Question:
What about Depression after Surgery?
Hi, I'm 7 months out from Lap-RNY and since about the 2nd month I have been and emotional wreck. Is this normal? Is it "mourning" the loss of FOOD? I have always suffered from depression and medication has always "helped", but NOT anymore. I do realize "time-released" meds are not for "us" anymore, but has anyone else experienced this issue? Thanks for listening...... — Toni Todd (posted on September 23, 2007)
September 23, 2007
Hey Toni. I've had depression on and off again - I am just over 7 months. I
see the surgeon on Monday and my PCP next week. I just feel overwhelmed
some days and angry other days and just plain - detached from life others.
I am sure it's some form/degree of depression. I will wait to see what my
doc say. I would suggest seeing your PCP/surgeron and or a therapist. good
luck.
— jammerz
September 23, 2007
Hi Toni,
I have suffered on and off with situational depression and meds sure did
help. Since surgery I have again needed anti-depressants, but as with
most of us I can not take the timed release meds.
My PCP and I tried first to take it in the morning, then we upped it a bit
and finally ended up by taking it 2x a day. Once in morning and then again
before bed.
If you need anti-depressants talk with your PCP. And if you get to the
point where you feel you don't need them ...well you can go off them
again.
Good Luck!
— CarolynK
September 23, 2007
i'm 4 yrs post op and have suffered from depression for quite some time,
adjusting meds here n there. i take Effexor XR, which is extended release.
luckily, there is a pharmacy in my town that has a compouding lab on
site-i was able to get my effexor made into a liquid! while it tasted
gross, that got me through. then, when i got tired of that taste, the
pharmacist and my doc both advised that since i couldn't crush the drug, to
cut the plastic coating, and dump out the RX beads and take with
applesauce, yogurt, PB, etc. i think i took my doseage during 2 separate
times of the day-for example: if i were on 75mg drug, i requested that the
doc write the script for 60-37.5 mg pills. that way, all i'd have to do is
cut the end off one and take it. no wasted drug beads.
i'm not sure where you obtained the info about WLS patients not being able
to take extended release drugs, but I would challenge your WLS surgeon to
that. also, double check with your pharmacist to see what they say. they
might be able to direct you to a pharmacy in your area that has one of
these compounding labs to get the drug you need in the form of a
liquid-heck, nowadays, they might be able to make you a chewable!!
Best of luck to you :)
— BirdiFox
September 23, 2007
Hi Toni, I take Effexor XR's for my depression and I am 3 1/2 years postop.
I find Effexor works best for me. Mickey........
— MCraig3
September 23, 2007
Hi Toni...
I understand what you are going though. I am 9 month post from the RNY. I
also suffer from depression and I am Bi-Polar. I am currently not on my
meds do to a doctor change. I have to wait until next month. It is hard.
But, my best suggestion to you is to talk to your doctor. There are lots
of diffrent meds out there. And due to the surgery our bodies have changed
and so maybe there needs to be a med change for you. Also you might want
to check out talking to a counslor. It is nice to be able to talk to
someone without the neg comments from friends or family. Or to feel like
you are troubling them.
Good luck with getting help. We all need it. May sure that you take care
of yourself!!!!!
Ronda
— Ronda C.
September 23, 2007
Fill your horn with new oil! develop a warrior mentality!
David encouraged himself.
Keep shaking off self-pity.
We can all make choices to move on with the rest of our lives or choose a
victim mentality.
My life has not been easy at all, but I choose to move forward, struggle is
good, builds character, and that is what any human being needs in their
life to make progress.
Avoid negative thoughts on hard it could be to change. I'm taking anti
depression meds and suffer with vertigo, but whatever, It can all kiss my
butt.
I'm going forward, it's a decision. only you can make it. choose to do
your very best, and then choose to have the best attitude you can at the
time, it's really the only thing
we have any control over in this life, it's not what happens to any of us ,
it's how we choose to handle it. I for one am done being a punk. 52 years
old and over 30 years of
being a morbidly obese person who always accepted excuses from himself,
gave into drugs, alcohol, cigs, gambling , sex, whatever it took to numb
the pain, ......
NOW give me a heavy dose of reality every day, and
I'm at least knowing I'm alive and if I fail, I'm going down swinging and
taking a whole bunch of those loser
habits with me. No drugs, alcohol, cigarettes for over 15 years now by
choice, gambling is recently getting it's butt kicked, and 2 months post
op, first and only surgery I
ever had, down 50 lbs with like 175 lbs more to go, I say, let's rock!!
You can do it, too. God bless ya, He is able to fix any problem you got,
but you got to want it bad enuff
to deal with it head on.
Anything you choose not to walk away from owns you,
anything you choose to walk away from , you own it. I'm tired of living a
life of quiet desperation. God
help me, I want to be a better me and I am doing it one day at a time by
God's almighty mercy and Grace, and if you think you can make it without
Him, go for it. ha ha , like
trying to catch all the water coming over Niagara Falls in a styrofoam cup
and throw it back up over the top. Good luck, you'll need it... ha ha .. I
got to go , getting off my
soap box now, I love you. love yourself, suck it up and be the best man
and woman you can be. Only believe!! Brian Felix Pantola aka
[email protected]
— johndough
September 23, 2007
I went thru this too! Mine started @3 mos postop. I went to my PCP, head
hung low...could not understand why I felt so weepy when everything was
going so well! I had lost 100lb or so (can't remember exactly), and aside
from the contining 'learning' how to eat again, was completely satisfied!
My PCP looked at me, reached over and held my hand and said:
"Michelle~ where is estrogen stored?" I said, In Fat Cells. He
said, "THAT'S RIGHT! You have lost so many fat cells with the rapid
weight loss, your hormones are working overtime to regroup & recover.
This is completely to be expected!"
Goodness, he was SO right! I started on Lexapro and stayed on it for about
a year. Within 2 weeks of starting it I felt so much better.
Absolutely talk to your physician or surgeon. You're not alone and it's
actually to be expected. We've put our bodies thru some drastic
changed....and I'd do it again in a heartbeat!
— chelle3081
September 24, 2007
I am 8 months out from my surgery and know what you're going through. I I
have Bi-polar and depression and only realized in the past couple of days
that I'm having problems with depression again. I would recommend talking
to your PCP or a good therapist to see what you need to do to get back on
track in your life. I know I will be making a few phone calls today. Good
Luck!!
— posprudence
September 24, 2007
Hey Toni-
I am having the same problem! I am only 1month out, and I feel the need to
go back on my depression medicine. I took Zoloft for 2 years after my
brother passed away and one day I decided to stop. I havnt taken it in over
1 year, now I know I need help again. I dont know why, I just know my body
is going crazy!! Ill be talking to my Dr. soon. Best of luck
— loser71
September 24, 2007
Right on Brian! Excellent response! Kicking the negative and becoming
positive really does work. I am living proof of it as well. Take a day
and keep track of just how many times you can be negative. See how many
that totals by day end. You will be amazed. Then, work on it!!
— paulakp
September 24, 2007
Hi Toni, I'm not that far out but I don't think that makes a difference.
Depression is normal because you can't eat the way you use to and you feel
like you're starving, you're hungary and its normal to feel depressed and
angry, what you need to do is keep that in mind and remember why you had
the surgery and how happy you will be when you reach your goal weight and
the difference it will make in your life. I have a history of depression
and I take Cymbalta and so far it still helps, I dont know what meds you
take for depression but you might talk to your pcp and may need to try
something else, also I dont know your age but after my surgery I had
stronger symptoms of menopause. Anyway, I would talk to your pcp and
whoever is availablle from your surgeons office for you to talk to and if
you have a counselor maybe you could go see him/her. The only thing I can
suggest, and I hope it helps you is to remember why you had the surgery and
remember this is only for the first few months and then you will be able to
eat a larger variety of food just not the foods you use to eat and smaller
portions, you made the decision for a reason and you just need to get over
this hump and you will feel better and as you lose weight you should feel
better too. Another thing I do when I feel down is exercise more, work off
the depression by exercising. I wish you lots of luck and more importantly
I will keep you in my prayers....Sincerely, Melody
— purpleangel0909
September 24, 2007
I noticed that allot of people use Effexor XR, which an extended use. I
have a doctor that is very familier with working with Bariatric Patients
and has switched my meds to Effexor, but not an extended use. I take them
twice a day and they are in pill form that breaks down very quickly. You
might want to check on that and ask your doctor. If you had a problem with
depression before surgery, I haven't found that everything just goes away
with surgery. Good Luck - Judy Harris
— jk_harris
September 25, 2007
I have never believed in too many meds. They never set in my stomach
either. I'm only a month post op and I've been taking st john's wort tea.
It makes me a little sensitive to sunlight but it's helping.
— blazedear
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