Question:
I currently suffer from depression, is it going to get worse post-op?

Depression runs in my family, I am on prozac and have been hearing about people getting depressed after surgery. I was hoping that losing weight would help with my depression I don't want it to get worse.    — LaKeAffy (posted on April 22, 2002)

April 22, 2002
Some go COMPLETELY away like Me. Sadly some get worse early on like my wife who had a rough time and missed her buddy food. At 5 months out she is DOING GREAT and happy to be alive. I think its your pre op mindset. I decided if I were fortunate enough to survive surgery I wouldnt let ANYTHING stop me. I was also concerned to keep a good attitude, so I wouldnt scare Jen my wife from getting surgery too. I sugar coated :) BAD PUN some stuff but its worked FANTASTIC for us. See my profile.
   — bob-haller

April 22, 2002
I suffered from depression prior to surgery as well. My depression DID worsen after surgery. I am now 6 weeks out. My antidepressant medication (Zoloft) was increased two weeks ago and it seems to be helping. I am pretty certain my depression was worse because I MISS FOOD. Yes, I still do, however, I think it is getting better. Don't mean to sound negative, but if I was more prepared mentally BEFORE surgery then maybe my depression would not have been so bad. If you are really concerned about this please speak to your docotr and see if they recomend increasing your meds BEFORE surgery. Hope I helped. Please feel free to email me if you have any other questions. Good Luck!
   — Sandra C.

April 22, 2002
Bob is correct, you won't know until you are there. I too was very depressed before surgery and took Effexor off and on fighting it but after my surgery, even in pain, I had hope in my life. I felt there was a light at the end of the tunnel! I have days I feel down. and I have some emotional days when I'll be laughing at something funny on the radio in the afternoon and then crying at a sad movie that night! I am expressing my emotions much better now. I was safe under my "Fat Armor" and not I am feeling life's ups and downs. If you are taking Prozac now, continue taking it after your surgery. Loosing weight might even lower the dosage you take! and one day you might feel so good you can ask to have the dosage lowered stage by stage and get off of it totally and see how you feel!! Remember, thin people suffer from depression too! So becoming thin may not change the fact that you take Prozac! but becoming thin might help your doctors treat your depression with accurate dosages and newly developed drug therapy!! Good luck!! Becky!
   — blank first name B.

April 22, 2002
I wish I could tell you it would magically go away after surgery but it doesn't. All of your other problems are still there. I am now five months out and am starting down that road again. I talked to my family doctor the other day and I have started on Wellbutrin (spelling?). I am far enough out that losing weight isn't quite as easy as before. I am starting to get hungry and get food cravings. This is the time I was scared about. I was diagnosed with an eating disorder in 1993 and it is rearing its ugly head again. I think in some way we all have an 'eating disorder' or we wouldn't have gotten to this point. I am scheduled for a consult with a psychiatrist who specializes in eating disorders. I knew this going into the surgery and am going to work like crazy to make it work. I hope for you that it is not that tough, but if it is please don't hesitate to get help. If you want to talk, please get in touch with me.
   — purdue_1993

April 22, 2002
I was diagnosed with depression and was on Zoloft for 2.5 years prior to surgery. My family also has a history for depression. The first few months following surgery were hard, not really from the depression, but coming to grips with why you eat. That was the tough one for me. I really didnt know why until I was unable to do it. However, now I am 6.5 months post op, and am no longer taking antidepressants. I feel wonderful! But you have to understand that clinical depression is somthing that will be a life long battle, fat or thin. Losing the weight changes many aspects in your life, but does not change your entire life. Your problems will still be there, and you will still have to confront them. But the confidence that I gained made it much easier to deal with depression.
   — RebeccaP

April 22, 2002
It seems the answer to this question is very individual since there are lots of different answers. I am currently 5-weeks post-op and suffered from depression for five years prior to my surgery. I, too, was worried about what to do about antidepressants after surgery. However, since the surgery, the emotional ups and downs are no longer there. I attribute it to the fact that I no longer eat sugar or junk food, and my diet is now extremely limited. The food restriction seems like a small price to pay for feeling so good now. I finally have hope, and am genuinely happy, and feel that I have a bright future. Since food is no longer my "drug of choice", I am forced to feel the feelings I stuffed before with fried foods and ice cream. But the feelings I was afraid of before aren't so scary anymore. Weird how that is.
   — Judith H.

April 22, 2002
I was severely depressed prior to surgery. Went through a plethora of meds, none of which helped. It was either temporary or the side effects were as bad as my depression. Friday is my two-year wls anniversary, and I am doing great. No depression, no meds!
   — [Deactivated Member]