Question:
Has anyone had WLS because of a medicinal weight gain?

I was an athlete all my life and in 1999 my father passed away of cancer. I took it rather hard and became depressed. I was put on tons of medication at that time. Each time I was put on depakote I gained approximately 50-60 lbs. About 6 months ago I finally got off depakote because of all the weight gain. 5 years ago I was 155lbs and now in 2004 I am 283lbs. Has anyone had WLS because of this reason?    — ThankYouGod (posted on July 9, 2004)

July 9, 2004
I had gained about 45 pounds in 1-2 months from a medication for irritable bowel syndrome. This was many years ago, but I did list it in my history. I don't think it's a matter of how you gained the weight, but an issue rather on how or if you can take it off.
   — Tammy W.

July 9, 2004
Hi! I attribute my weight gain where I went from 135 to 315 over 7 years to all the anti-depressants and other psych meds I took. At first when I started to put on the weight, I thought I'd rather be fat & happy than skinny & miserable. Then I realized that my weight gain was going to continue, unless I did something about it. I did. I had my RNY almost 20 months ago & have lost 195lbs. Good luck!
   — klinzey

July 9, 2004
I had always been overweight but not morbidly obese until about 5 years ago when I was put on depakote and other meds. I had my RNY about a year and a half ago and couldn't be happier. I tried every other way and couldn't lose the weight - it just would not budge. Best of luck. Kathy
   — kathyb

July 9, 2004
I was on 90mg of prednisone steriods for 6 years for treating an illness. Im currently 24 years old. I took the medicine from age 5 thru age 11, to treat a muscle/immune condition. I was underweight when I started to take the medicine, I gained 50 lbs in 6 weeks. Quite a difference. Anywho, I continued to gain muscle mass till age 11, my condition went into remission, and all my muscle turned to big blobs of fat. Age 11 I weighed 170lbs. I didnt gained very much more in high school (180lbs) but after my daughter was born I did gain weight. I have been unable to lose this weight from that awful medicine, 13 years later.
   — Beth W.

July 10, 2004
I'm not certain about your question, so I'll answer it the way I took it and if that is not what you were asking you can ignore me. :) If you are overweight due ONLY to the fact that you are on medications that make you gain weight (which I don't think is possible) then WLS will not help you because it is only going to adjust your food intake and what your body does with it. Some people believe that medications alone cause weight gain, but instead, they make you crave more food etc so that means the problem is still in the fact that you are over eating. Yes WLS will keep you from over eating and, depending on the type of surgery you choose, it will keep your body from absorbing all of the nutrients it would normally absorb. If the problem is truly that medications alone cause weight gain - then surgery would not work. But that is not the case. That said, you asked if others had this experience, not necissarily whether or not WLS will work in your situation.. so I may have answered a question you already understood. :)
   — Paula R.