What can I take for more energy?

On triple tx week 7, My exhaustion is unbelievable. I have had my first blood drawn, doc says everything
Is  normal, I am not normal...by far. I think the weakness along with  the tastes kicks my butt the most
I pray for a whole lot for strength. Every day is a new challenge.  Everything tastes like crap! Ice cream burns my mouth, swallowing pills is hard, like my throat is swollen.  Shoot...doc won't prescribe AD's for me till I tell him I'm really suffering from depression. I want to be the most peaceful person I can be while on therapy. My job is to heal others. I can't be a basket case to do this. Is there anything that can pick up my mood besides antidepressants?

[ann61]

I recommend that you obtain copies of all of your lab results and you can monitor yourself.  Your results may be "normal" for someone on Week 7 of tx, but not "normal."  Certainly by this time your hgb should have dropped with resulting anemia and consequently exhaustion.  It is also hard to eat every 8 hours.  I find my sleep pattern to be totally disrupted.  

I am in the middle of Week 11 of triple tx.  I felt like **** for about 9 to 9 weeks.  Although my hgb is 9.2, my wbc count tanked and I was in bed from the time I got home from work until I had to get up the next morning.  Once my wbc rebounded and I got my diarrhea under control, I was like a new person.  I can handle the strange tast in my mouth and the gagging as I try to swallow pills.  These issues pale in comparison to what I've been through.

My advice:  Get your lab results and see for yourself!  Good luck and hope you feel better.

[MsDragonSlayer]

Still waiting,  hep c results will be in hopefully by this Friday. I hope to feel better, all I can do is pray for strength. Today is a baddddd day, thanks for the advice!

[crossroadsec]

We've been there. I feel for ya.. I use sublingual b12 n a dr approved multi w whey protein shakes. I swear nutrition got me thru the worst so far. And the tongue n taste thing is no fun. I love salsa... :( I have this limited list of things that taste good n I'm tired of em. Hang in there. Karen

[orleans]

The fatigue I experienced on tx was debilitating. My hepatoligist prescribed Provigil. The dose was 100mg. I only took 50. It helped but caused me migraines, a condition I already had so I had to stop. Had to stop working also. Just couldn't do it. jm

[crossroadsec]

I've heard a lot about provigil lately. Is it an antidepressant or like SamE?

[Livinontheedge]

Provigil is for sleep apnea or narcolepsy.   Not a AD.  I cannot understand why her Doctor will not give her a AD????  Thats not practical.   My GI would not let anyone go on treatment for HCV without one already prescribed.   Just goes to show you the difference in doctors methods.  
I know for me, I have had some difficulty with depression , mood swings and anxiety, which has I have been battling for 10 years before tx.   Therefore with out them I would of not been able to have started tx.    And I am in my 4th week now and already have had to adjust my dosages.   Would of not made it through this so far with out them.    

[orleans]

Provigil is an "upper", ya know "speed", (can't spell anphidamine) if I am not mistaken. Fighter jet pilots are given it for long combat missions but at 400mg. That's what I remember reading when I goggled it. Of course I was in the middle of txing then and I wouldn't sware to it! I still have the bottle of them though I don't know why I kept them. Ya never know I may have to go on a bombing mission or sumthin'. jm

[yodennis]

The only antidepressant that has an energizing side effect is Wellbutrin although it can initially galvanize anxiety too. An antidepressant may or may not be appropriate but is not what the question was asking per se. There can be an informed alchemy, i.e., creativity in medicine which would be one reason (and not a bad one imo) to have prescribed Provigil (developed for narcoleptics) for a try-out. Most antidepressants prescribed these days are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors but there are some atypicals like Wellbutrin that could be appropriate for fatigue. I have experience with both Wellbutrin and Provigil but our neurologies in response to these drugs vary among individual.........
For energy per se you would need either caffeine, Wellbutrin, amphetamine, or Provigal: these are all indicated for such and other suggestions are anecdotal. Do yourself a favor if any of these seem like a practical solution: Google each and spend an hour researching to ground yourself.....And good luck....Me: triple therapy with cirrhosis- working all day, working out every other day (sluggishly at best)

[orphanedhawk]

For me the depression came and went. I kept reminding myself that it wouldn't last, and it didn't.
I surrounded myself with beauty, good music, and humor. Try meditation.
When it really gets to you, just remember it's the meds and it will pass.
And I don't know if there's anything you can do about the energy. Some days will be better than others.

Good luck.
OH

[evangelin]

I hope you don't have to go on any bombing missions, but true, you never know.  :>)
"Instant in season and out of season."
Good to see you :>)
Ev

[Dee1956]

Hi, sorry to hear of your exhaustion, unfortunately it come with the meds, try drinking more water and like someone above me said I use b12 sub lingual.  I have no miracle for the problem other than my new mantra "this too shall pass"
I was put on AD about 6 weeks before tx because the doc said I would need it and that it takes 4 to 6 weeks to start working.  In my case he said it would make me very anxious and he was right. I am grateful to have been put on AD, this treatment is a bear.  Also, at one point I did try Provigil in a very small dose .25  it helped once or twice I did not take it every day.  I have heard of people taking protein drinks or ritalin.  Unfortunately the only thing that helps with fatigue is sleep.  If I can't sleep I sometimes use melatonin
Wishing you the best
Dee

[JasmineT]

The exhaustion is tough.  I have not found a perfect solution.  I have noticed not drinking enough water one day is followed by a couple days of feeling really bad.  I have also noticed that mornings when i have a bigger breakfast, like egg with cheese and toast, maybe followed later by a fruit, seems to help a little, rather than the disgusting but quick handful of nuts to choke down the incivek.  I think a Vitamin Zero water in the morning is also helping me a lot.  I still need the plain water but one of these in the morning and another sometimes in the afternoon makes a difference for me.  Keeping trail mix with me and popping a small handful now and then helps me somedays too.  With all the fat I need to eat, fruits and vegetables seem to be too few so I try to be conscious of that and eat smaller healthy snacks through the day to balance out the fat.  I have also found sugar seems to be something for me to avoid.  My system can't seem to handle any sweets.

[MsDragonSlayer]

Thanks for the feedback, I am trying to get the right ADS, I posted a question asking for what seems to work the best for my tsunami type panic attacks. I have them a couple of times a day when I am bottoming out. My doc has only written me lexapro, the generic for as well, and zoloft which is also reacts negatively with tx. I still don't have anything and now we are just waiting for my pharmacist to research it and the tell the doc what I need. Yea, with all these meds, thank GOD for a pharmacist that might actually care.

[Livinontheedge]

Hi MS Dragon Slayer,   I just wanted to add to the thread,   I have been battling Major Depression Disorder & Panic and Anxiety Disorder for 10 years before starting TX.    My GI would not even let me start until I was mentally stable with all.    But what I wanted to tell you is I am on 30mg of Lexapro and 3 mg of Ativan a day.  All filter through the Kidneys.    Lexapro also has an agent in it for anxiety as well.   Now remember I have been fighting this for a long time so my dose is not really high but higher than one would start on.    It works GREAT, and helps with all the TX  SX like muscle aches, ECT.   So good luck and I hope it works for you as well as it works for me.  

[MsDragonSlayer]

Found a great pharmacist that is helping me communicate with my doc. YAY! He put me on Prozac, I have gone 3 days without a panic attack, the smells are not as tough, still horrible though. Energy is still little, but the attitude is better, not anxious, so I can focus on at least doing 1 massage a day....I am blessed, thank you so much for your help!

[katla]

Can you confirm that you get generic Lexapro in the U.S. or did I misunderstand? I didn't realize it was available yet but would be interested.

I found Lexapro helpful for panic attacks and on the rare occasion that I feel them coming on I take xanax immediately. I learned ways to prevent them and although it took practice I was quite successful. Basically, you have to learn how to just let them be when they do happen, fighting them and dreading them increases the anxiety and the severity of the attacks. Look into it...best of luck.

[MsDragonSlayer]

Hi Kat, according to the paperwork my doc gave me, "incivek" will not interact well with "lexapro", it's a contraindicated drug, the generic for it is called, "Escitalopram". FYI, I believe if you take this over a longer period of time you could receive complications from this drug. I tried it, made me very sick to my stomach, but of course, that's just how my body reacted to it. Many blessings to you! Carolyn