Husband's depression after open heart surgery

My father suffered depression years ago after his quadruple bypass. A short term antidepressant was helpful. Did the doctor mention switching to a different med? Years later my dad took several medications for depression and they were quite helpful. Sometimes it’s finding the right med, dose and/or combination of meds that proves helpful. Mental anguish is so distressing. For our family it worked out well.

My father also had heart surgery several times and I noticed that he was changed afterwards, he never took any medication other than nitroglycerin for angina pain and after time passed he seemed to start feeling better again. I think depression is very common after major surgery and especially for men who were always strong in their lives, feeling weak and vulnerable is hard for them to cope with, perhaps given time your husband will get better again and failing that he may want to make the decision whether to take a medication to help him, best wishes.

Sorry to hear this. I also once was taking something that made me depressed, but stopped immediately. Keep on trying to find the right one and be aware it takes about 6 weeks for an antidepressants to start working. Good luck. Don’t give up

My brother had triple bypass surgery last year and suffered from depression, which seems to be common after effects after this surgery. Part of his treatment plan was talk therapy which he found helpful.

All of the response posts make sense, dubbs.
You and your husband should have been informed (upon discharge) that depression following open heart surgery is almost a given, especially in men. Lorazepam and hydroxyzine will do absolutely nothing for his depression, in fact, such drugs might add to his depression. Of course, they help with anxiety...and sleeping a lot is not what he needs to be doing right now. Rest for sure. But he should have a cardiac rehab program in place or soon to be started to help in recovery. In fact, your medical center's cardiology department should offer programs/options to help their post-op cardiac patients do exactly this. Perhaps check into that. There are even support groups for open heart surgery post-op patients which he might greatly benefit from. In my opinion, your husband should not languish in depression. He needs help for this...hopefully short term. And genetically he might be prone to depression, complicating things. There are many, many medications for him to try...often it's trial and error. There is most certainly a drug that will work for him. Instead of SSRIs - he might respond better to SNRIs. And the best physician to prescribe such medications is not your surgeon/PCP/cardiologist but a psychiatrist. Ask for a referral for an evaluation for your husband.
Gradually, slowly your husband needs to recuperate from his surgery. He most certainly needs a full program in place. Sleeping a lot is not helpful to him, in fact it's detrimental for him in getting back on track with his life.
Cardiac programs are available for his physical, emotional and mental recovery. Antidepressions are serious medications but seem to be necessary right now. Help is available for him...be his strong advocate!
All the best to your husband and you...life post open heart surgery can/will get better for sure! Don't give up!

My heart goes out to you and your husband. I'm 79 and recently had a 6-hr. spinal fusion surgery. It's a life altering surgery and I'll have mobility restrictions for the rest of my life. I was a very active and resilient person and retired only 2 years ago. Post-surgery I had a bout of depression. There were other issues in my life that likely contributed to it, but I found myself unable to shake off a sadness and I was overly emotional and cried at the drop of a hat. No one I knew had gone through this type of surgery. People would say "Oh, I know someone who had back surgery and they were fine after a month." That's BS. Not every surgery is the same. I felt alone with no one to talk with and no one to share my concerns. The GP practice that I go to has a therapist on staff, so I made an appointment. An aunt began calling me nearly every day and I found that I could talk with her about family, spiritual, and emotional issues and she is someone I can trust. The surgery itself, medications, a person's mental and emotional status before surgery, fears of mortality, family issues, and questions about ability to lead a normal life after surgery-- all contribute to a mental funk. It's my firm belief that the medical practice in general doesn't prepare a person for post-surgery emotional needs. They only tell you what you can expect from a medical perspective. There should/must be patient education beyond the medical perspective. A few sessions with the therapist and the talks with my aunt were helpful in getting back to my old self. I'm learning to cope with and accept physical limitations, happy to be alive, and grateful that there was someone to talk with about my anxieties.

I'm now in this heart-focused chat forum because I was recently diagnosed with mild atherosclerosis. I've consulted with a cardiologist to establish a baseline of care. It's frustrating at times because I've always endeavored to live a healthy lifestyle and it doesn't seem fair that this should be a health issue for me. It's worrisome at times, but if I've learned anything from the recent health journey, it's that I can endure and go on, and I will continue to do my best to stay healthy and seek help from whatever resources are available. This Mayo chat forum is helpful and beneficial. It's a way of knowing we are not alone in our health struggles/challenges.

@briarrose
Thank you for your response. He was in a Cardiac program but had to stop because he developed Orthstatic Hypotension. We seem to have that under control and I have reached out to the Cardiac program to see if they could take him back. He is also in a program called TMS. Slow progress but hoping that it will help his depression
I am now searching for a psychiatrist.

That would be wonderful if your husband is able to get back to his cardiac rehab.
Hope the TMS will slowly become more effective for him.
It would be easier for you if you could get a recommendation for a psychiatrist.
Can your PCP, cardiologist or cardiology program refer you to someone?
It's hard when you are just going in blind to someone.
Perhaps (if you have this) the mental health portion of your health insurance can help you?
If on Medicare that is your primary insurance...but if you have secondary insurance? If so, it might be worth looking into.
All the best.