Depression after surgery

[admrn 25]

Hello, Im an October sleever and down 50 lbs from surgery. At first, I was on top of things , watching protien intake,water intake, calories and so on. I was excited about life and my new journey. It has been 4 months and I have fell into a depressed state. I still go to work each day and get along in day to day things but my interest in hobbies and my excitement for new things have changed. I dont feel interested in anything. Such as my new diet, getting my protien or Water in , hobbies ect. anymore .I honestly think the surgery had something to do with it. Help ....has anyone else experienced this????

Sent from my SM-G935V using BariatricPal mobile app

[Down South Aussie 65]

I have not had the surgery yet, but met with my surgeon about 10 days ago and one thing she mentioned is that there are more and more studies showing that those who are on an antidepressant have an easier time through this transition and actually end up losing more weight. She said that there is such a great change happening with your body at the same time as you are trying to alter your eating habits which also means you are fighting your brain for head hunger and for most people they go through a stage of blah like you are describing. Because of this she doesn't mandate that her patents take an antidepressant but she does offer a prescription to any of her patients that may want to take it while they are getting ready for surgery.

[admrn 25]

Thank you for your response. I did go to my primary doctor and talked to her about it. She offered an antidepressant but I am reluctant to get on them. She did give me a list of professionals to talk to, so I may go that route first. I just want to get excited about life again, like that first week after surgery.

Sent from my SM-G935V using BariatricPal mobile app

[Down South Aussie 65]

Yes talking to people can certainly help.

When it comes to taking the medication, I was reluctant at first probably because of two different things. First i dont like to take some type of altering pill for no reason, but the more i have read i am over that and second because of the stigma that has been built up about depression and being treated for depression. So i took the prescription and did nothing but look at the bottle until yesterday when i did a whole bunch of research on the actual medication, how much i was prescribed, side effects etc. and then i stepped back and realized im doing this surgery so that i can have a tool in my battle with my weight. When it comes down to it, the antidepressant is just that as well, a tool, and as such i have decided that yes i will use this tool to help me. Now mind you i have never been clinically depressed before, never been offered an anti depressant so for all intensive purposes the only reason i am taking this is to prepare and help me through the transition and then i ween myself off of it at about 6 or so months after my surgery.

[Walter.Sobchak 978]

My depression has also worsened these last couple months. I was sleeved at the end of August and at first felt really good. January and February have been really bad, feeling totally depressed. Don’t have an answer for you, just wanted to let you know I am experiencing the same thing.

[HP62442 11]

I'm still pre-op, but as a generally depressed person, I've tried a variety of treatments for depression over the years.

Exercise has generally shown itself to be as effective as most medications for mild depression. So if you are feeling energetic enough that can help with mood. I've found it to be effective advice at times, but at others, mostly annoying.

In my experience, anti-depressants seem more scary than they actually are. When I started taking lexapro, I didn't notice any side effects, I just noticed I slowly started feeling more like myself after 4 weeks or so. My PCP said that a course of antidepressants for nine months can be helpful for acute depression caused by major life changes. They aren't something you have to be on forever.

I've also done therapy. I found it was more helpful to change patterns of thinking or address specific issues (like insecurity in a relationship) than general mood enhancement. There are different options, but being sad/apathetic is the worst option, really.

[Walter.Sobchak 978]

I have had to have ECT treatments previously. That is shock therapy for depression. I am considering it again. The bad part is, it causes memory loss.

[HP62442 11]

I’m sorry to hear it’s getting worse. Have you ever tried ketamine infusions? I’ve never done ECT, but I tried the ketamine treatments after my (lexapro/Wellbutrin/lamictal) combo stop working and it was night and day. I went from severally depressed (a 21 on the PHQ-9) to symptom free (a 3) within like a month.

[Walter.Sobchak 978]

I heard ketamine makes you trip balls. Like severe tripping and totally high. How long did the improvement last? I would love to try Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation but can’t find a place around me that offers it.

[HP62442 11]

It definitely makes you high during the actual infusion. My doctor did a course of 6 1-hour infusions over two weeks. During the one hour, I was mostly calm and experienced mild disassociation. My limbs felt super heavy. It was weird, but not unpleasant. I didn't hallucinate. I would be sleepy for a while after the infusion, but all the other effects went away.

I did have a bad reaction to my fourth treatment (I'm assuming because they upped my dose). I started experiencing nausea (which is a common side effect), and thought something was wrong. A nurse was monitoring my vitals through out the session, and she confirmed that I was having a panic attack, but nothing was wrong. Not great, but they quickly administered anti-nausea meds and (I'm assuming) a benzodiazepine. I was fine within 5 minutes and finished the infusion. During my 6th infusion, I was back to dancing along to my music in my chair.

I'm three weeks from my last of the six initial infusions, and it's still working. My doctor said that patients generally need a booster session every 4-6 weeks. Supposedly the boosters can get more infrequent as you go on.

[Walter.Sobchak 978]

I hate getting an IV put in. I am real sure I would like this form of therapy. Then again ECT was pretty awful too.