Depression after surgery?

[GreenThumb 37]

Hi all, three weeks post-op here and everything food-wise seems to be going fine. I also anticipated crazy hormones, but I didn't expect it to manifest as depression. I mean, we ramp up for months or years for this surgery, we finally get it, the weight is coming off, and ... the blues set in? That's my experience the past two weeks. My family is noticing it more and more and starting to worry. I'm on Effexor XR for anxiety and mild depression and have been for years. Could it be the XR isn't absorbing correctly with my sleeve? I haven't had any withdrawal symptoms so I assumed there were no issues.

Anyone else very BLAH after surgery?

I'm hoping things improve when I return to work next week.

[JustJazzy 67]

6 minutes ago, GreenThumb said:

Hi all, three weeks post-op here and everything food-wise seems to be going fine. I also anticipated crazy hormones, but I didn't expect it to manifest as depression. I mean, we ramp up for months or years for this surgery, we finally get it, the weight is coming off, and ... the blues set in? That's my experience the past two weeks. My family is noticing it more and more and starting to worry. I'm on Effexor XR for anxiety and mild depression and have been for years. Could it be the XR isn't absorbing correctly with my sleeve? I haven't had any withdrawal symptoms so I assumed there were no issues.

Anyone else very BLAH after surgery?

I'm hoping things improve when I return to work next week.

Haven’t had my surgery yet , my mom has and she went through this as well. It will change once you go back to work but I will tell you what I told her . Once you accept this as your new normal you’ll be fine. We get so stuck our ways that when change comes its like woahhhh! You’ll be fine! Enjoy the new you that’s coming

Edited February 26, 2021 by JustJazzy

[Deb9386 110]

Yes, I've found this. Everyone's different, but my depression increased after surgery. My overeating was driven in large part by stress and depression and I knew that losing weight wouldn't make me feel "happier" but felt that it would make my life easier. I didn't expect the depression to be worse after the op, but it is. I think it's because the comfort eating was fairly effective at distracting from/damping down my depression and that coping strategy has gone. I'm 4 months post-op and still unsure what to do about it - I take a very low dose of anti anxiety medicine and am reluctant to take anti-depressants proper, but may have to go to my doctor if things don't improve. Good luck with your journey.

[GreenThumb 37]

3 hours ago, Deb9386 said:

Yes, I've found this. Everyone's different, but my depression increased after surgery. My overeating was driven in large part by stress and depression and I knew that losing weight wouldn't make me feel "happier" but felt that it would make my life easier. I didn't expect the depression to be worse after the op, but it is. I think it's because the comfort eating was fairly effective at distracting from/damping down my depression and that coping strategy has gone. I'm 4 months post-op and still unsure what to do about it - I take a very low dose of anti anxiety medicine and am reluctant to take anti-depressants proper, but may have to go to my doctor if things don't improve. Good luck with your journey.

You may be on to something there about that particular coping strategy being gone. I've not really battled depression since my daughter was little (post-partum) so this was a surprise. I think it also centers around not being able to sit with my family at the dinner table and partake with them - one of my favorite ways to connect. I know this is temporary and that I'll eventually be able to enjoy meals with them (just in much smaller portions) plus spring is coming. Getting outside is one of my MAJOR coping mechanisms. I always say gardening is my therapy.

I hope you find something to lift you out of this, too.

[Creekimp13 5,838]

I think there's a certain amount of sadness in realizing that certain foods are never gonna be the same. We made food so freaking IMPORTANT in our lives that a change in the relationship can feel like something you're grieving. Does that make sense? It's a little like a divorce, maybe. You know it's for the best, you know you need to do something different to be healthier...but you do remember the good times, and can get sad and nostalgic. Also, it's an eye opener to confront your feelings without being able to medicate them with food. Losing a coping mechanism can be hard. Gotta find a new one that is healthier. But yeah....it's easy to miss food's comfort and nostalgia...and that can feel sad and weird.

[Creekimp13 5,838]

Exercise is one of the least prescibed and most effective treatments for depression and anxiety.

[catwoman7 10,922]

mood swings and other hormone-related weirdnesses are pretty common after WLS. It's supposedly due to estrogen being released from your fat cells (where it's stored). It'll level out and stabilize after a few weeks or months (hopefully weeks, though!)

bypass patients have issues with extended release meds, but I don't think sleeve patients do. But they may need to play around with your dosage or have you switch to a different brand if this one is no longer working.

[WishMeSmaller 1,270]

Due to COVID we just don’t get to socialize like normal and it has taken a toll. It is a tough time to give up a best friend, food. I had and continue to have depression and take meds for it. My mood swings were radical the first 4 months or so post-op...just ask my husband 😆 Things are definitely more stable now, but I have to exercise a lot to maintain my mood. If I skip two days in a row, I definitely get into a blue funk. Talk to your doc about how you are feeling and tweak your meds if you need to. Try some gentle exercise like walking. Hang in there! 💕

[GreenThumb 37]

30 minutes ago, WishMeSmaller said:

Due to COVID we just don’t get to socialize like normal and it has taken a toll. It is a tough time to give up a best friend, food. I had and continue to have depression and take meds for it. My mood swings were radical the first 4 months or so post-op...just ask my husband 😆 Things are definitely more stable now, but I have to exercise a lot to maintain my mood. If I skip two days in a row, I definitely get into a blue funk. Talk to your doc about how you are feeling and tweak your meds if you need to. Try some gentle exercise like walking. Hang in there! 💕

See, I was expecting mood swings! This is more pervasive. I'm not upset, not all over the place, not having more anxiety. Just down. So looking forward to being able to exercise more (darn deep stitch is still sore).

[SoulGardener 100]

I am 5 days post-op; my diet now is 2-3 Protein Shakes per day, only about 450 calories. My large incision hurts. I am feeling depressed—I think it’s because I read the surgeon’s report. She stated the operation was unusually difficult due to the size of my liver, and it added an hour and a half to the operation.

I spent two weeks on the pre-op diet, followed it faithfully with the exception of a little yogurt with sugar on day #6.

Why didn’t the diet shrink my liver more, and how can I reverse the “severe hepatomegaly” she included in her report?

Was I fat so long that my liver is now ruined? This is depressing!

[catwoman7 10,922]

although evidently it wasn't big enough for her to cancel the surgery, so there's that!

here are some things that can cause an enlarged liver. One of them is being overweight - perhaps that's why yours is/was enlarged. I wonder if just developing healthier eating habits might resolve it? Not sure..

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/enlarged-liver/symptoms-causes/syc-20372167#:~:text=An enlarged liver is one,the cause of the condition.

this also says obesity can cause it - and if so, eating healthy foods and being physically active can improve it

https://www.webmd.com/hepatitis/enlarged-liver-causes

Edited May 9, 2021 by catwoman7

[Deb9386 110]

On 5/9/2021 at 1:19 AM, SoulGardener said:

the operation was unusually difficult due to the size of my liver, and it added an hour and a half to the operation.

I also had exactly this - and my doctor showed me the pictures of my liver from during the surgery (horrifying...). I'd followed the liver shrinking diet to the letter as well.

When I attended my 3 month check-up my blood tests showed that my fatty liver had improved radically and levels were now in a "normal range". [I'd had non-alcoholic fatty liver for years (it'd showed up in blood tests). My doctor said that the reduction was entirely down to the loss of weight.

So this should be exactly the same for you as you continue to lose weight (hopefully).

[lizonaplane 1,605]

Are you able to swallow the Effexor XR? because that medication can't be crushed or broken in half as it's an extended release, but I'm sure your surgery team told you that. It's possible for some reason that you're not absorbing it as well, but that's something to discuss with whomever prescribed it and/or the surgeon. I'm sorry you're feeling bad!

[ShoppGirl 3,424]

I would contact your psychiatrist and tell them you had surgery and ask to adjust your medication. The XR meds are definitely not absorbed the same after surgery and your body may be getting a much lower dose. Everyone is different but the first meds they mentioned that often caused issues were extended release.

[Highly_Undermedicated 55]

I was on Effexor 7e XR twice a day for many many years for IBS and depression. Post RNY my depression worsened in cycles. Like every other month. December my primary switched me to Wellbutrin XL 150 1x a day but it made my head feel awkward. After 3 weeks I was switched to 300 XL. Now Im on Contrave to control appetite and cravings and it has Wellbutrin and naltrexone. I take it 2 pills 2x a day so its 360mg of wellbutrin a day now. So Im off strictly Wellbutrin due to the dosage in the contrave. Wellbutrin has helped me so much more and my depression has decreased significantly...only popping up occasionally due to recent added stress and anxiety.