Psych Meds after Gastric Bypass

[EsojLabina 68]

16 hours ago, vikingbeast said:

I just spoke to my psychiatrist and she put me on standard (not immediate) release bupropion (Wellbutrin) in advance of my surgery next week (AAAAAAA NEXT WEEK). I'm a bit nervous about it. But since so much of my depression is bound up in my weight, I'm hoping to be able to titrate down a bit.

@vikingbeast I am so excited and happy for you. It will be superb. Godspeed keeps us posted

[lizonaplane 1,613]

I also have bipolar disorder and my surgeon and psychopharmacologist both suggested I do sleeve rather than bypass, which I wanted due to possible GERD. I don't take anything that is extended release, but they still felt it would be better for absorption. I got a second opinion from a different surgeon, and she didn't think I'd have any problem with bypass, but she still recommended sleeve as it's an easier operation. I decided to go with sleeve... I'm still nervous about the surgery upending my mental health, but I am taking the risk to be able to be more active.

Just stay in touch with your mental health providers so you can let them know right away if you're starting to struggle.

[Jacks133 27]

Lizonaplane,

My daughter may be atypical, but she is bipolar and had a RNY bypass over 10 years ago. She was on three meds; antidepressant, psychotic and anxiety. They tried crushing the tablets which made her throw up, so they changed her to Epilim as it was a liquid. Part of her weight gain had been the bipolar drugs. After her surgery she started to lose a lot of weight. Unknown to me, she weaned herself off the drugs, going cold turkey with the anti anxiety meds, because she started running. She found the endorphins from running made her feel good and moderated her condition. At her peak running she was doing 2 marathons per weekend many weeks. She is highly unusual as a Bypass patient in being able to do this! She injured her hip, and couldn’t run, so now she lifts weights. She was determined to take control of her life in every way. She has been drug free for years and is fit, healthy and active. I wanted to share because her psychiatrist at the time said the Bypass would not help her with her mental health, and refused to sanction the op. We paid a psychiatrist to assess her and they concluded she was sane enough to make her mind up. As a person who had previously attempted suicide on more than one occasion, she is an example of the positive outcome possible from gastric surgery. It saved her life, literally, and has given me my daughter back.

I wish you all the best.

Edited September 7, 2021 by Jacks133
Mistake!

[learn2cook 592]

On 09/07/2021 at 17:53, Jacks133 said:

Lizonaplane,

My daughter may be atypical, but she is bipolar and had a RNY bypass over 10 years ago. She was on three meds; antidepressant, psychotic and anxiety. They tried crushing the tablets which made her throw up, so they changed her to Epilim as it was a liquid. Part of her weight gain had been the bipolar drugs. After her surgery she started to lose a lot of weight. Unknown to me, she weaned herself off the drugs, going cold turkey with the anti anxiety meds, because she started running. She found the endorphins from running made her feel good and moderated her condition. At her peak running she was doing 2 marathons per weekend many weeks. She is highly unusual as a Bypass patient in being able to do this! She injured her hip, and couldn’t run, so now she lifts weights. She was determined to take control of her life in every way. She has been drug free for years and is fit, healthy and active. I wanted to share because her psychiatrist at the time said the Bypass would not help her with her weight, and refused to sanction the op. We paid a psychiatrist to assess her and they concluded she was sane enough to make her mind up. As a person who had previously attempted suicide on more than one occasion, she is an example of the positive outcome possible from gastric surgery. It saved her life, literally, and has given me my daughter back.

I wish you all the best.

Thank you for sharing such a personal heartfelt story. My brother is bipolar and schizophrenic and he gets great relief exercising outside all year, particularly winter. He has been able to reduce his meds and loose weight as a result.

[lizonaplane 1,613]

38 minutes ago, Jacks133 said:

Lizonaplane,

My daughter may be atypical, but she is bipolar and had a RNY bypass over 10 years ago. She was on three meds; antidepressant, psychotic and anxiety. They tried crushing the tablets which made her throw up, so they changed her to Epilim as it was a liquid. Part of her weight gain had been the bipolar drugs. After her surgery she started to lose a lot of weight. Unknown to me, she weaned herself off the drugs, going cold turkey with the anti anxiety meds, because she started running. She found the endorphins from running made her feel good and moderated her condition. At her peak running she was doing 2 marathons per weekend many weeks. She is highly unusual as a Bypass patient in being able to do this! She injured her hip, and couldn’t run, so now she lifts weights. She was determined to take control of her life in every way. She has been drug free for years and is fit, healthy and active. I wanted to share because her psychiatrist at the time said the Bypass would not help her with her weight, and refused to sanction the op. We paid a psychiatrist to assess her and they concluded she was sane enough to make her mind up. As a person who had previously attempted suicide on more than one occasion, she is an example of the positive outcome possible from gastric surgery. It saved her life, literally, and has given me my daughter back.

I wish you all the best.

Thank you for sharing your daughter's story. I was a normal weight until I started the meds for bipolar at age 14 and gained 100lb in 2 years. My PCP/GP (who works exclusively with patients who have a mental illness) actually recommended weight loss surgery for me. My psychopharmacologist also agrees it is the right move for me. I'm not expecting to go off my meds due to surgery, but I'd like to be more comfortable doing the thing I love like hiking and traveling. I have been in the hospital a number of times for bipolar disorder, so I don't think just losing weight or exercising will solve my problems. I am also (at 41) a bit old to start jogging.

[EsojLabina 68]

3 hours ago, Jacks133 said:

Lizonaplane,

My daughter may be atypical, but she is bipolar and had a RNY bypass over 10 years ago. She was on three meds; antidepressant, psychotic and anxiety. They tried crushing the tablets which made her throw up, so they changed her to Epilim as it was a liquid. Part of her weight gain had been the bipolar drugs. After her surgery she started to lose a lot of weight. Unknown to me, she weaned herself off the drugs, going cold turkey with the anti anxiety meds, because she started running. She found the endorphins from running made her feel good and moderated her condition. At her peak running she was doing 2 marathons per weekend many weeks. She is highly unusual as a Bypass patient in being able to do this! She injured her hip, and couldn’t run, so now she lifts weights. She was determined to take control of her life in every way. She has been drug free for years and is fit, healthy and active. I wanted to share because her psychiatrist at the time said the Bypass would not help her with her mental health, and refused to sanction the op. We paid a psychiatrist to assess her and they concluded she was sane enough to make her mind up. As a person who had previously attempted suicide on more than one occasion, she is an example of the positive outcome possible from gastric surgery. It saved her life, literally, and has given me my daughter back.

I wish you all the best.

@lizonaplane what an amazing story, this gives me hope. Thank you so much for sharing.

[vikingbeast 987]

4 hours ago, Jacks133 said:

Lizonaplane,

My daughter may be atypical, but she is bipolar and had a RNY bypass over 10 years ago. She was on three meds; antidepressant, psychotic and anxiety. They tried crushing the tablets which made her throw up, so they changed her to Epilim as it was a liquid. Part of her weight gain had been the bipolar drugs. After her surgery she started to lose a lot of weight. Unknown to me, she weaned herself off the drugs, going cold turkey with the anti anxiety meds, because she started running. She found the endorphins from running made her feel good and moderated her condition. At her peak running she was doing 2 marathons per weekend many weeks. She is highly unusual as a Bypass patient in being able to do this! She injured her hip, and couldn’t run, so now she lifts weights. She was determined to take control of her life in every way. She has been drug free for years and is fit, healthy and active. I wanted to share because her psychiatrist at the time said the Bypass would not help her with her mental health, and refused to sanction the op. We paid a psychiatrist to assess her and they concluded she was sane enough to make her mind up. As a person who had previously attempted suicide on more than one occasion, she is an example of the positive outcome possible from gastric surgery. It saved her life, literally, and has given me my daughter back.

I wish you all the best.

This is an amazing story. Thank you for posting it. It gives me hope that my own issues may resolve with hard work and control of my life.

[mechele99 8]

Good question, I take Zoloft as well, I’m wondering also . My surgery is scheduled for 9/30. I met with my surgeon yesterday, he mentioned that I may not need my blood pressure medicine, in time.

[Sleeve_Me_Alone 656]

I had my appt with my psychiatrist last week and he confirmed that, for me, there should be no issue. Regular Prozac is not extended/delayed release and I am getting the sleeve. He did say, though, that it would be wise to keep an eye on things as fat stores estrogen, which can impact emotional/mental health, as well as just the sheer size of such a dramatic life change. Often times, things can get a little wonky post-op, so best to be prepared and have a plan in place. Proud of all of us for doing the hard work to have healthy minds and bodies!

[EsojLabina 68]

1 minute ago, Kenda0928 said:

I had my appt with my psychiatrist last week and he confirmed that, for me, there should be no issue. Regular Prozac is not extended/delayed release and I am getting the sleeve. He did say, though, that it would be wise to keep an eye on things as fat stores estrogen, which can impact emotional/mental health, as well as just the sheer size of such a dramatic life change. Often times, things can get a little wonky post-op, so best to be prepared and have a plan in place. Proud of all of us for doing the hard work to have healthy minds and bodies!

@Kenda0928 kind words thank you for sharing you experience.

[StarMarie 0]

I take zoloft for antiexy. I've researched a bit on the internet and found that once you do a Gastric Bypass your psych meds will actually work differently. I wanted to know if anyone who has gone thru surgery had any experience with this. Thank you all in advance.

I take zoloft as well and trazadone and Topamax and I have had nothing but issues with any of my meds working right. I barely sleep at all and it's been worse since covid hit.

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[EsojLabina 68]

On 10/30/2021 at 2:46 AM, StarMarie said:

I take zoloft as well and trazadone and Topamax and I have had nothing but issues with any of my meds working right. I barely sleep at all and it's been worse since covid hit.

Sent from my SM-G781U using BariatricPal mobile app

I completely understand. I am 3 days post op will see how my psych meds work. Thank you for sharing

[lizonaplane 1,613]

I'm now 7 weeks out from sleeve, and the only difference I've noticed is that I haven't had a single Migraine since my surgery so I've been reducing the amount of topamax I'm taking. All my other psych meds are the same. Sometimes I feel irritable but I think it's because I'm not seeing the type of progress I was hoping for. Also, I don't take any extended release medications and that makes a big difference, plus bypass makes it harder than sleeve.

[Lisa LoVuolo 63]

I take buspar and lorazepam for anxiety

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[Shagami 1]

I take a generic ritalin but i had to be switched from extended release to immediate release so now i take 3 20mgs a day. Most extended release medications dont work on me.

I had my gastric bypass in 2005.

Not sure if any of this info helps