What will the surgeon say???

Thanks for the link to the article. It sounds like I may need some adjustments post RNY to my psychiatric meds. I have taken the non ER version of Effexor and it worked but it did make me nauseous. 

What at concerns me even more about that article is that it says RNYers with psychiatric illnesses tend to lose less weight than others. What???? I hadn't heard about that before. Anybody's experience about this?

The non-XR version is known for that... hopefully the XR version will work still.  Maybe a higher dose of the efficacy is lower?  That is where a pharmacist can help for sure.

Partially the article says that because of compliance.  Those of us with a mental illness or eating disorder will frequently not be as compliant as someone who doesn't have to deal with one.  Also, many psychotropic medications stimulate appetite, too.  It's a combination of factors.  It is why we have a psych evaluation before surgery, to determine how compliant patients will be and to screen for serious mental illness that is untreated.  It is also why we must be aware of medications that stimulate appetite.

Having said that, I have major depressive disorder and have lost like over 100 pounds since June 1st, and I would have lost even more had I an RNY.  You will absolutely lose weight if you have a psychiatric illness and you follow your plan.  We need to be even more vigilant to be vigilant with our habits and honest with ourselves and our providers.  We need to be aware all the more that we probably ate to some degree to self-medicate.  

It sounds like you are putting a lot of thought and time into this, which is great! Talking to your psychiatrist and your pharmacist about the meds beforehand is a good idea. I've take Effexor in the past and that med is no joke with withdrawal so you want to make sure you're absorbing that for sure. I'm on an AD and I'm not having issues with an extended release formula, but that isn't the same as bipolar meds obviously. I agree with Grimm about the VSG not being an option for you but definitely listen to what your psychiatrist and pharmacist have to say. Good luck!