Narcotic addiction following gastric bypass surgery--a case study.

Addictive behavior following gastric bypass surgery is widely discussed in the lay press, but published reports provide conflicting evidence regarding the prevalence of postoperative substance abuse among bariatric surgery patients. We present a case report of a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass patient who presented with recurrent and various pain and nausea complaints postoperatively. These symptoms resulted in multiple radiological and operative procedures before her narcotic addiction was identified. Physicians caring for bariatric surgical patients postoperatively need to be aware of this risk and need to be able to identify early signs of potential postoperative addictions.