I just had a Tummy tuck on April 24 2015. Can I take tramadol for pain and what is the best muscle relaxer to take?

There are numerous options available for pain relief after tummy tuck which I'm sure your plastic surgeon can recommend to you. Best wishes,Dr.Bruno

You can take tramadol for pain however, it is usually not adequate. You should talk to your Board Certified Plastic Surgeon about his/her preference. Usually, a low dose narcotic is prescribed. A muscle relaxant also helps in this recovery and there are a variety of medications on the market. You should discuss this with your surgeon. #tummytuck #recovery #narcotics #healingaftertummytuck 

These recommendations should come from your plastic surgeon based on your operation and recovery.  In my opinion, I do not prefer Tramadol for pain after a tummy tuck.  Concerning muscle relaxants, I prefer Flexeril.

We use either vicodin or tramadol for pain, and valium for muscle spasm relief.  The combination would need to be decided by your surgeon.

You should be able to take tramadol for pain, but it would be best if you checked with your doctor first as he or she is going to know what other medications you are on as well as your medical history and can be the best, most informed decision with you.  I often prescribe Valium as a muscle relaxer as it helps to calm anxiety while also controlling muscle spasms.  Again, you should check with your doctor.  Best of luck in your recovery!

Thank you for the question. Good pain control after tummy tuck is very important for many reasons. Besides the important concern of patient comfort, good pain control allows for better/easier deep breathing exercises and ambulation. These measures may lead to decreased incidences of pulmonary complications and/or thromboembolic phenomenon.

These days plastic surgeons have many options when it comes to pain control after tummy tuck surgery. The use of narcotic medication, muscle relaxants, non-narcotics, pain control pumps, and long-lasting local anesthetics have made the postoperative experience much better than in the past. The specific medications used will vary from one practice to another.

In our practice, all patients undergoing, tummy tuck surgery receive a postoperative pain control pump. I have yet to have a patient complain of the "hassle" factor. In my opinion, there is no demonstrable difference between the use of local anesthesia provided through a pain pump versus long lasting injectable anesthetics. There are certainly no objective studies that demonstrate the superiority of one over the other. Best wishes.

It would not be prudent to recommend any medication trough this site; please contact your PS. Auto medication can cause serious complications.Regards