VSG and Bipolar/depression?

Kara D.
on 12/3/14 12:33 am
VSG on 03/02/15

I am bipolar 2 and deal with chronic depression, however I have been stable for 5-6 years or maybe a little longer. I had the first med change in years due to my blood pressure being too high. I have been stable long enough that I feel like I know how to handle my symptoms or triggers when they come up, but I wonder what other people have found works for them who are bipolar and deal with depression?

ElizaM
on 12/3/14 2:19 am
VSG on 07/24/14

I have Bipolar 2 and was pretty stable pre-op on Lamictal and Wellbutrin. We change the Wellbutrin dosage constantly because there is a lot of seasonality to my mood. I have been told to take non-time release pills so I have to space my Wellbutrin out over the day and I'm not always the best at that. 

This is just me spitballing but I think losing lots of weight has the potential to set off manic symptoms. It's so exciting and all consuming, it's easy to get carried away. I also think that the hormonal flux we're in post-op does a number on us. My mood symptoms are worse than ever around my period. But on the plus side, the exercise I'm doing definitely helps with my mood, as does the fact that I've given up caffeine and alcohol. 

   

32F 5'8" High weight: 432 | Consult weight: 396 | Surgery weight: 335 | Current weight: 170

Kara D.
on 12/3/14 10:58 am
VSG on 03/02/15

I have chronic depression and take a daily dose of dextroamphetamine to get me up and moving. Getting more energy would be great and I can learn to deal with some mania, I firmly believe my doctors will help me manage those symptoms. Has there been much med change since your surgery? My hormones and periods have been no problem, for a couple of years, I had an ablation performed and I haven't had a period since then. I am suppose to avoid caffeine and alcohol also, even before I started looking into surgery.

 

ElizaM
on 12/5/14 9:08 am
VSG on 07/24/14

We mostly just tinker with my Wellbutrin. I also have a Xanax scrip and she reminds me to take it. I think it sort of works as a sedative when hypomanic symptoms raise their ugly head. Yeah, I knew I should have avoided caffeine and alcohol pre-op, but I've used surgery as a chance to go cold turkey on them both. I was seriously addicted to coffee and often regretted drinking, so it's been good to really stick to that.

   

32F 5'8" High weight: 432 | Consult weight: 396 | Surgery weight: 335 | Current weight: 170

Kara D.
on 12/5/14 10:14 am
VSG on 03/02/15

I am working on the caffeine thing and failing miserably today. But as Scarlett O'Hara said, "tomorrow is another day!" lol  I need to avoid the sugar in pop and the caffeine. I take a daily stimulant, lamotrigen, risperidone and citalopram. I have the lows and medium mania periods which are few and far between, or at least they have been for quite a few years now. I will have to trust that my psychologist and psychiatrist will help me get through the transition of pre and post-sleeve.

jenn1469
on 12/3/14 4:32 am

I have bipolar disorder and am 5 Mos post op. What I noticed is I'mvery manic now. I only sleep like 5-6 hours a nnight than I ready to go

Jennifer

    

Kara D.
on 12/3/14 11:02 am
VSG on 03/02/15

Do you feel the mania is out of control or have you and your doctors gotten that back under control? I don't mind making med changes to correct a new symptom or something as a result of the surgery. I expect there to be some changes any way. Did you have a lot of mania before the surgery?

 

Beth Of Fletchair
on 12/5/14 8:33 am
with

I am bipolar and I haven't take meds for it since menopause.  I hated taking medication and was very happy to do without and ride the wave. Within the first 5 minutes of my psych evaluation the doctor asked me how long ago had I been diagnosed as bipolar.

I went through a manic phase gradually starting about a month before surgery and peaking the week before and the weeks after.  It actually worked out pretty well.  I tend to be highly functional and focused in manic so I coasted through the whole thing with a great attitude.  I lost 25 lbs pre sleeve and another 30 in the first month after surgery.  A change like that would have sent me through the ceiling in my old "diet days" but this time I just walked, talked and recovered with the aplomb of a Broadway star. Then, about 40 days out, it was as if somebody flipped a switch. But even the "down" side had a pretty solid floor. The drop was abrupt but instead of depression I just kind of "normaled out". That's where I am now and it's just fine.  I'm down a total of 65 lbs and I haven't felt anxiety or severe depression.  I'm not even ruminating as usual but I am a bit assertive (*****y) when I get hungry which is very rare.

So that's my tale of bariatric surgery without meds.  I honestly thought it would be much worse because weight change and even surgery have had an extreme effect on me in the past.

 

            
Kara D.
on 12/5/14 10:24 am
VSG on 03/02/15

I take daily stimulants, lamictal, risperidone, and citalopram as well as levinthroid and otc Prilosec. I stay towards the low side when I had not gotten stable and stayed there. My mania is low compared to bipolar 1 people, I just want to get back to being stable after the surgery. I am not afraid to change meds or call and talk with my psychiatrist to keep forward progress. I have spent the last 4-5 years stable and I am ready to continue that with weight loss as part of my life.

I appreciate your comments and you sharing your story with me. I am 3 hours from my surgery center so online support groups will be a big part of my recovery.  

Beth Of Fletchair
on 12/7/14 1:44 am
with

Hi, I hope you have been doing well.  I think you'll be fine because you know what to expect and how to deal with it.  There are plenty of people who don't even understand that they have an imbalance and what that means.  A change like this really throws them.

 

            
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