HYPER, ANTSY, UP ALL NIGHT LONG, IRRITABLE..POST TX

[darcar]

HELP!
my bf..has been on interferon / ribavirin for 3 years straight...he is now off of it only two weeks and his moods are all over the place.
before he was always sleeping..now he is very hyper, talks alot, cant sleep all night long,
restless.
he is on 20mg paxil a day..and also smokes alot of pot to calm him down..but he doesnt seem any mellower to me..especially since he stopped the interferon/ ribavirin.
Has anyone experienced this?
is this normal?
he was on tx once before and then off it years before for six months but then the virus came back and he had to go back on it again.
He doesnt remember if he was like this the last time around when he was off the meds.
What is going on..
please help.
thanks !
Darcar

[desrt]

Not remembering what it was like last time I'd blame on the pot. Moods all over the place I'd blame on the IFN. Everything else I would blame on the Pax.
But that's just my opinion.

[darcar]

thanks...how about the being up all night like a bat?? lol
he was never hyper..antsy restless this way.
and he is now off the ifn....
is there any withdrawal effects ?
thanks!

[merryBe]

there are thing for hyper activity that work better than Paxil and don't mess with the liver. If he smokes pot, he will incurr rapid fibrosis, it's worse than alcohol, and both are deadly if you have HepC.
recommend getting him off Paxil, perhaps try Ambien for sleeping, for moods, see how he does when he gets a good night sleep, if they don't improve with that, than you might be better of with xanax for aniety than taking serratonin inhibitors. Worth a try.

[alagirl]

Hi.  Since I seem to be "up all night" I'll respond to your up all night question before I drive the board crazy with new posts.  If your bf was anemic or just plain feeling bad on the tx, then afterwards, he may just be feeling better.  I know that when I was very anemic I couldn't stay awake to save my life.  But normally, I'm pretty hyperactive.  My red blood cell count has a lot to do with how much energy I have.  

[alagirl]

Oh yeah, and both my son and I take adderall for adhd.  Works great.  

[desrt]

Saying that pot is deadly and worse for your liver than alcohol is one of the sillier things I've seen posted here lately. Even the hardcore anti-pot people couldn't agree with that.
And, no, I don't smoke.

[darcar]

thanks .to both !
the idea about the xanax is a good idea..because i dont see much effect from the paxil on his anxiety and restlessness. I wish he didnt smoke pot,  because i figure its just not good for his lungs and cant be good for his liver either...it still has to detoxify one more thing , right? BUT,
He has that addictive/ substance abuse personality which if he didnt have that, he probably would not have HepC today. So, getting him to stop smoking pot...well...i dont have any illusions about that one!
Also, i do wonder if perhaps this is more his regular personality when OFF the meds?
i have known him only on int/rib therapy..and he was sort of anxious even then...but now is the first time in years he is off it..and its the first time im knowing him minus tx.
His daughter is hyper too...so im wondering if maybe this is just him!?
Alagirl..i dont think its a result of anemia..although i wondered about that possibility too...
but his blood counts were always fine on tx...
it seems to be more of an anxiety thing going on.
Well.. we will see...
it sure seems like a rollercoaster on and off tx!
thanks very much for your feedback.
:-)

[jmjm530]

Be careful with xanax given what you describe as your husband's "addictive/substance abuse personality". Make sure you discuss this with any doctor before asking them to prescribe xanax.

-- Jim

[darcar]

maybe thats why they didnt prescribe xanax...because it is highly addictive?

my guess is your guess is correct jim.

thanks.
darcar

[jmjm530]

Yes, highly addictive and withdrawal can be incredibly difficult. That's what my shrink told me and someone here recently posted a horror story on withdrawing, although for some reason she had to stop taking it all at once. This isn't to say that he shouldn't take xanax, just be aware of the issues and discuss with your doctor.

-- Jim

[jmjm530]

Come to think of it, it may have been "ativan" or another anti-anxiety agent, that the person noted had problems withdrawing from. Can't remember. But in any event, xanax is addicting and that should be factored in before prescribing to anyone -- especially someone with an addictive/substance abuse personality.

-- Jim

[alagirl]

jmjm - you're right about the xanax.  I've seen lots of people tremendously addicted to it and a friend of mine who takes huge amounts of it all day (I can't even stay awake after 1 so not sure how he does it) tried to detox and just couldn't do it.  I somehow escaped that whole addictive personality thing.  I use it to go to sleep every once in a while.  

darcar - I think anytime you've met someone and they have something very different going on, like they are on this heavy duty medication, you have to look at the fact that their natural personality may be a little different when they are off of it.  Even without anemia my understanding is that the combo tx makes you tired.  Stratera is supposed to work well for adults with adhd.   My son and I have just both been on adderall for years and it works well so we've stayed with it.  But it may not be a good med for someone with an addictive personality.  Anyway, is his new behavior bothering you more, or him, or are you both upset about it, or?

[darcar]

hi again..
yes..he was very tired on the meds..but now he seems very wired...and cant sleep at all. and thats not him. and i can see it is bothering him alot too. plus he seems very irritable ..not towards me, but just in general.
Yes Alagirl, it does bother me, and im not sure how much of it is him, his natural personality, the meds, coming off the meds, the pot..the addictive personality.!
im not sure if its a drug issue..medical issue, psychological issue, addiction issue..
OR all of the above combined.
so, im just a bit confused as to what is going on...
thought maybe id get some clarity on it.
All i do know..is its worse since coming off the int/ riba.
thanks

[alagirl]

I understand.  I think in your shoes I might be less than thrilled with some of the above as well.

[darcar]

hi Alagirl..
its not that im not thrilled..
im more confused by  and concerned about it.
he is a good guy who is going thru a rough time, and i think from where he is at..its even harder for him to see it in the detached way that i can.
I hope things will settle down some as he is off the meds longer ..but we will see.
i know that on the meds it can cause alot of mood swings, but how about coming off of them?
that was my original question.
again..thanks.

[jmjm530]

I'm surprised no one has picked up on the fact that your husband has been treating for THREE YEARS STRAIGHT. This is an awfully long time, and perhaps a record here. I've only heard one doctor who would treat that long, and only became aware because he has a very high internet profile. It is not standard protocol at all.

If I may ask, how old is your husband and how much liver damage did he have going into treatment? Also, do you know what week in treatment he became undetectible?

Back to your problem, given the nature of these drugs and the very long time he was on them, he may need a lot of time to recover both physically and mentally. Hopefully, you have a good medical team in the wings when and if needed. It may take some time.

All the best,

-- Jim

[jmjm530]

Just want to add that some have reported being a bit hyper immed following treatment and then calmed down within a month. Hopefully, your bf will follow suit with that issue. As to the mood swings, hopefully once he becomes less hyper, the swings will also be less. He needs time.

[alagirl]

true

[darcar]

hi Jim.
thanks sooo much for that reply.
my bf, has indeed been on inter/ riba.. for 3 years straight.
he is geno 1a and has cirrhosis, diagnosed by liver biopsy.
he was on paxil only 10mg a day ..but then it was upped this summer to 20mg.
he has never needed procrit .
most of his symptoms were the flulike, feverish, exhaustion, irritability, abdominal,
skin rashes whilst on the treatment.
yes 3 years is a long time but his gastro in nyc is supposed to be one of the best.
Also, this past summer his tryglycerides spiked over 100 so he was put on Tricor for that .
He has only come off the int/ rib for about two weeks and this anxiousness/ not sleeping change seems to have started with the switch.
im a nurse, but not very knowledgeable in HepC , and thats why i came here, ..i know that often the best answers are from the people who are going thru it themselves.
nobody will ever know better than you guys here..and i respect your wisdom / experience in dealing with this disease and treatment.
As a nurse, i do know that for certain,and dont dare underestimate that he is probably having major hormonal shifts and readjustments in his chemistry ..
and yes, im sure it will take alot of time to normalize again.
both drugs are very powerful , with plenty of side effects ..so i really do think it is mostly about this .
of course, the pot is probably not helping either.
thanks jim.
your post really helped alot.
as did all of the others too!!
thanks guys and gals.
u r the best!
:-)

[darcar]

his tryglycerides spiked over 1000 !

not 100  ..

[alagirl]

He might find a different antidepressant helpful too.  They aren't a one size fits all.  He really needs to let his doc know how he is in order to check with him/her about some tx for his symptoms.

[jmjm530]

I was hoping there was a reasonable explanation for the three years of treatment, and the fact that he had cirrhosis explains it to some extent. Hopefully, the three years on the drugs not only will give him SVR (cure) but will also have regressed his liver damage. You're bf is a very lucky guy having you as a gf. I agree with "ala" that ADs often have to be adjusted, be it dosage or brand name.

All the best,

-- Jim

[darcar]

well..thats a given..
YEP..HE IS A VERY LUCKY GUY..HAVING ME AS HIS GIRLFRIEND...
LOL

nah..really..i just care about him...and its that simple.
when he is suffering , i know he cant help alot of it.
And sure he made bad choices back in his rocknroll 20's ..but whatever.
he is still a human being..a heart and soul..good or bad..
love isnt just being there in the good times.
its hard to be there for me at times..but learning and understanding this helps me alot..
as do alot of people here..
thanks thanks thanks! big hugs and have a great weekend.

[jmjm530]

Give it at least six weeks post treatment before jumping to any conclusions. And even then, like I say, things can take time. "Big hugs" back and a great weekend to you both. Maybe drag him for a walk, if possible. A little bit of light exercise can sometimes do wonders.

-- Jim