Patients suffering from bipolar disorder often wonder if their condition may be a barrier to performing the Lap Band procedure. They are concerned that the drug may interfere with post-bariatric treatment and that mood swings (which characterize this medical condition) will decrease their chances of successful weight loss.
Well, they shouldn’t worry. Research showed that there was no significant difference between mentally ill patients and mentally healthy people in terms of their weight loss. These investigations were also confirmed by bariatric clinics.
Bipolar Disorder – Characteristics
It is a mental disorder with two major types of episodes that are very different from each other: the manic episode and the depressive episode. These episodes can manifest with abnormally high energy or depression and thus can strongly interfere with daily tasks. The first thing when treating a bipolar patient is to establish the medication that stabilizes the mood. Mood instability is the reason bipolar patients need to constantly take their medication.
How does bipolar disorder affect weight gain?
If left untreated, bipolar disorder can cause changes in appetite and eating patterns. Also, these changes in appetite can cause weight fluctuations. There is also evidence showing a direct relationship between medication for bipolar disorder and obesity.
Well-known mood stabilizers have various side effects that influence weight fluctuation. Lithium is believed to lead to hypothyroidism in about 30% of cases, which means that thyroid hormone production decreases and this is often associated with weight gain.
In addition to this, in women who had their psychological treatment prescribed before the age of 20, valproic acid is associated with PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome), which is also related to increased body weight, since it causes an increase in appetite and consumption.
The gastric band and bipolar disorder
The adjustable gastric band will not influence the way the medications are absorbed, but it will help you deal with the increase in appetite obtained due to the medication. What’s more, scientific studies conducted on weight loss surgery patients who also had mental disorders are helpful in this area, showing similar results with bariatric surgery patients who were psychologically healthy. So, if your BMI tells you that you need weight loss surgery, don’t worry, the gastric band is a restrictive procedure, it is a reversible, minimally invasive surgery and bipolar disorder is not an obstacle for you to be able to gastric band. Control your appetite changes.
