Gracie39

I had a gastric sleeve surgery almost 3 years ago. Ever since my surgery my Effexor 150mg (antidepressant/anti-anxiety med) is not working as effectively. I have been researching and seeing that there is a problem with SSRI absorption after gastric surgery. Has anyone else had this problem? Any solutions?

Also, be careful with alcohol after surgery. Since you no longer have food as an escape lots of Bariatric patients end up turning to alcohol and end up in AA... I've seen it happen to myself as we'll as 2 of my friends who had the surgery. Since you can't eat and drink at the same time you end up drinking on an empty stomach and we all know how fast alcohol hits on an empty stomach.

RickyDee, Not true. Absorption of medications is a HUGE issue with the gastric sleeve. Your stomach does not have nearly as much stomach acid to break down medication for absorption. Research "gastric sleeve medication absorption".

Changing39, I continued taking my meds in the hospital after surgery even though my nurses told me not to. My Effexor has a very short life and if I didn't take them in the hospital I would have started major withdrawal symptoms. So, I chose to take my meds and it did not hurt my stomach at all. If your meds are crushed up it will be even easier on your new stomach.

Changing39, After researching and calling my Walgreens pharmacist for suggestions, I have been chewing up my Effexor and taking it with juice. Chewing it up helps it absorb and because we are lacing stomach acid the acid from the juice also helps with absorption. It's been 1 week since I've been doing this and I feel SO much better!!! I also take Vyvanse for adult ADHD and I simple undo the capsule and put the powder from the capsule under my tongue. Both meds are working again and I'm SO happy I am figuring this out. I take 150mg of Effexor and the pharmacist suggested taking Regular, not XR, 2 times a day in 75mg each. Would I have the surgery again... Yes;)... I was so unhappy before. It's been 3 years and I've gone from 200lbs down to 135lbs It's one less struggle in life. It's a huge weight off my shoulders! I don't think about food all the time anymore and I can just throw on clothes and go and not worry about how fat I look. The surgery comes with its risks, but so does being overweight. It's definitely been worth the risk for me!

Stacey, I am 3 years out and I still wish I could have done it on my own... But I still know that I would have never been able to lose the weight on my own AND keep it off. It seems like a drastic measure to take but I'm still happy I did it. So I understand your frustration.

I deal with Major Depression and Anxiety and am almost 3 years post op. I've been on antidepressants for 16 years and they worked great for me until after my surgery. I've been researching recently and have found that our stomach is our "2nd brain" and that 95% of our serotonin is found there. So having 85% of our stomachs cut out can cause major chemical embalances. I'm also reading people discuss this and say not to take the XR version of medicines and the crush the meds up or take them out of their capsule, chew them up and take them. They are saying they get better absorption like this. I am willing to try it and plan on calling my doctor this week to try the regular Effexor... Not XR... Google "stomach 2nd brain"... Very interesting information

Up your protein shakes... When I got at a stand still with my weight I would have 3 protein shakes per day. The Smoothie King Gladiator shakes are high protein and delicious!