Have you had problems with meds after bariatric surgery?

I'm considering gastric surgery. I'll have to take nutritional supplements like vitamins for the rest of my life because of the way nutrients are absorbed differently.

I've read that meds are also absorbed differently. DId you have to increase them after the surgery?

Did you have any mood swings?

I did not have any problems with meds (sleeve surgery in 2016) however I did gain back 60+ lbs. I'm back to strictly following the diet and I've lost 12 of those. I did not have any mood swings other than normal day-to-day mood shifts in response to events around me.

Good luck.

I had surgery 13 years ago and my doctor had to change the way I took meds. I take smaller amounts of the meds twice a day.

Interesting. I thought I'd have to take higher dosages. I don't mind splitting up the dosages over a day.

Good to hear! Did you feel sad for not being able to meet much?

I had GBS in 2009. I went from 311 lbs to 106 lbs. I developed severe anorexia and had a massive resurgence of symptoms after being mania free for almost 10 years. My psychiatrist and I had a brutal time of it together for over two years post surgery managing my illnesses. I was hospitalized for extreme mania and anorexia at least a dozen times in a two year period. Each admission lasting as long as two months. All my medications had to be adjusted. On top of that, I developed a rare side effect to GBS that severely interferes in blood glucose regulation. The rapid spikes and crashes of my glucose level also triggered manic episodes. It took my psychiatrist working closely with my endocrinologist to develop a regiment that slowed the rapid cycling psychotic mania.

My psychiatrist strongly discourages patients with bipolar 1 disorder from having gastric bypass surgery. No one should go through what he and I went through.

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Originally Posted by sophiebunny I had GBS in 2009. I went from 311 lbs to 106 lbs. I developed severe anorexia and had a massive resurgence of symptoms after being mania free for almost 10 years. My psychiatrist and I had a brutal time of it together for over two years post surgery managing my illnesses. I was hospitalized for extreme mania and anorexia at least a dozen times in a two year period. Each admission lasting as long as two months. All my medications had to be adjusted. On top of that, I developed a rare side effect to GBS that severely interferes in blood glucose regulation. The rapid spikes and crashes of my glucose level also triggered manic episodes. It took my psychiatrist working closely with my endocrinologist to develop a regiment that slowed the rapid cycling psychotic mania. My psychiatrist strongly discourages patients with bipolar 1 disorder from having gastric bypass surgery. No one should go through what he and I went through.

I had my surgery in 2007 well before the insurance companies were covering it. I had to consistently go to the doctor once a month for 6 months. I had to have a psychiatric clearance for the surgery. I had my own psychiatrist because of the bipolar so I didn’t need to find a new one just for medical clearance. I had to demonstrate I could follow a nutrition plan and lose 20lbs before my surgery. This was all during the process of getting it approved and appealing the denials. They were very strict but it finally got approved. I had to sign paperwork acknowledging that I knew I had to take vitamins and supplements for the rest of my life and had to follow the eating plan. One of the reasons for my psychiatrist being involved is because of the Type of GB I had. I had the roux-n-y which not only makes the stomach smaller but removes and rerouted some of the small intestines to affect absorption. This makes me sensitive to artificial sugars and excess sugar. I can have a cupcake on my birthday or whole additive free Ice cream on occasion but no Dairy Queen or anything of the sort or that way. I was 303lbs and lost 127lbs and have kept all but 10lbs off for 13 years. I shared some before and after pics somewhere here and I can send them if someone wants to see them. My psyche monitored me closely and because my absorption completely changed I have to take smaller doses multiple times a day to have my meds work as they did. She was very knowledgeable. I think psyches that make blanket statements about how GB is terrible for people with bipolar or mental illness are completely wrong or not willing to learn about treating patients post GB. It’s not difficult it just requires knowledge and monitoring. I can’t see how a psyche would
Rather a patient be overweight and unhealthy just because they don’t know enough about med management in the weight loss surgery community. I believe being obese is just as unhealthy and dangerous as untreated or unmanageable mental illness.

GBS has life threatening complications. It is especially problematic for people with bipolar 1 disorder. I almost died. Severe malnutrition, anorexia, stomach too small for a feeding tube, psychosis so severe even at 108 lbs I had to be restrained and sedated for my own safety. My psychiatrist did extensive research with a top psychiatric hospital, worked with my GBS surgeon, worked with gastroenterologists, and endocrinologists, and did extensive literature reviews. He invested a considerable amount of his clinical time studying GBS inorder to save my life. What he learned was that GBS can be a serious risk for patients with bipolar 1 disorder, one he'd rather not see his patients take on unless absolutely medically needed.

You got lucky. I did not.

I have a lot to discuss with my pdoc. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences.

Hey @sophiebunny I wasnt trying to invalidate your experience so I apologize if it seemed that way.

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Originally Posted by sophiebunny GBS has life threatening complications. It is especially problematic for people with bipolar 1 disorder. I almost died. Severe malnutrition, anorexia, stomach too small for a feeding tube, psychosis so severe even at 108 lbs I had to be restrained and sedated for my own safety. My psychiatrist did extensive research with a top psychiatric hospital, worked with my GBS surgeon, worked with gastroenterologists, and endocrinologists, and did extensive literature reviews. He invested a considerable amount of his clinical time studying GBS inorder to save my life. What he learned was that GBS can be a serious risk for patients with bipolar 1 disorder, one he'd rather not see his patients take on unless absolutely medically needed. You got lucky. I did not.

Hi imaginethat. I have never had bariatric surgery, but my sister did some years back. I'm not sure if her doctor adjusted her medications or not, but I recall her saying that she was on the same two from before the surgery. I have been in touch with her regularly since then and do not recall her having any major mood issues until about six months ago, and they were short-lived. In fact, she (and our family) experienced a major tragedy. I was actually quite surprised how well she handled it. She has seemed to be the strongest of my siblings (and stronger than me) during a recent family crisis. If she has been suffering in any major way, since her stress six months back, she hasn't indicated as such. In fact, despite several health concerns (unrelated to the bariatric surgery) she has done OK. She recently retired young. I thought that would be particularly rough for her, but she seems to be fine. She has a good plan in place if she needs to get out of the house more.

My sister lost a lot of weight after her bariatric surgery, but didn't quite reach a normal BMI. She then gained back some, but has recently lost a noticeable amount, but I doubt she has a normal BMI. She was struggling a little bit with diabetes type 2 before her surgery, but since losing the weight that is perfectly under control. My sister's decision for the surgery was primarily for the sake of her diabetes 2, and her difficulty losing weight. She had a BMI in the obese range, but was never morbidly obese (if this information has any relevancy). Frankly, I believe she was probably at the very lighter end of weights for people receiving the surgery.