Question:
Anyone who is on an anti depressant post op please help!

Hi I am 6 1/2 months out and have lost 104 lbs. While I am ok with that I seemed to have hit a wall. About a month ago I started getting depressed. I think I started to really mourn my good old buddy food. My doctor put me on an anti depressant and told me to give it about a month. Well shortly thereafter the weight loss just STOPPED and I started getting very hungry and having massive food cravings. My doc then switched me to another anti depressant with the same results only 10x worse. She told me to stay on this one and 'ride it out' to see if it lessens. It seems to me the drug I am taking to help me get over food is leading me back to food. Not only that I am afraid I will fall into all my old traps due to the hunger and the cravings. Has anyone else been on anti depressants post op? How has it gone? Will they make me regain the weight? My anxiety level is off the charts about this one.    — purdue_1993 (posted on June 11, 2002)


June 11, 2002
Amy-Congrats on your tremendous weight loss! I have been on celexa since 11/00. Had open RNY 3/15/01. You didn't say what type of anti-depressant you are on but if you have not tried celexa, perhaps it would work for you. I have not had any side affects and have not gained any weight because of it. Ask your doctor to help you find a better solution than just 'riding it out'.
   — Ginger J.

June 11, 2002
Amy, I have been on anti-depressants for a long time - before I had WLS AND after. In my humble and not professional opinion, there is more than one thing going on here. First, some meds do cause hunger, Zoloft, one of the ones that I take, apparently being one of them. My response is to stick even closer to the program. Second, it can take a while to ramp up the dose to a point where it has a therapeutic effect. Mine took a couple months, and then I was taking the maximum dose (it was cut in half about 3 months after WLS - I'd lost a good bit of weight). Third, have you done the internal psychological work to deal with the loss of your previous crutch (food) and the aftereffects of being much more attractive? This is crucial to success. WLS operates on our bodies, not on our brains. We have to do the mental preparation to handle the big changes that follow. I take more than one kind of anti-depressant as well as a sleep medication. You can see I was in big trouble before my little chemical helpers - and I may have to take them for the rest of my life. But without the WLS, taking them was a certainty! You CAN lose the weight despite taking meds. Keep a positive outlook...it takes time to develop your mental muscles! Margie B
   — Marjorie B.

June 11, 2002
I am still preop but my doctor just switched me from Zoloft to Wellbutrin. She claims the Wellbutrin may actually make me lose weight because it targets the part of your brain that controls cravings and such. I guess it is prescibed to help people quit smoking as well. Well good luck and I hope your doctor takes you seriously.
   — Sandra D.

June 12, 2002
I was on Prozac, prior to my revision, and gained 20 pounds in one month -- 2 months in a row. I had munchies (physical hunger!) 24 - 7. This was after several successful treatments with Prozac in the past. Six months after quitting them, it was evident I needed treatment again. I refused Prozac. They gave me Zoloft. This did not give me the munchies. I am 3 weeks post-op and still on the Zoloft. I have heard Wellbutrin is excellent for those wanting to lose weight. There are LOTS of anti-depressants out there. 2 weeks is usually the time frame to work through side effects. If, at 4 weeks, you are still always hungry, tell your doctor you are ready to try something else. The side effects of almost all of these include the polar opposites: you may have an increased or decreased appetite; you may be tired or unable to sleep... Keep in mind that these medicines have different effects on different people, and different effects on the SAME people at different times of treatment. Find one that works -- as my doctor said "there are at least 11 ways to skin this depression cat". Good luck -- Post back and let us know how you are doing!
   — Karen F.

June 12, 2002
Hi Amy..please know you are not alone. I had open RNY 2/11/02 (4 months ago) and am down almost 100 pounds. I was on Zoloft before surgery, and after surgery I went on Wellbutrin. Last week my Dr. put me on Buspar too, because of anxiety. The Wellbutrin has not affected my weight loss at all. The Buspar is good because it is non-habit forming. Please don't give up until you find something that works for you. Congrats on your weight loss!
   — Jennifer G.

June 12, 2002
Hi I am the original poster. I have taken anti depressants for years and probably always will. Currently am on Effexor XR. Had taken Wellbutrin but it also made me hungry. Thanks for the posts!
   — purdue_1993




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