What alternatives are there for pain management following a tummy tuck if I’m allergic to Morphine?

There are several alternatives to morphine for pain management.  The Exparel should help quite a bit.  Your surgeon can prescribe a host of other pain medications to help manage your recovery.  Latex allergies are not uncommon and as long as the staff is informed of this alternative methods are available for your safety.

There certainly are alternatives to morphine and latex. Having a latex-free surgery should not be a problem; many people have latex sensitivities, and many facilities are latex-free. There are also morphine alternatives; Exparel is an effective non-narcotic alternative for pain management. Percocet, Norco and Dilaudid are pain medications that could possibly be considered by your anesthesiologist and/or plastic surgeon. Discuss your allergies with your health care providers so that a safe plan for pain management can be formulated. 

Just inform your PS and anesthesiologist of your allergies to latex and morphine. I, too, am allergic to latex so my fully accredited surgery center uses non-latex alternatives. Dilaudid or percocet can be used in lieu of morphine.Kenneth Hughes, MD, ABPS Board Certified Plastic SurgeonLos Angeles, CA

Thank you for sharing your question and best wishes on your upcoming surgery.  There are a number of different medication options that exist and trial and error may be required to find one that works for you without eliciting any negative side-effects.  Exparel will prove beneficial to you for the first few days and latex alternatives do exist for all major aspects of surgery.  Hope this helps.

Exparel works well to minimize your abdominal discomfort following your #abdominoplasty procedure.  Your #plasticsurgeon should review all of your allergies with you prior to your surgery and prescribe you medications that will suit you best.  I typically prescribe a non-narcotic pain management protocol because I find that patients have less sensitivities and side effects.  Latex is a non-issue these days. Every hospital and/or surgery center will have latex-free supplies to use in your case. Wishing you the very best.