# Tips for Pre-Surgery Vitamin Changes



## xroswellx (Aug 25, 2016)

Hello!

With my surgery scheduled for less than two weeks from now (October 19th), I have to start preparing for it. The fact sheet my surgeon's office gave me said to discontinue all herbal/diet supplements for the two weeks prior. It said that Vitamins A-Zinc are okay.

A lot of what I have read said that there are vitamins that can be harmful prior to surgery - such as Vitamin E can thin the blood, Vitamin C affects blood vessels, and that Vitamin K & B should be stopped too (no reason given in the article as to why...).

What did your doctors say before your surgery? What did you stop and what did you keep taking? How soon after surgery did you resume your normal regimen?

I've been taking a multivitamin for the past few months and I don't want to stop everything cold turkey and then end up with a compromised immune system right before surgery.

Any other pre-surgery advice is welcomed and appreciated!


----------



## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

I always took a multi-vitamin and fish oil and never stopped. No one said anything to me about stopping supplements. I can't see how it would make a huge difference, unless you were taking massive amounts of a vitamin. With most vitamins, any excess is flushed out with in your urine.


----------



## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

I don't recall this coming up at all prior to my surgery...but then again, my surgery was 5 years ago, so my memories can't exactly be 100% relied on for accuracy. Perhaps you'll hear from some who have had more recent instructions.


----------



## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

Vitamin K does act as a clotting agent (only know this because my dog once ate a one pound block of rat poison, which essentially limits the body's ability to clot, and she was on high doses of Vitamin K for a while). But again, you have to be on really high doses for it to make an impact.


----------



## xroswellx (Aug 25, 2016)

I really wish there was a consensus with the medical providers... the hospital the surgery is scheduled at just called for pre-surgery instructions and said no vitamins at all. I then call the ENT office of the surgeon who is doing the surgery and they say that vitamins are perfectly fine, just nothing that impacts metabolism or heart rate, like diet/herbal supplements or energy drinks.


----------

