Nursing Challenges in the Administration of Oral Antidepressant Medications in Gastric Bypass Patients

More than half of gastric bypass patients take antidepressants preoperatively, presenting some unique considerations with this patient population. The challenges associated with antidepressant medications are experienced both preoperatively and postoperatively. As the gastric bypass option becomes more readily used in the treatment of obesity, the requirement for understanding the effect of this procedure on any alteration of medications will become more clinically important. The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of the potential challenges in providing optimal patient care for the gastric bypass patient who is taking antidepressant medications.