So, my surgery was 12/13/12, and weight loss wise, I am doing great,63 lbs down so far.

Before surgery, I struggled with depression and anxiety, was treated by a psychiatrist and meds since 2009. All my docs were aware of this, I passed the psych eval, things were good.

After surgery, I did something that was maybe not the smartest thing ever...felt so great,went off my meds and "broke up" with my shrink,lol. Did fine for awhile, but now...not so good. Had a little melt down about a week ago,called my family doc,he started me back on some meds and wrote me out of work for a few days. In the meantime, found a new psych as well,but cant get in til April 20. Started a new and very stressful job which isnt helping things, but hubby is out of work and I should feel grateful to have it.

Does anyone else notice an increase in depression symptoms following surgery?

So' date=' my surgery was 12/13/12, and weight loss wise, I am doing great,63 lbs down so far.

Before surgery, I struggled with depression and anxiety, was treated by a psychiatrist and meds since 2009. All my docs were aware of this, I passed the psych eval, things were good.

After surgery, I did something that was maybe not the smartest thing ever...felt so great,went off my meds and "broke up" with my shrink,lol. Did fine for awhile, but now...not so good. Had a little melt down about a week ago,called my family doc,he started me back on some meds and wrote me out of work for a few days. In the meantime, found a new psych as well,but cant get in til April 20. Started a new and very stressful job which isnt helping things, but hubby is out of work and I should feel grateful to have it.

Does anyone else notice an increase in depression symptoms following surgery?[/quote']

Sounds similar to my life! I work 2jobs and hubby is in school.....stressed is an understatement!! Im def not as depressed as i was before surgery but my stress level is the same if not more. I also think that our psychological state is being tested at this point because we are still in "fat mode" and our outward appearance my not match how we feel inside. i would def get back on some meds and see if that helps. Good luck!

xo Hilary

I have not had my surgery yet (scheduled 4/15/13) but at my psych eval she mentioned that an increase in depression was a risk. I have been on Celexa for years and I'm worried what will happen post-op with it. One step at a time, I guess Good luck!

Depression is something I have dealt with a lot since surgery. It is horrible. Good luck.

Reading this I was nodding the entire time. I will be 5 years out in May and I have letter fought this tooth and nail. One major thing was losing my coping mechanism. Watching others eat was hard and I would get mad at myself bc I CHOSE to do this surgery not anyone else.

It's so funny how the outside world see's us. We drop hundreds of pounds and should sit elated, but what they don't see is the internal struggle we have every - single - day. I don't like mirrors or clothes shopping I despise it. Depression allowed me to get involved in an abusive relationship post-divorce. It was horrible, plus staying ill and surgeries he could be so cruel to me. I felt alone most of the time. I still walk with my head looking at my feet. I cry more than I use too. I see a therapist and she helps me a lot I can go in there and for once not but on a facade and cry like a baby. Depression is normal your going through the biggest break up of your life hon..it gets better just give it time.

lots of love

So' date=' my surgery was 12/13/12, and weight loss wise, I am doing great,63 lbs down so far.

Before surgery, I struggled with depression and anxiety, was treated by a psychiatrist and meds since 2009. All my docs were aware of this, I passed the psych eval, things were good.

After surgery, I did something that was maybe not the smartest thing ever...felt so great,went off my meds and "broke up" with my shrink,lol. Did fine for awhile, but now...not so good. Had a little melt down about a week ago,called my family doc,he started me back on some meds and wrote me out of work for a few days. In the meantime, I found a new psych as well,but cant get in til April 20. Started a new and very stressful job which isnt helping things, but hubby is out of work and I should feel grateful to have it.

Does anyone else notice an increase in depression symptoms following surgery?[/quote']

I've actually never truly dealt with true depression personally, but professionally I was a psychiatric nurse consultant for a few years before switching to wound care. I do know that if you suffered from depression prior to having the surgery, it isn't uncommon to still have those issues to deal with after. Don't beat yourself up over it. Many times depression is linked to a chemical imbalance, which is why the meds generally work.

Since my surgery I've sat and cried for no real good reasons other than I sometimes just wish I could eat a darned cheeseburger. Keep reminding yourself of all the reasons you had surgery. I actually started a journal prior to surgery so when I get frustrated I can look back and remind myself that I made the decision to do it for perfectly good reasons. I hope it all gets better for you. It sounds to me like you are taking the steps you need to get help. I'll be keeping you in my thoughts.

Keep us posted and congrats on the weight loss! Sounds like you're kicking ass

thanks for the support ladies, I know others have been where I am, but it still helps to get the support. I have days that are good and days that suck a little, but all in all, I'm hanging in there. I am super lucky to have a wonderfully supportive husband and family. I have many blessings that I am thankful for every day, it helps keep things in perspective.

When we shed the fat our hormones go all kinds of crazy... I learned this right before surgery in doing my research on another online support group. Right after surgery when I lost most my weight I would start sobbing for no reason and just wanted to be all alone. I slept a lot too. I've always struggled with depression but for YEARS I've been pretty good at putting on a good show of happiness.... A big part of this journey is head work. I thought I was masking my sadness pretty well. Everyone thought I was happy... But I'm pretty sure me pushing things inside caused me to climb the scales to 360lbs. Like I've heard before... This surgery rearranges out guts... Not our heads. We still gotta work on that part :-D good luck on your journey :-)

Thats great, just what i need is more hormones screwing things up,lol-isnt that just the story of our lives? What you said makes alot of sense though. I see my new doc this week and have good days and bad-but I am looking forward to more good!

Here's an update...I saw my new psych doc yesterday. I chose her for a few reasons, but when i met with her, as we were going over my medical history, of course I told her that I recently had bypass in December. As it turns out, she has had a good deal of experience with bypass patients. She explained how meds are different for us because of the changes our surgery causes to absorption rates and how when she is prescribing for a bypass patient, she typically uses not only different meds, but different forms,such as under the tongue tablets, melting strips, liquid,or even a patch. Most of the medicine will be absorbed before even reaching your GI tract, either through your skin or the mucus membranes in your mouth. Its much easier to calculate how much of the med I am actually getting without the guesswork of what amount is being absorbed in my GI tract.

Funny thing is...I'm a nurse of all things-I feel like this should have occurred to me, but I guess when I'm on the other side of things as the patient, I have other things on my mind and benefit alot from getting a good explanation. It makes so much sense. She did keep me on the oral Zoloft that my primary doc put me back on a month ago, but also added a sublingual tablet of another medication. So if anyone is experiencing something like this and you are looking for a doctor, it really pays to look around for one who knows enough about our "different" bodies so that we can get the best treatment possible.

So' date=' my surgery was 12/13/12, and weight loss wise, I am doing great,63 lbs down so far.

Before surgery, I struggled with depression and anxiety, was treated by a psychiatrist and meds since 2009. All my docs were aware of this, I passed the psych eval, things were good.

After surgery, I did something that was maybe not the smartest thing ever...felt so great,went off my meds and "broke up" with my shrink,lol. Did fine for awhile, but now...not so good. Had a little melt down about a week ago,called my family doc,he started me back on some meds and wrote me out of work for a few days. In the meantime, found a new psych as well,but cant get in til April 20. Started a new and very stressful job which isnt helping things, but hubby is out of work and I should feel grateful to have it.

Does anyone else notice an increase in depression symptoms following surgery?[/quote']

Yup! It's a struggle.... Also found out that my hormones were out of wack

Hw 245; Pre-Op(RNY) 225.6; Surg Date 2/26; CW 198.4....GW 145