Success with stopping antidepressants after surgery???

I have been on four medicines for at least ten years. I would like to eventually stop all of them. I am on Seroquel, Trazedone, Lamicatal and Lexapro. I know it has to be done with the advice of my psychiatrist. I wondering if anyone has been able to decrease their dosage or come off of antidepressants eventually after surgery? Thanks!

I'm on Cymbalta and would like to come off of mine as well. I've been on it for 2 years. I'm only 3 months out. I don't want to come off mine yet but that's my goal.

I think that is totally up to you and how you feel. I would wait at least a year tho before you start. I think the first year after surgery is hard but see where you are at and how you are feeling at that time and talk to your doctor about it.

I had the opposite happen. In the first few weeks after surgery, I started having some depressive symptoms that I hadn't felt in years. The NP at my clinic thought I wasn't absorbing it as well anymore, so she switched me from a capsule to a tablet form of fluoxetine, and I've felt better since. You're mileage may vary, though. I've been depressed since I was a kindergartner and have been on meds since I was 15.

Fur,

Thanks for the post. I have been depressed since childhood as well and my sweet grandson who is 10 is on antidepressants also. I couldn't live without my meds as I am bipolar. I had my RNY 6 months ago. When was yours. Thanks ahead for the help.

Robin

No problem! I hope you're able to get off them (I'd like that for myself too), but I'm resigned to be on them life-long if needed, and I'm just glad they work. I had my RNY on May 4th. I'm still not sure if I improved after switching to the tablet form of Prozac because I absorbed it better or if I just happened to be getting over the post-surgical emotions at the same time. I can't speak for everyone, but for me, I'm sure I had some kind of neurotransmitter imbalance even as a very young child. I had no trauma in my life that offers any other explanation. I'm just thankful to have eventually found a workable treatment.

Bless you and keep up the good work. It's hard work.

Robin

I am two years out and I've taken Wellbutrin for seven years. The only change I made was switching from XL to SR. I will only stop taking it if it stops working, so I can find something that does. I am HAPPILY medicated and honestly don't ever want to relive how I was before.

I think it really depends on why you're on those particular meds to begin with. 

Depression is a chemical imbalance in the brain. Once again the surgery is on our stomachs. I still NEEd my Prozac but stopped taking it because ...,.. I just realized I have no answer. Anyway I don't think RNY helps with depression

Thank you so much for this question! I've been wondering the same thing lately. I've been on venlafaxine for over a year, switched to two smaller doses after surgery. But my depression seems to be worsening. One of my goals was to discontinue anti-depressants at some point after weight stabilization too. Can some of our beloved veterans shed some light on this subject? Thank you!