Almost 4 months out having bad depression

has anyone else experienced this?? I feel like a total nut case lately. I should be happy with my weight loss and I am but my moods, and aniexty and anger have been awful. Can any of this be surgery related? Or do I just need a med switch.. 

It's called hormone dumping.  Estrogen is stored in our fat cells.  When we lose weigh rapidly, the estrogen is dumped into our systems and can cause us to become irritable, over emotional, angry, etc. It gets better as you lose more weight and the hormones level off.

I would have thought I would have got that right after surgery but I didn't.. My moods were pretty stable. Now I'm just a mess 😢

Guy asking, is there a male equivalent to hormone dumping?

Guy answering. Yes. And it is hormone dumping. We, too, store mild amounts of estrogen in our fat cells - of course, not like a female. Most guys I know who have had VSG (including myself) go through a stage where they are highly emotional for about a week, and then it levels off and things go back to normal. My hormone dump episode was about a week after surgery and I was home off work and all these sappy Christmas shows were on TV and the Christmas ads, etc.... I cried over a F'ing Hallmark commercial! Totally unlike me!

Alright good to know thanks kairk.

I, too, went through that.  Hormones are definitely at play and, for me, it was also when I had some real life moments knowing that I was fully healed but would still not be able to have certain things in my food plan for the forseeable future.  It can be a tough time during those moments of realization.  It will all pass.  Best wishes.

You might need a med switch because your body has changed.  You should also consider adding a therapist to your team - lots of us turned to food to cope with things before surgery and, once that coping technique is removed, we have to figure out healthier ways to cope.  A therapist can help with that.  

I have a therapist. In general my moods, depression and anxiety have been really bad but this hormone dumping would make sense.

I have bipolar and take medication for it, and I definitely remember feeling emotionally wobbly at month 3 or so. Hormones were definitely part of it, especially since one of my meds (Lamictal) has an absorption rate that is directly affected by estrogen levels. I had to tweak it when I changed birth control, and again when I got the fabulous post-op hormone dump.

Additionally, this sort of major life upheaval can be really hard to wrap your brain around! We're saying goodbye to old ways of doing things, feeling different, looking different, and making peace with a new way of life. It's hard for even neurotypical folks, but with mental illness in the mix it's doubly hard. Do you have a counselor or therapist to talk to? Many folks here get professional help for the emotional stuff.

In the interim, make sure you're taking your meds, and getting sunshine and a bit of exercise helps too. I like to journal and make lists to help get my head straight as well.

Hang in there!