Posted by softheprairie on November 5, 2012, at 2:38:10
In reply to Considering gastric bypass - med questions, posted by prettygoodpatient on November 4, 2012, at 19:40:56
I think (not sure) they will be okay if you can get them in the immediate-release pill form, and then you might have to take them multiple times a day, and may need to raise the dose to account for some malabsorption. It is a bonus if you would have been on ones that can get a good reading via blood level (such as desipramine or lithium), but I know most psych meds don't have that. Plus, other delivery methods that are occasionally available are likely to work (liquid, as you said, plus injections, orally disintegrating tablets, or a patch, if more would take that up in the future).
I am 2.3 years post-op from a different type of weight loss surgery. I had the duodenal switch. I am pretty evangelical about it's benefits over other weight loss surgeries. I have lost over a hundred pounds from my highest known weight. I have been okay in terms of meds being absorbed, at least as far as I know. I did have to be on a very high dose of desipramine when I was on it, based on my lab work, even with it being immediate-release. I do take an extended-release omeprazole (generic Prilosec for acid reflux), only available in extended-release, and it works for me.
You might ask your question on a message board called obesityhelp.com, their main board (has "amos" in the url, which I think came from association for morbid obesity support, or something like that) and their board for the RNY gastric bypass. (They also have a board for mental health, but it may be too inactive to help.) I hope you will also read the info at dsfacts.com :) It promotes the duodenal switch, but is just done by a patient, no one makes money from it. (There used to be a very active group of DS patients on obesityhelp, but most have left to join the weight loss surgery site at proboards.com or closed groups within facebook.)
On another med note, if you get a gastric bypass you will be forbidden from taking NSAID pain relievers for life. With the duodenal switch, you can take them in moderation, the same as regular people who have never had stomach surgery. For myself, I take ibuprofen a few days a month for menstural pain. I snap or cut them open so that I have more assurance that the active ingredient gets absorbed without having to wait on the coating to dissolve.
poster:softheprairie
thread:1030679
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20121029/msgs/1030711.html