Are antidepressants necessary ?

I will be starting treatment (Interferon-Ribavirin )soon for HVC.  Found slight diver damage in last biopsy. My doctor has prescribed Effexor 75m to ward off deprestion.. I have read a lot about the adverse effect of this drug and that it is almost imposable to get off of. Can this treatment be completed without the AD

[Ladlo]

Now that I have my glasses on that is (liver) not diver.

[Kalio1]

I have not had the need for depression meds. Some do need them, some don't. Maybe you could give it a try and if you find yourself having symptoms of depression you could use them. I have them on hand if needed, but so far I haven't needed them. I am in week 38 or so.

[Stvski80085]

My experience with effexor was very bad.  It made me feel like **** and getting off the drug is worse than the sides I got last night from my first shot.  I was in bed for a week straight when I decide to quit taking it.  I know some people do well but I would look for another one because suicide rates were posted on their website.  I take welbutrin which is broke down by the liver but my liver is in good shape so the doc said that it would be fine.  I had went through effexor, paxil, and another one in the same class and they made me feel very bad when I took them.  Welbutrin is the only thing I will take now for fear of having these problems while I'm on treatment.  I guess you really won't know until you try it and see how it works for you.  Just watch how you feel closely and discuss with your doc.  I have a bad taste for effexor but most don't have this problem.

Take care,

Steve

[bobbyullc]

NO! only 25 -30 % ever get depressed and they are usually people who have had some depression before.
there are many types. i used citolopram and it helped a lot. i did only take 1/4 not the full 1 perscribed. there are others here who have had good results on other drugs
bobby

[52TELE]

Hi. My wife's OB doc had her take effexor to help with hormonal mood swings and being downright nasty. What a horrible experience. She couldn't stand the way it made her feel and then went through a living hell trying to get off of it.She was like a different person during the tapering off period. A really mean person.
My doc started to prescribe effexor and I kindly declined. He prescribed Lewxapro instead. Much better.

Good Luck , and you are probably going to need to take something at somepoint in the treatment.

[fivecities]

I havent begun treatment yet (treated back in 1996-1998) and may have to do so again in the near future.  DR. prescribed same anti-dpressant for me to try out.  It made me jittery and couldnt sleep.  I asked for Wellbutrin which I know I tolerate better.

First time around I did not have anti-depressants, but probably should have.  I did find myself in a deep funk on many occassions and the meds would have helped. Nobody discussed it with me and I didnt ask for anything.

Regards,

[sindog]

I've taken Clonazapan (?spelling), Zolloft, and a few others. The problem I had was that I have never suffered from depression before tx and it was hard for me to recognize the symptoms. Most of the anti-depressants I took made me ill. Clonazapan was the exception and is very mild. I'm not taking any now and feel ok. I've learned over time that I cannot trust my brain on tx, so I try to ignore my thoughts.

[susan400]

I was able to do 8 separate rounds of treatment without antidepressants.  However, if you really need them and your doctor recommends them for you, I see nothing wrong with taking them.  I just couldn't handle the added side effects of the antidepressants and decided just to do without and managed nicely.

Susan

[Dale_Ray]

You have to suffer from depression for the anti depressant (untake drugs) to do much for you. However my doctor would not let me start treatment until I had taken Effexor for 6 weeks. Horrible stuff made me feel worse than anything about treatment. Once I got the treatment started I began cutting the effexor in half for a week and then a quarter for another week and then dropping them. I found most of my brain at that point. My wife told me I looked like I was ready to go to a funeral while I was taking them. if you need them though you need them. Best of luck to you. I think doctors get vacations from drug companies based on how many designer drugs they prescribe. Dale

[NYgirl]

I believe personally that everyone on treatment really needs an AD if they experience any of the symptomms AT ALL.

I started on Paxill a month before tx started. I'd never been on one before in my life. It completely warded off the deep depression that is perhaps the most dangerous side effect of the Interferon. It enabled my brain to "cool out" so the thoughts weren't zinging around constantly.  I've had nothing but a wonderful experience on it.

However if it did not work I would not have assumed that ALL ADs wouldn't work - I would have given a few more a shot to see if one could help.

There is a REAL danger of depression and it should NOT be taken lightly...it CAN cause you harm (and not just stopping treatment either).

Best of luck!

[NYgirl]

PS You can't just STOP taking an AD you need to wean off SLOWLY during a good period of time and it is possible to do.  I took myself off and, unfortunately, realized I needed to go back on, asap.

[willows]

Ditto for me like NYGirl, I have started on Paxil already with a very cool shrink to help with the depression.  I don't start my tx for about three more weeks, but now I know I am ready and I already got the beginning side effects of Paxil over.  I was just one of the ones that got depressed badly from tx, cried every day, etc.  Feeling like that could not have helped my tx and I will never know if it kept me from responding.  Does not matter today, today I am more proactive, have already found a safety net for any mental sx with my wonderful shrink (he says that IFN is harder than even chemo for serious cancer)and now am ready to take on IFN.  

Won't lie tho, I get scarrrred still, just waiting for the doc appointment and to hear what kind of new tx he has in mind.  But chattin here is so fine.  Can we get this board to play some music?  That would make my life fine!  

If you have a thorough gastro, at least a conversation in depth about Anti-dees would be a good thing.  Consider them a rescue drug, the more rescue the better.
Willow

[Dale_Ray]

Debby: I ran into someone on J n F that lives in the Bronx and evidently has a terrible doctor. At 12 weeks their VL went from 12m to 27k and the doctor is thinking of stopping treatment. The doctor didn't think the numbers were good enough. I remember Beagle saying you had a great doctor. The persons screen name was roe1951 and I told them to contact you here for the information. Hope that was okay, Dale

[bobbyullc]

that is a 2.64 log drop. sounds good to me but i do not know the particulars.
bobby

[lilmoma]

I think mine was more ANXIETY than depression, and NO, I do not subscribe to "everybody" goin on ADs just because. Some of the emotion is very natural, I felt sick all the time, tired, yeah, that is kinda depressing, but that is not "depression" I was not sitting around "sad and blue for no apparant reason"
I take a chill pill if the rage/anxiety in me starts to get to me, and Im fine.

[Dale_Ray]

Hey Bobby - I told them (not sure if male or female) that my doctor was dancing on the table because I had similar results. I don't understand this doctors mentality. They will probably be clear at 24 weeks and on the road to recovery. Of course there are many factors I am not aware of from such a quick back and forth on a message board. Sounds like this doctors specialty is depressing his poor patient though. My doctor said that a 2.5 log drop meant success or the best possibility of it. When you have a good doctor these horror stories amaze. Hope you have a great 4th. Dale

[doglover28]

I take celexa the generic name is citolopram.  I haven't even started treatment yet, but my anxiety was so bad, my doctor gave it to me along with lorazapam (gereric for ativan).  It has really helped me.  I mentioned in an earlier post, I think I've always needed the AD, but was afraid to take it because of all the horror stories in the media.    My mom took paxil when she went through a nasty divorce. It helped her.  My AD took a few weeks to kick in.

[wMich]

My own personal not tellin' anyone what to do take on this: I don't think that people should head into Tx assuming they will get depressed to the point where they will need anti-depressants UNLESS they have a history of depression. The occurance of transient, situational, mild depression in treating and non-treating people does not usually call for prescribing ADs. If treaters do become more than mildly depressed on Tx it is another matter, just as it is with non-treaters. To use ADs as a pre-emptive strike against possible Tx depression just seems a little odd. Like loading up on Vicodin a week before the root canal. But to each his own, eh?   - Lee in sunny Michigan

[goldyn]

I do get a little blue  once or twice hit a little funk but it usually subsides in a couple days, like lilmomma, i suffer more from anxiety so i take ativan at least once a day to chill out  doc said to take more if i need it.

[susan400]

Like I said before, I think it depends on the person on whether or not they need anti-D's.  I've taken anti-depressants before, many years back before ever treating and none of them worked for me.  I felt horrible physically when I was on them. I had sleep problems on them, fatigue, weight gain, sweating, headaches, nausea, constipation etc., etc.  They tried 10 different ones.  I did treatment without them and I managed just fine.  To just automatically put a person on them who is not depressed, just because they are treating is wrong.  You should wait and see if the person needs them for depression.  After that, I see nothing wrong with it if that depressed person wants on them.  That's IMHO.

Susan

[NYgirl]

Hey kid!

I live up in Westchester County - from the Bronx probably a half hour car ride straight up the highway (easy) so it's a bit far but I do have a great doctor at the medical group (the great doctor who I thought was a MORON who I knew more than when I started LOL).  His name is Dr. Oren Kahn at the Mt. Kisco Medical Center, NY.

I will be seeing dr. Jacobson (the world famous guy) in August for my second opinion. Unfortunately he takes no insurance (but I can submit and get back 80% from insurance company). His newcomer appt costs $600 so that's high but if he needs the BEST to be the second opinion and stay on treatment - there would be no better than him to over ride the other doc.

My doc (Kahn)takes insurance and is VERY nice and easy to deal with and his NP staff is VERY good. 914-241-1050 if they need it.

I hope they get a second opinion it doesn't seem to make sense to me to quit with those numbers - they ARE responding~ my doc would NOT let me quit no way!

Debby

[strator]

So far I've gotten through 41weeks without them. there are occasional days when I wonder if that was the right choice, but I may have felt like that without tx. One thing though is that I have been prepared to accept them if it was necessary. I actually went to a therapist for months aqt the suggestion of my dr to see if I fit any criteria for starting them at the beginning of tx. Together we decided i would wait and see... One barometer I go by is if I start making the one's around me miserable- it would be time for ADs.
Be Well,
Don

[MissMiss]

About ten years ago I went to the doc to schedule a hysty.  HE wouldn't even talk to me til he put me on some ad's and got that under control.  It was very obvious I was seriously depressed but without ins. for so many years I just suffered, and so did my family.  I've had this virus 38 years now and had some kind of depression most of the latter years.  

I had to try two different ad's but Wellbutrin worked.  A life saver, dare I say.  My point, if I hadn't been depressed to start I don't think they would have worked.  Probly would have tried a dozen and not found the right reaction.  I don't take it all the time even now.  Not for the last 6 weeks actually.  But, I am feeling the need again so will resume the Wellbutrin.

Why take an antibiotic if you don't need it?  Why take an AD if you don't need it?  But, why wait to take one if you DO need it.

miss

[sfbaygirl]

My GI doc told me I had to be on an AD before tx. He also wanted the name of my shrink. I think this is his standard protocol. My last dr. said the same thing. He wanted me on an AD before treatment. Apparently people who have never been depressed before can develop suicidal thoughts and tendancies without notice. That is scary. My GI had a patient commit suicide (probably cuz he never returned his calls) kidding....but I think it is a good precaution to take one. When someone gets depressed, many times they do not seek help. If it is tx induced you all can imagine how isolated and helpless that would be.

I take Prozac and have had no problems with it. Both my docs have said usually the depression on tx starts around the second month. So far so good for me. What scares me is to have a 30% chance of suicidal ideations caused by a drug. I would rather be safe than dead.

Last night I had my first bout of Riba rage. I was surprised at how  some drug can cause such anger! I felt like I could be one of those road rage idiots. If the tx can do this why not suicide thoughts or actions?

To me it's not worth the risk of something bad like that happening. I will take the AD's and think most people should on tx.

[susan400]

Well, I've tried 10 different anti-D's in the past and I for one, am done with it.  No more for me.  If a Hep-C doctor said that to me about the anti-D's, I'd tell him to pound sand and then, I'd politely leave the office and find a new doctor.  Or, I'd take his dumb prescription with me as I was leaving the office, I'd toss in the garbage.  I think that if I don't want to be on anti-D's while I'm on treatment then it should be my choice and not their demanding it.  I've gotten through any depression issues with my therapist and with my friends and with prayer.  I think that those of you that need them and have a good result with them, then you go for it. I'm happy for you that they work for you.

Susan

[Drarig]

Hey there Ladlo, that's great you are starting tx.  (I'm on Peg/Riba, Week 18/48, 1A).  As far as AD's, everyone is different, as you can see.  I have not had to take them yet as tx really hasn't made me depressed, other than not having as much patience as I used to.  I have been one of the lucky ones & haven't had serious probs w/sx other than low wbc, so I can work full-time & still exercise at my previos fitness level, and that helps me get rid of stress (which I have loads of) & provides lots of energy.  Best of luck to you when you start.

[favor971]

hi im online and i caame across this site, it seems a litle confusing to me. My email is ***@**** just in case i cant figure this out. I will be starting treatment soon, and i have some fear going on. Im also a recovering addict with 3yrs clean, I just dont want to think about using drugs behind getting depressed.

[favor971]

Im going to be starting treatment soon, im already on antidepressants, my mood is stable but of course i have'nt started taking the medication. I dont want to relaspe back on drugs due to depression and overwheliming saddness that i;ve read about, and I wonder will I be able to work, I cant lose my job.

[Bill1954]

Hi Favor,

You’ll want to post this as a new question by scrolling to the top of the page, and clicking on the green “post a question” button. This is an old thread, and folks will miss your question here—

Bill