Background: There is currently no evidence to support the routine use of an abdominal drain following laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB). Our aim was to investigate drain use in laparoscopic RYGB and its effects on postoperative pain.Methods: Sixty-six patients were randomly divided into two groups as no-drain (n = 36) and with-drain (n = 30). Intraoperative (time, blood loss, complications) and postoperative outcomes (morbidities, pain scores, hospital stay) were compared.Results: Demographics of both groups were comparable. Three patients in the no-drain group required a drain (8.3%). Median visual analog scale scores for days 1–3 for with-drain and no-drain groups were 4.5 (2–9) vs. 3 (0–8) (p = 0.02), 3 (0–7) vs. 2 (0–7) (p = 0.10), and 2 (0–7) vs. 0 (0–4) (p = 0.0004), respectively. There was no difference between the groups in terms of complications and length of hospital stay.Conclusion: Drain use increased the postoperative pain following laparoscopic RYGB. Drain placement following laparoscopic RYGB should be selective instead of a routine application.