Question:
I am 1yr out of surgery..(140lbs now)..am 35 yrs old and I feel like an emotional rol

ller coaster..is this hormonal??...I feel like a ticking timebomb...was on Cymbalta pre-surgery and for about 7 months afterward then stopped...I feel as if my body has a mind of its own!!! Help!!    — NoLeChiC (posted on May 27, 2009)

May 27, 2009
You ought to read 1stReneeMarie's blog... she was doing the emotional roller coaster thing, too, and asked her doctor about it, and the doc told her that hormones were stored in the fat, and as she loses the weight, the hormone balance in the body fluctuates wildly. Maybe that's what's happening with you. However, he also told me that if I was on any antidepressant meds, or medications for anxiety or other mental problems, that it was IMPERATIVE not to stop them until at least a year after surgery. He said that it's not at all unusual for people to become depressed after the surgery, and to stop the meds would be just asking for trouble.
   — Erica Alikchihoo

May 27, 2009
I think we all go thru that. I am in therapy myself. When you say, Oh I'll still be the same person after weight loss, well you are not. You change, everyone around you changes their reaction to you, both personal relations and strangers. It is all alot to take. Having a good support system at home is what has saved me and pulled me thru.
   — lesleigh07

May 28, 2009
many of us have used food to help sooth us and hid our emotions. Now they come to the surface and we must face them and learn new ways to deal with them. You will need to see a counselor to teach you some healthy coping skills.
   — trible

May 28, 2009
Lisa -- this is actually quite normal, for the reasons that other posters have mentioned. As well, I was wondering from your post what you mean by "on Cymbalta ... for about 7 months afterward then stopped..." The question might be "HOW did you stop?" -- did your doctor wean you off them or did you just toss them because you were feeling better? If you did the latter, that might be part of the reason you feel as you do. A few years ago, after my doctor switched me from Prozac to Paxil (and I had hopped on and off Prozac without any problem) and my prescription ran out, so I thought, "Oh, I can wait a few days and then I'll go in and get it refilled -- not a biggie." WRONG, WRONG, WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. Within two days I was having almost continuous panic attacks, and when I wasn't feeling like crying and killing myself I was feeling enraged and like I wanted to kill everyone else. So I went to my doctor and told him, "So I ran out and now I feel like ..." and he said, "Oh,no, never, never NEVER just stop taking Paxil, if you want to get off it you need to be weaned off it, otherwise here we are." It took me about a week of going back on it to feel my version of normal again, and I never want to feel that again. You might want to check with your doctor or therapist -- if you did in fact just stop taking them -- about what to do next. Just a thought, but maybe worth pursuing if you think this might be the cause. Good luck!
   — Cheryl Denomy