-D, Cetiri-D, Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold and Cough, or Claritin-D. 
  • Read the medicine label of all drug products to see if acetaminophen is a listed ingredient. Do not take more than 2,000 mg in 24 hours. 
  • Do not take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve) unless instructed by your transplant provider.

 

Constipation

  • Use psyllium (Metamucil), polycarbophil (Fiber-Con), polyethelene glycol (MiraLax), docusate (Colace) or bisacodyl (Dulcolax).
  • Call your transplant coordinator if constipation lasts more than 3 days.

 

© 2017 – July 26, 2019, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

This handout is for informational purposes only. Talk with your doctor or healthcare team if you have any questions about your care. For more health information, call the Library for Health Information at 614-293-3707 or email: health-info@osu.edu.