Increased Risk of Addiction, Substance Abuse, After Bariatric Surgery

A small study of people who had stomach banding surgery for weight loss found that the majority substituted a new addiction, such as alcohol or prescription painkiller abuse, for overeating after their surgeries.

• Valentina Ivezaj and her colleagues at Eastern Michigan University, interviewed 20 patients who had lost an average of 120 pounds after their surgeries.
• The vast majority or 85% said they had substituted a different addiction for overeating, and 75% had unresolved psychological issues.
• The participants told the researchers that they should have had more counseling and direction after their operation.
• Even going to support meetings or reading literature may have helped them with the transition, they reported.

The study was presented at the American Society Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.
 

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July 30, 2010

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