HelixTalk Episode #114 - What Else to Lose Beside Weight? Nutritional and Pharmacologic Consequences of Bariatric Surgeries

Date posted: June 9, 2020, 6:00 am

In this episode, we discuss important nutritional deficiencies as well as pharmacologic changes that occur in post-bariatric surgery patients.

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Key Concepts

1. While bariatric surgeries provide multitude of health benefits, their long-term consequences include nutritional deficiencies and health conditions arising from these deficiencies.
2. Patients should be monitored for these nutritional deficiencies before and after bariatric procedures. 
3. All patients should receive preventative supplementation doses using multivitamins. Doses for additional supplementation (treatment) depend on the severity of the deficiency as well as physical consequences.
4. Bariatric surgeries result in altered GI pH, reduced absorption area, and changes in metabolic enzymes which can lead to altered drug absorption, bioavailability, and metabolism. These PK alterations should prompt changes in current medications, monitoring, and drug formation of future medication recommendations.