Can You Be Approved For Weight Loss Surgery While Being Prescribed Methadone Opiate Addiction?

I am being prescribed methadone for opiate addiction been of all other drugs for 4 years I'm in the process of trying to have weight loss surgery and trying to find out if they will let me have it done since I'm on methadone?

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Hello, Brandy! How are you?

Have you talked to the doctor or clinic that would be doing the surgery?

There is a chance that you may not be able to, since if you're planning something like stomach banding, it can affect how some medications are absorbed.

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It puts you at greater risks for complications with anesthesia. For elective surgery it is a risk most drs would rather not take. Talk to your surgeon.

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I am having Gastic Sleeve surgery and have been on 110 mg of Methadone for 10 months. My surgeon has been wonderful. All is OK with anethesia and how the methadone will absorb in the new 85% smaller stomach.

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Your Methadone is what is making you overweight. If you keep on taking it, you are likely to simply gain it all back again, and be in worse health from the surgery.

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Re: Methadoneuser (# 4)

That's not always true. Clinical findings do not support this myth. Just another attempt to further stigmatize a drug that has been effective for more then has not. When used appropriately for patients meeting standards for dosing most side effects are transient in nature and can often be elevated with dosage adjustments and or other supportive protocols. It's sad when folks benefiting from use of this drug is unhappy with their life conditions so rather then attempt a positive change they rail against what's keeping THEM ALIVE.

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Methadone does make u gain weight. Not enough to be obese tho. The average person taking methadone gains 7 lbs. I work at a methadone clinic and know everything about the drug for rehab

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Re: Amanda (# 6)

I too work in the drug treatment field at a methadone clinic as an intake process coordinator. Those figures may be your facility's findings, but as far as documentable evidence weight gain is unsupported in all of the literature I've examined over the 11 years I've been employed in this field. I don't profess to know everything relevant to the usage of this drug as an opiate replacement therapy but I just wanted to correct any misconceptions that exist. In fact a similar question was asked on my boards when studying for my CAC/CDC certification. Best Wishes.

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Have you had the surgery already. How are you feeling and how did the anesthesia go?

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Shannon,

I just visited with a client yesterday that underwent bariatric actually a gastric sleeve procedure was on 95 mg daily for 4 years and did wonderfully under general anesthesia. So long as the surgeon, anesthesiologist and med. surgical care team is aware of the patients history this can be achieved.

Best of luck if you consider this procedure.

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Re: Verwon (# 1)

I had gastric bypass I'm on methadone, no problem and insurance paid, good luck

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Wow, you both say you work in a methadone clinic. It's not the methadone itself that makes you gain weight its the sweets that the methadone makes you crave!!

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Re: DeeDee (# 10)

I am terrified to tell the weight loss surgeon about being on a very high dose of methadone. I have plenty of takehomes so getting my medicine after surgery isn't a concern. I don't want to tell the doctor and was considering going down myself and maybe not dosing the day of, so many people will say this is stupid or dangerous but I will die from comorbidies if don't get the surgery. I was wondering if I could just tell the anesthesiologist without him telling the surgeon . If your going to be a rude person don't respond unless you've been in a recovering addicts shoes you can't know the prejudices we go through. I have over a decade clean and am almost willing to go into debt if a Medicaid accepted doctor rejects me because I know they are willing to accept this, I know many women who have had breast augmentation at high doses. I need to know has anyone had surgery under general anesthesia at 220 mgs?

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Re: Puppycat (# 12)

I know exactly how your feeling! The stigmas and prejudice that we as recovering addicts go through is incredibly disheartening! I’ve been on methadone maintenance for over 18 yrs and have underwent multiple surgeries including abdominal and have never had any complications. When I had my appendix removed I was so afraid to tell my surgeon that I waited until I was being wheeled into the OR to tell the anesthesiologist. I felt so lucky because he was so understanding. But not all Doctors have been so compassionate. I’m in your situation now, wanting to have weight loss surgery but I’m extremely apprehensive about admitting that I take methadone because I’m
afraid of being rejected! My current dose is 100mg.

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Re: DeeDee (# 10)

I know you wrote this a year ago but maybe you'll see this message. I'm having bypass surgery. I'm on 40mg of liquid methadone. Will it absorb correctly?

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Re: Puppycat (# 12)

Hello I haven’t gastric bypass surgery but am in the process of going through the motions to have the procedure done. I have been under general anesthesia while on 215 mg of methadone daily. The doctors asked not to take it the morning of surgery but I could take my dose after surgery

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Re: Kip (# 3)

Hey! I know this thread was from quite awhile ago but I was hoping to find out as much info as I can! ;) I have been gaining weight LIKE CRAZY since starting Methadone and I just can’t taking it anymore! But I also don’t think I can get off MMT quite yet.. (love/hate relationship with MMT LOL)
I guess my question is, is that if I have weight loss surgery will I finally start to lose the weight that the methadone has caused me to gain??? PLEASE HELP!!! Thank you so much I’m advance to the person(s) who replies to this! ????

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Re: Amanda (# 6)

I wish that were all that I gained. Been on methadone since 9/28/2016. Weight I started at was 197 pounds, my weight is now over 300 pounds. And I can tell you, I've never been this big in my life. I was in no way prepared for the intensity of sweet cravings the methadone gives. In all honesty, since I never used heroin I should of been put on suboxone instead of methadone. This is what my counselor told me 3 years into my treatment. I went all the way up to taking 120mg and a year in I worked my way down to 60mg and I'm at 50mg now. But the weight had already been gained. I went from hardly eating because the opiates kept my appetite suppressed to eating mostly cereal, candy and ice cream because of the cravings. I packed on the weight in 8 mos. And haven't lost a bit of it yet.

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Re: DeeDee (# 10)

What kind of insurance did you have? I have a medical card and just got my paperwork to get started and on the paper it says specific medical conditions that will restrict you from having the surgery include... And methadone is on the list. I hope this doesn't stop them from proceeding

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Re: Pria (# 15)

What kind of insurance did you have? I have a medical card and just got my paperwork to get started and on the paper it says specific medical conditions that will restrict you from having the surgery include... And methadone is on the list. I hope this doesn't stop them from proceeding

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Re: Jennifer (# 14)

What kind of insurance did you have? I have a medical card and just got my paperwork to get started and on the paper it says specific medical conditions that will restrict you from having the surgery include... And methadone is on the list. I hope this doesn't stop them from proceeding

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Re: Methadoneuser (# 4)

It is not the methodone causing weight gain. That is a myth. Behavior change causes weight gain after opiods are stopped. Once stable, weight gain ceases.

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Re: Methadoneuser (# 4)

I definitely agree with this. I’ve now been on mm for 6yrs from what was initially supposed to be temporary 2yrs. I was 38yrs old (female) when I started on the program and after never in my life once ever having struggled with weight issues, either over or under, I literally gained 20kg in the first two months (I am 150cm, about 5ft, and went from 54kg, to 75kg in about 6weeks). All this, even though I was actually more physically active than I’d been in years. I’m so frustrated and sick of medical professionals acting like this is nonexistent because this is so common for many others, especially females, struggling with the same situation. I’m glad I’m no longer struggling with addiction, but it’s come at a huge cost to my confidence and I am totally depressed and I suffer from weight-related issues now. But I’m in Australia, and unless you have private health insurance, you don’t qualify for gastric bypass surgery to be covered under our regular healthcare system.

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Re: Sierra (# 38)

That is 100% incorrect.. I have been on 213 mg of methadone for 20 years okay plus I am a chronic pain patient from a motorcycle accident at age 19 and nearly died. It left me with a multitude of serious injuries I had to learn to walk again, I had 3rd and 4th degree burns (Road Rash) and was in the burn unit heavily sedated because everyday they would “Bre-Braid” scrape the pavement off of my legs with a very sharp instrument and the pain was so bad I fainted once or twice and then they sedated me even more.. I was left with a myriad of different ongoing pain issues in a multitude of different places, and back then (1989) I was prescribed dilaudid Fentanyl lollipops, Percocet for break thru pain and a few more. The problem with that is I was so hammered that I couldn’t cook because I might burn down the house. Can’t drive because I was impaired.. My entire quality of life was deeply affected and I told my doctor about what it’s like for me and he recommended Methadone.. At that point I was willing to try anything and it was the best decision I’ve ever made…
I am having surgery in two weeks lfrom today to have an entire left hip replacement and they are going too have to give me a myriad of different heavy duty schedule to narcotics opiates to be able to control my pain because I have such tolerance levels and for people that have any sort of injury that’s causing l acute it’s going to hurt more than somebody who doesn’t have methadone baseline in their system and whatever else they may or may not be taking..
My surgeon Dr. Moore referred me to a pain management specialist for my “Pre-Op as well as Post Op” Pain Medications.
he’s also an anesthesiologist and I went and saw him because my fear was that there there they’re not gonna be able to control my pain immediately for the first couple weeks after surgery and I had already been to one or two different pain people and they were useless and my primary care physician was giving me #60 (Only giving me #2 a day. 10 mg Norco‘s which for someone like me is nothing (my bones are grinding bone on bone every step I take is enormously painful ) and so I went to see this guy and he is on it OK there are so many ways For them new routes and you know inventions or whatever of how to deliver pain medication to people like us and the only thing he said regarding my methadone was that he wants to break it up into three times a day only while I’m an inpatient at the hospital, so that way it will also have more lasting pain relief or whatever I can say with confidence that I am very optimistic (cautiously) optimistic that this is going to go well…
I have never ever never seen a surgeon or anesthesiologist doctor is going to tell you that have to stop taking methadone because you’re having gastric bypass or bariatric surgery or hell any kinda surgery OK it has nothing to do with whatever type of operation you’re going to be having.. I know this for a 100% fact in 2016 I checked into the hospital to have a routine gallbladder removal and I already spoken to my surgeon advance and he said yeah I’m gonna give you the pain pump every 10 minutes you hit the button and I would get Dilaudid coming in and I was only supposed to be there for two days for straight up pain control but I had severe severe complications and wound up staying there for 27 days and even then nobody they didn’t stop or change or do anything with my methadone they can’t make you abruptly stop if you were realistically going to stop you would have to taper in and detox so I wouldn’t be afraid it’s not gonna happen or affect anything … it has not affected anything for me and I had boy I had my thyroid removed they sliced me here to ear I had my right shoulder shattered rebuilt I had because it gal bladder with all the complications now I’m having an in complete hip replacement in two weeks not once was I told you can’t take methadone while you’re having this so whoever’s giving you that information it is totally incorrect.. I hope that your surgery goes well and that you have a full recovery!! Best regards Lori

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I am on 80 mg of methadone from the clinic and I am having the weight-loss surgery done I’m on the fourth visit you only have six and I’m wonder if anyone could tell me if they’re gonna tell me I can’t I have the surgery done because of the met no can someone please let me know something thank you

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I need to find a doctor that will do lap band surgery if im on methadone in the inland empire. My Kaiser insurance won't do it

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Re: Denise (# 37)

If I replied more than that once I apologize. But my surgeon that's doing my bariatric surgery even though I'm on methadone is Dr abunnaja from WVU bariatrics in Morgantown West Virginia

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Re: Jennifer (# 14)

Hi hope up see this did you have your surgery and can I ask with who coz I'm been told no for. A few places I've gotten onto because of methadone

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Re: Kip (# 3)

Hi how did your surgery go I'm In same position were did you get yours done

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Re: Zsa zsa (# 24)

My Dr is doing mine next month. His name is Doctor Abunnaja and he is at WVU bariatrics in Morgantown West Virginia.

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Yes ma'am. I've been taking prescription liquid methadone for over 3 years and next month (July 2022) I will be having gastric bypass surgery. They will have to lower my dose at first to see how my "new stomach" will tolerate it. Also as I'm sure you know.... When you go to a methadone or Suboxone clinic you sign papers saying you will not get any narcotics from other doctors for any reason. So you won't be able to have pain meds to help with pain after your surgery. You will have to request a non narcotic.

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