Did You Have Worsening Depression / Anxiety After Surgery??

A year out and I definitely I find myself considering going back to my psychiatrist after being off meds for 5 years. I've read that the post-op diet is a real serotonin killer. I've also read that meds/ SSRIs do little to help but that could be said about depressed folks without RNY.

Is it possible that now that i no longer have to worry about being fat I just worry about other stuff?

I think you SHOULD go back! There is NO REASON to not try and find a combination that works for you. It might take some work, but just think of how good you will feel if you get the anxiety and/or depression more under control.

Good luck and remember that we are always here!

Thanks. Meditation helps a little bit and would likely help more if I was better at it. Spending time outdoors in the sun and exercising also helps and obviously that's not so easy during Winter.

Do you have a full-spectrum light? I found that it made a HUGE difference for me when I lived in the NW and we got no sunshine during the winter. I set it at my desk and run it for an hour or so a day.

I have bipolar II with anxiety and OCD, and I've been on meds for many years before surgery.

When people talk about "the hormones," it usually refers to the big "hormone dump" that comes with the rapid weight loss immediately after surgery. This is a TEMPORARY thing! I found that I had to adjust my medication for the first 6 - 9 months after WLS (especially as one of my meds was made less effective by the extra estrogen), but after things evened out I could return to my pre-surgery dosage.

Overall, my mental health has been LOTS better since surgery. I generally take better care of myself with regards to diet and exercise, which has a positive influence on my depression. Exercise in particular has been very helpful; I'm better able to get out and take a walk, or go on long bike rides, and that's been great for my mental health.

I LOVE hearing that you are doing better! LOVE LOVE LOVE! :-) Thank you so much for sharing your story. This is just so helpful, I have no words! I like being prepared that things might get bad, but there is a light at the end of that tunnel. That's what I was hoping to hear... That light give me a lot of hope! :-)

Thank you!

I'm so glad this is helpful to you! I know I was very concerned about the effect of WLS on my mental health, so I'm happy to answer any questions you may have along the way. Feel free to PM at any time! :)

Thank you! :-) It IS helpful...all of this is. Support is so invaluable - thank you!

Sheila, I think you are wise to be concerned about the effect of RNY on depression/anxiety. I can only speak from my own experience, but my condition has gotten much worse in the years since my surgery, progressing from chronic dysthymic depression--annoying, but manageable with medication--to MAJOR DEPRESSION episodes, and then disabling, treatment-resistant major depression, that has not responded to a dozen different anti-depressants or combo anti-psychotics/antidepressants, nor talk therapy, nor transcranial magnetic stimulation. In the last ten years, I have not ever recovered for longer than a 4-month period, have lost my career, and most of my friends, and all my energy and motivation. The depression/anxiety also exacerbates a lot of bowel problems, i.e., constant dumping of anything I eat, loss of bowel control, etc, etc, and malabsorption that triggers rapid and alarming weight loss. I currently weigh 104 lbs, down 24 lbs since September. Other malabsorption issues that began about 10 yrs post surgery, calcium especially, and I have lost ALL my teeth, am constantly forming kidney stones (have had 3 surgeries in the last two years to break up stones) and my left kidney has quit functioning altogether. I don't mean to make this sound so dire...because who knows, I might have had all these same problems without the RNY surgery, or different ones related to morbid obesity, but I'm just telling the truth about what has happened to me. You must NEVER slack off on taking your multi-vitamins, drinking lots and lots of water, getting regular blood tests, and paying very close attention to your nutrition. I am still optimistic that my health will improve. There's a new depression medication coming on the market in a year or so. I was in a clinical trial for it and it worked for me! Meanwhile, I am working with my gastroenterologist and will be adding a nutritionist to amend and help me supplement my diet with the nutrients I'm not absorbing. So...would I have this surgery again, given the complications I've had? Yes. I know that sounds crazy, but that's how much I love being thin, and hated morbid obesity. Just stay vigilant, and Good luck to you.

Angela - thank you for this share. It is important and I need to hear this. I am so very, very sorry that you are going through this and have lost so much. I will NOT slack on my vitamins or bloodwork and I will drink water like it's my job. I am going to print this out and keep it with me to remind me that i need to remain vigilant in my own health.

Please favorite me and check in once and a while...? I can be a great sounding board... your story touched me.

Thank you, again. Be well.