anti-depressent and HepC ?

[orphanedhawk]

Hi, I have Hep C w/cirrhosis and am gearing up to do the treatment this fall/winter.I was advided to start an antidepressent since one of the major side effects of interferon is depression. My Dr. prescribed 10mg of Paxil. I did it for a week and slept almost the whole time. I have been looking on the net for alternatives. (My dr. isn't very helpful but will prescibe what I ask for unless he has strong objections.) I'm very confused. Have any of you had success with a particular anti-depressent while getting treated?
     thanks in advance.

[ex-city-slicker]

Anybody have any thoughts on Wellbutin? I doctor is strongly recommending I start AD before starting my tx.

[orphanedhawk]

I'm going to get a pill splitter and try again. Thanks for the idea.

[Kalio1]

Before my diagnosis I wasn't too swift on my nutrition. I was the type who would "forget to eat" often when I was quite busy. I paid little attention to my nutrition since my sons have been grown. I was very into nutrition raising them but I slacked off when it came to it just being me I was caring for. Dinner could be a handful of chips I washed down with a glass of wine. ( that sounds so bad!)I moved to SB and lived alone the first couple of years and I was a pretty lousy eater.
I am reformed now ;)

[Forseegood]

Jim: yeah, I try to take my fish slightly grilled (with no big burn spots, don't taste good either) but not smoked or cured...too much salt, and Jimbo, didn't you say you had high blood pressure problems? course, prob would depend on the amount of course, but as a rule, I'd stay away from smoked or cured...

Ina: have you tried really, really small doses like me? maybe with something else other then Lexapro? I mean, I'm finally getting used to this really small dose and I expect to try a bit of a higher dose soon...why don't you ask our friend for my email address? believe it or not you guys, I'm getting ready to treat and I'd love having you to talk to...

Kalio: I remember reading that you didn't think you did such a great diet, were you kidding? I read your diet and using juice mulch from a juicer to make soups, etc...and boy, I was impressed!

[Kalio1]

she said it was due to the large amounts of sodium with pickled foods. she said the smoking process itself was the problem. I think there are a number of ways of smoking food items though. I will do some looking around about it. I know nitrates are one biggie but not all smoking processes use them.
Im not a big fan of pickled foods or smoked foods so I didn't investigate too much, she mentioned it early when I was dx prior to txing. It comes on a list they give you where I go of Do's and Don'ts hey give to all txing  patients. Both were listed as Don'ts.

[jmjm530]

No rush, but next time you see NP, maybe you can ask why. I understand Ina's concern, but would be interested if there was a liver angle as well. But geez, like I say, I'm getting addicted :) plus the Omega 3's are good for the heart.

Be well.

-- Jim

[Kalio1]

I have read lots of liver diet plans and was also told by the NP not to eat smoked or pickled foods.

[jmjm530]

I'm addicted. Think I should call SmokeEnders?
http://www.smokenders.com/
-------------------------------
Actually, smoked is better than charred or grilled, but maybe I should cut back. Maybe half a smoke a day?

[NYgirl]

I was very very tired when I first started taking the Paxill - but eventually my body got used to it.

I take it every night when I go to bed with my Ambien hoping it will help me sleep.

It has done MIRACLES for me and I wish I'd been on it before treatment even! I probably needed it all of my life but KNow for SURE 100% I did during treatment.

If you can hang in a little while longer your body will acclimate and it will be ok. It happened to me too, I kept falling asleep here at work! ;)

[Eisbein]

Do you get any intestinal issues with Lexapro, like cramps.
What is this with Serotonin receptors also residing in the gut, and something or other being displaced by SSRI's.
I get cramps from all SSRI's, even on the lowest dosage. And not little cramps, big ones.
I sure wish I could tolerate them, would love to be able to take them.

Ina

[Eisbein]

Smoked bad...anything that is smoked is bad. Highly carcinogenic.
The highest rate of stomach cancer was in Japan, they smoked everything. They cut down on the process now. Also highly salted, how can you even think to put something smoked into your mouth :)
Bad boy,
Ina

[Forseegood]

just get a really good pill cutter, they have em at Rite-aid but I don't know if you have those in your area, any good drug store will do, cut the 10 mg in half, then cut the halves...it's pretty easy, maybe that'll help you if you just stick to the lower amount, then titer up from there when and if...

[orphanedhawk]

Thanks for your replies.  I did try cutting the pill in half and just take that 5mgs. I slept less but still a lot. I can't figure anyway to cut it evenly into 2.5 mgs. I too, am a lightweight and react strongly to most medications or even vitamins.

[jmjm530]

Understood. I'm talking about *smoked* salmon which can be purchased "Wild" as well as farm. Only problem with the Wild is the price. But it is the smoking process I was concerned about. You can google "Wild Alaska Smoked Salmon" for some examples.

[Forseegood]

yeah, but I'm so sensitive to caffiene, that if I drank 4 cups of black tea a day, I'd have my shoulders as earrings, my eyebrows to the top of my forehead and I'd see around corners to boot...

[jmjm530]

Sorta belongs here since we're talking about stress and depression. Just found this recent item regarding Black Tea. A new study suggests four cups a day helps reduce stress hormones.
http://paktribune.com/news/index.shtml?156470

[Kalio1]

That is great news that he is feeling energetic and doesn't seem depressed. Im so glad for him. Get your "honey do" list out! My husband isn't on traetment and it took some cajoling to get him to move the cable today to hook up a TV we've had sitting there over a year lol
Cirrhosis is a scary diagnosis but our livers are amazing. Once we stop the "assault" (as my doc calls it)of the virus or whatever is assaulting the liver it starts to improve. We can reverse damage even if we have cirrhosis with the Interferon. I think I remember you saying he is taking very good care of himself and that is the key. It is a really good sign that he is feeling good. I have to struggle with Hgb at 10, more power to him, that is pretty low for a guy.
I bet your landscaping looks beautiful.
I've been having some decent days, I am so much more grateful for them than before I was sick. My platelets went up to 137 and even though that is still low, it made my week because it shows things are improving.
Thanks for sharing good news.

[motheroffour]

My husband was put on Lexapro as he's been minorly depressed for the past couple years first because of his psoriassis flares and then to find out all this Hep C/cirrohsis business. I don't think he realized he was depressed, but I did and the doc did fortunately.  The first week he was hilarious, almost like he had a couple cocktails in 'em, but he's evened out (it's been 5 weeks).  The minorly depressed H I could handle, the hilarious one I couldn't take (said with fondness). His Hep doc says lexapro is the better one with damaged livers.  All in all with the Lexapro and whatever is going on in his body, he's had great energy (he's relandscaped our entire back yard complete with earth moving and new brickwork and seems quite upbeat these days). I hope it continues because I have a long long list of "stuff" he can do for the next 44 weeks if this crazy energy keeps up! Hard to believe because his hemoglobin is dropping every week and he's down to 10 already. He's sleeping fine except shot night when he snores and I don't sleep. We'll see after the 4 week viral load test this week what kind of mood he'll be in!

[jmjm530]

Oh, you're a healthnut Jedi of sorts :) What's the story on smoked salmon like Nova? Been eating a lot lately, but wondering if it's healthy or not. Good fats I presume but not sure about the smoking process and whatever else they add.

[jmjm530]

Just saying that some pills can be cut and others shouldn't be cut for different reasons. Your pharmacist should know. If it can't be cut, I've heard it comes in a liquid form but really haven't looked into Lexapro all that much . Yes, may the Sushi force be with you!

[Forseegood]

hmmm, can you elaborate? Don't think I'm just getting the coat, cause I feel that antiD wonkiness, but not to that creepy extent like before, when I tried a bigger dose...that's besides my original wonkiness that is just me, he he... I'm using a pill cutter, works okay...hope youre having a good weekend and the sushi is plentiful...

[jmjm530]

I thought 5 mg was the smallest tab. Are you cutting them in half? If so, did you check with your pharmacy as some drugs are coated and shouldn't be cut. I also hear Lexapro comes in a liquid. Good luck and let us know how it works out.

-- Jim

[Forseegood]

You know, I thought none of them would work for me, I have been trying more then a few...but what I'm doing now (I heard this on one of these boards) is I'm taking 2.5 mil of Lexapro (when I took any more of it, I felt like I was on acid and nauseus and dizzy at the same time.) I'm taking so little of it, just to get used to it, and not have such a bad 2 week intro...I think this is going to work for me, and I was worried about this...

The jury is still out, but taking this little is doable for me, at least for the time being. I do feel some side effects but not anything prohibitive...Once I get used to it, I'll titer up from here, but I might be one of those people who really doesn't need much, I know two women that are only taking 5 mg. per day....(think the average dose of Lexapro is 10 to 20 a day) Also, some people have to try different ones to find the right one for their own particular body chemistry, guess some people need more, or less....I'm just extremely drug sensitive, I'm one of those people who can take a half an aspirin and feel the effects....

Maybe this method would work for other people, who had a bad reactions to antiDs, I don't know...I do know many people who were able to take full dose right off without many problems though, so everyone is different...

All I know is with diagnosed chemical depression, I'm not taking treatment unless I can take it with antiDs...but that's just me, I realize there are others who can take treatment without them...hope this helps...

[Myown]

hi, haven't treated yet either. my doc says lexapro, but I would rather wait until I see if I need them. She likes to get you started before tx,though. I asked her about Paxil because it seems quite a few people on forum have mentioned paxil. My doc said Paxil can have tendency to cause people to gain weight. that wouldn't bother me because I am not over weight and I don't want to drop on tx. I never heard anyone here say they gained weight on paxil, though, So who knows?

wish you the best with your treatment!