The Effects of Bariatric Surgery on Pharmacokinetics of Drugs: a Review of Current Evidence

Purpose of Review Obesity constitutes a major public health concern and has been recognized as an epidemic. To date, bariatric surgery remains the most effective way for substantial long-lasting weight loss in severe obesity. The purpose of this review is to summarize how the pharmacokinetics of drugs are affected by the most common types of bariatric surgery, i.e., Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and sleeve gastrectomy (SG). Recent Findings Limited data are available regarding the changes in pharmacokinetics of drugs after bariatric surgery. The lack of existing guidelines may lead patients to experience drug toxicity or therapeutic undertreatment. Pharmacokinetic parameters that need to be taken into consideration postoperatively include gastric motility, gastric volume, pH, surface area, bile secretions, carrier proteins, and first-pass metabolism. For drugs with a narrow therapeutic index, other factors need to be monitored closely, including plasma drug levels, patients’ clinical outcomes, and laboratory markers. Patients should be followed up frequently and treated in accordance with their response to the drug therapy. Summary Bariatric surgery may affect the pharmacokinetics of various drugs, due to the resultant anatomical changes and the substantial weight loss. Therefore, there is a need to identify those potential changes and adjust patients’ medication doses in order to achieve higher efficacy and avoid toxicity.