WARNING:has anyone heard of the term "depression after back surgery" ?

Hey ace_rick,

Me again, lol. Depression, albeit more transient than clinical most likely, can result from chronic pain and occur with someone who is sedentary most of the time. Pain and lack of stimulation probably causes a shift in brain chemicals but once the pain is under control and the patient can return to everyday activities the depression can lift. If the depression has lasted more than a couple of months, best to be evaluated by a medical professional in my opinion. I am not against medications, as you know, but believe that they are prescribed too quickly sometimes. Depression gone untreated for long periods is believed to increase the chances of dementia in later years.

Best wishes,

Laurie

Anyone can experience depression after a surgical procedure especially if you are still having pain. That does not mean you are clinically depressed. Only a doctor specifically a physciatrist whom should be handling anti depressant meds anyway. Just my opinion...

Hi there Ace, well me myself and I, have had four back surgeries which took away my 30's so talk about depression i was in it. i was on so many drugs i felt like a guenie pig i was a test rabbit trying all kinds of drugs changing them everymonth. this was over a 10year span. It wasn't until this last year i finally found a pain doc who got all my files read everything i have taken over the last ten years, and my file fills two boxes. and she put me on a drug regiment that has saved my life. it took 10 years but it happened. i have no idea what your question was i just told you my experience if you actually wanted me to answer something i'm sorry can you ask me again,.

I've never seen it put in writing, but I can believe it. My 3 back and neck surgeries were very painful, and took a great deal of time, energy and pain to recover from and they didnt even help all that much. Of course, before any surgery you are busy, trying to get things done and are in high hopes of the surgery being a success. I've heard the failure rate for back surgeries is close to 80% so that is a lot of disappointment and grief to process through. My first back surgery they took bone from my hip and I got a bone infection and was back in the hospital for a week. They did a C section cut and cut through all those core muscles, then the Second back Surgery was from the back and cut through all those muscles. I would have to say at 10 years post- surgery I am still trying to recover from the damage done by the surgeries. I have been in depressions on and off the past 27 years and some of my deepest ones were after my surgeries.