Depression and Bariatric surgery

[bflblog 31]

Has anyone battled with depression before/after the surgery. I had my psych eval done for my pre-auth, and the doctor recommended I go back on Anti-depressants after having been off of them for about a year.

For those of you that have already had the surgery, how did it affect your depression? I am trying to avoid getting back on ADs if at all possible, but I am afraid the surgeon is going to insist.

[marfar7 1,528]

I've been diagnosed with clinical depression for about 15 yrs. I've been on Prozac, Paxil - then took about a 4 yr break from them.

My husband of 19 yrs died in 2007 (46 yrs old). I became horribly depressed. Actually did a stint in the psych ward for 2 weeks while they found a medication cocktail that worked. I took Celexa, Wellbuttin and Abilify.

In 2009, I had lapband surgery and proceeded to lose 100 lbs over the next 2 yrs. I started dating again and even found my 2nd husband (2 1/2 yrs now). No more depression. Over the last few yrs, I've worked with my psych to wean myself off the drugs. I now take a 1/4 of a dose of Celxa (cuz when I try to go without it, I feel "blah") but the rest r gone. Not sure if it was losing weight and feeling more confident or falling in love again that did it.

Not sure how changes in my living could have an effect on my brain chemicals but they do. Give it a while, take the drugs, and ull probly not need them after losing weight. At least for me this was true...

Good luck!

[RJ'S/beginning 5,357]

For me..nothing has changed. I have been chronically depressed since 2000. When I was in the hospital after my surgery for 5 months..They took me off of my meds during that time and i started to slide back into a dark place. They put me back on them and things got better within a few weeks...Losing weight has made no difference for me...

But for now I advice that you go back on them and consider it temporary. Work with your Doctor and let him/her take you off them again later if it is best for you....

Okay!

[Katcloudshepherd 630]

bflblog,

I have suffered from depression for a long time. I was on Zoloft for years. I was very surprised that my surgeon had me take it while still in the hospital--after I had passed the leak test of course.

For while after surgery, I felt so darn good. Then, I seem to have gone through a period of mourning for my old, constant companion--food.

I'm finally getting out of the mourning--it took a while and I was deeply depressed during that time. It didn't help that I took myself off of anti-depressants--my doctors WERE NOT happy with me regarding that.

Follow the doc's advice. Hopefully you can wean yourself back off of the ADs after surgery.

Kathleen

[Chelly 364]

Since my weight loss I just about a month ago was lowered on two of my meds for depression.

My doctor is going to take it slow in doing this but said that she probably will not take me off of them completely.

So far so good in not feeling any changes in my mood.

I say listen to your doctor and see how it goes for you.