Antidepressants Question...Use for other quuestions also :)

[DallasStar]

Hello Everyone, I have a quick question, as I posted previous, I have been on combo treatment since July 11, The Gastro doctor that started me on my treatment,was no help at all(he is officially fired....lol), so I went to another doctor yesterday, he is wonderful, helped me with everything, gave me prescriptions for sleep/anxiety, and explained so much to me, he is now my new doctor :).. He wants me to find a General Practioner Doctor (Internal Medicine) in case I start to get depressed, I have a problem with antidepressants I have tried in the past, they all make me shake/not sleep, so does anyone know of any that do not make your heart jump out of your chest, this treatment does that all on it own already. I weigh 110, 5'7, so it does not take much to make me shaky...Any comments would be greatly appreciated. Hope everyone is doing well, and dont forget to smile today...

[meandhepc]

Howdy neighbor!
Houston here, I am 120lbs myself and was given 'Elavil' for depression AND pain. I take 1/2 of 25mg pill (I too get very shaky etc on meds) and it has helped me alot. Valium kept me awake lookin like a hoot-owl.  Hope this helps.

[britgirl]

Are you sure you need to take ADs? Do you have history of depression? If not, then I wouldn't take them if they make you feel so bad.

[DownThisRoad]

I am 45 female, 1a genotype and on hepC treatment for 17 weeks now. I was precribed amitriptyline about 1 month before starting my treatment meds.

Amitriptyline has worked well for me so far.  I sleep well, have minor side effects from my pegasys and copagus, and haven't lost much weight.

Amitriptyline is used for an antidepressant, treatment of chronic pain and eating disorders. You may want to ask your doctor about this and see if it can work for you also.

Amitriptyline is also called Elavil so this drug is the same that 'Meandhepc' is talking about in this post.

Others on this forum use variou AD's that work well for them, and some have had to change their AD's in order to find one that really works for them.

Talk to you doctor and tell him your previous reactions to AD's.  Hang in there, good luck!

[psychdoc]

I waited until I had symptoms of depression while on treatment, I think week 12 and then my doctor put me on Lexapro. It only took a week to become effective and I went from crying all day and being non-functional to being able to work again and to feeling like I could finish this treatment. It has made a huge difference. The interferon can cause depression. I have not had any side effects from the AD.
Good luck,
Barb

[meandhepc]

Houston here again......I am/was 1B, been on tx for 11 months now, had all the sides there is, was undetected at 6 month pcr. Am taking Pegasys and Copegasus. (Started out with PegIntron first 2 months and couldnt handle sides or the doctor I had at the time...got a new Dr and went to Pegasys (thats why I am on 11 month, had to restart 48 week, UGH!) Have 6 shots to go!
I ask my new doctor for the meds I think will help, have gone thru several meds until one helped and he is there to help always. I am very blessed for going to him since last October. Yes, we have rain and sunshine, the weather lately is like me....a Yo-Yo!  :)

[lackalustre]

wow i thought i was thin.  you are an inch taller than me and weigh the same as me.     i tried every anti depressant there is and they made my heart race, feel very weak, and totally wired.   trazadone is the one i used during tx.  1/2 a tab.  plan to go off it now.     took elavil years ago but it affected my liver.

[BethUK]

If you read the product information about interferon, It states that (info from studies), around 29% will get depressed.  Yet it seems to me that in the U.S.  the majority of you go on them just in case!  Seems a bit strange to me.  I did my 48 weeks of pegintron last year.  I screamed at my family a bit, but I could not say I was clinically depressed.  I'd say don't put your body through any more drugs unless you think it's absolutely necessary.

[cc2]

Why not wait to see if you need any?  Maybe you have been on these meds and have a depression problem and if so I would continue.  If not, give yourself a chance you may not need them through tx.  I did not do tx and there were a few days I cry and of course the riba rage, but I made it.  Best to you

[SoFla]

Hi there Dallas, I have 17 weeks left to go of the 48 ((1a) and my experience thus far has been major anxiety more than actual depression. My doc put me on effexor which works almost immediately. It keeps the anxiety at bay. When the anxiety gets too much, I take a colonopin which calms me down and allows me to socialize and handle stress much better.  
  
So you might want to wait till you need them and not add more medicines to your system if you don't need it.

Not only are we all becomming experts on Hep C and tx, but we are becomming experts in the AD world as well.....Who woulda thought!!!      :)

DS

[MichaelT]

I have to throw in with those advocating to wait and see if you need anti-depressants. It is hard to predict what meds will work for you on treatment if you do become depressed. Often you have to go thru several before you find one that "clicks."

I would recommend seeing a psychiatrist over another specialist for prescribing antiD's. There are, at last count, a zillion different drugs and combining different meds to achieve the desired effects - so there are meds that won't cause the reaction you are concerned about.