fear and resrlessness

[rexx73]

Hello ,

does anybody with hepc facing strong inner restlessness depression and fear?
is this related to cirrhosis or hepatic encepalopathy?since 6 months I have this syptoms and its getting worse and worse.tried a ad wich did not work for me.
I'm thankful for some opinions.

[Jillybean65]

I have an adverse reaction to most of the nausea meds. Caused me to have intense anxiety and fear. I was very happy to figure that out as I was a mess.

[Advocate1955]

It sounds like you have a good hepatologist.  I think 48 weeks is the safest since you don't know for sure if you are still f3 or have progressed to f4.  As I said previously, my husband is f4, but he didn't have any changes in physical symptoms when he reached f4, so my guess is that your anxiety is contributing to how you feel.  Better safe than sorry!  Let us know how your new antidepressant works over the next few weeks.  Meanwhile, maybe a daily walk or doing something fun each day, something you look forward to, will help ease some of your anxiety.  Oh, this is a great place to ask for support.  There are lots of people in exactly the same situation you are in, who can help ease your anxiety.
Advocate1955

[lapis]

I agree with the others, increasing depression and anxiety are side effects of the meds.  I remember how I was on the triple therapy, anxious and angry and irritable.  I don't like taking medicine I don't need, but I did need the antidepressant while I was on tx.  It's important to get this under control so you can keep a good attitude to make it through tx.  It's been almost 3 years since I finished tx.  Knowing the virus is gone from your body is a good feeling!  Hang in there, you can do this!

Lapis

[rexx73]

I will be on treatment for 48 weeks as my doc want to be on the safe site.he says he is treating all f3 and f4 s for 48 weeks.

[Advocate1955]

Ah, I see you answered on this thread the exact question that I just asked you on your other thread!  :)  So, you're on week 6 of triple therapy with Incivek and you were UND at week 4.  Wow!  That is an excellent result.  You are doing great.  Based on reading both of your threads, my feeling is that pooh is right, and it's a combination of both, you're not feeling well and that is adding to your anxiety/fear, and your anxiety/fear is making you feel worse.  As I said on your other thread, it doesn't do you any good to worry right now about whether you are f3 or f4, since you're doing treatment right now.  So stop worrying about that.  It is whatever it is, and you are doing something excellent for your liver right now, especially since you already know that you were UND at 4 weeks!  Anxiety can lead to depression, which could interfere with you being able to successfully finish treatment, so get started on your new antidepressant as soon as you can (with your doctor's guidance of course), and if you don't notice improvement, talk to your doctor again about it.  Best of luck.  As Pooh said, it will get better when you finish Incivek.  It has gotten better for my husband since he finished Incivek.
Will you be treating for 24 weeks total or 48 weeks total?
Advocate1955

[pooh55811]

"sometimes i dont know if my fear and anxiety come from feelin so bad or the feeling so bad comes from my anxiety"

Could be a combination. Getting on the correct med hopefully will help. Plus, as noted previously, just the diagnosis makes a person fearful and anxious.

You are half way through Incivek. My treatment got a lot better and easier after I finished Incivek. Hang in there and you will get there.

[rexx73]

thanks for your answer.
iam on week 6 now.
week 4 said UND,but its still a long way to go.
sometimes i dont know if my fear and anxiety come from feelin so bad or the feeling so bad comes from my anxiety.

[Advocate1955]

I think what you're feeling is a high anxiety level.  Please talk to your doctor right away and let him know about your symptoms, since you are currently on triple therapy with Incivek, this heightened anxiety is probably a reaction to the treatment drugs.  It is important to get this psychological side effect under control quickly so that you can continue your triple therapy and clear the Hep C virus.  How many weeks have you been on triple therapy?
Advocate1955

[rexx73]

i was on citalopram in 2008 during my soc therapy already.and it worked pretty good.
as i started last summer fell so bad my doc put me on citalopram again but this time it helped me nothing is just gone worse and worse,thats why i stoped the citalopram.
nex week i will try another ad its remeron/mirtazapin.
iam currently on treatment with inc. but i felt already months before so bad and scared just like something very poison is eating my body, very hard to explain.
could it be i feel so bad due my high ferritin levels?

[Advocate1955]

My husband was diagnosed with Hep C in 2007 and began a treatment right away.  He felt angry, sad, hopeless, and anxious about his diagnosis.  His doctor put him on an AD right away, before starting treatment, and then increased it during his treatment since the interferon caused depression to increase.  The AD has changed a couple of times and has been increased here and there through his various therapies, but I think that it has helped him a lot.  Fighting this virus is a tough battle, physically and emotionally.  I would suggest that you talk to your doctor about these feelings, and ask to try a different AD.  My husband is on Citalopram right now, and he's doing triple therapy with Incivek.  The original dose that he was on at the start of treatment has stayed the same and has not needed to be increased.  He is on week 16.
Good luck.  Don't struggle with more than you have to.  Ask for help.
Advocate1955

[crigger]

These medictions can really effect your mental health. I was very angry . I would have waves of anger almost like somebody had slapped me but  I would be just laying in the bed.  An AD did help with this.   Some times it does take trying different AD . One may work for me and not help you.    It does take them a few weeks for the full effects. This is a difficult process.

[eureka254]

I do believe most people who are dealing with the hep c diagnosis go through the depression, restlessness, and fear... it's not uncommon to experience all that, and then some, with diagnosis.  The fact that you are currently on treatment is probably contributing to you feeling even worse than before... the medications can aggravate those down feelings even more so.  

I agree with pooh that you should be addressing these feelings openly with your doctor as some ADS work better than others, and it may be worthwhile to discuss other options; you might benefit from trying another AD, or counseling, or other avenues to relieve the mood challenges you are experiencing.  My husband had those feelings even a year after his diagnosis even without treatment, and he did find ADs helped in his case, in addition to staying active and exercising as much as possible.

Hepatic encephalopathy from cirrhosis is very different what you are describing -- the anger and confusion that come along with behavior and psychological changes due to elevated ammonia is a completely different animal -- I've seen my husband through both the downs of having cirrhosis and the effects of encephalopathy.  The symptoms of encephalopathy include hallucinations, trouble thinking or processing things, losing track of location and time, behaving out of context and/or inappropriately,  inability to understand and loss of memory:  imho, you do not have to be concerned about encephalopathy, especially if you are metavir F3.  Hope that helps. ~eureka

[pooh55811]

I was looking at your profile and see you are in triple med treatment. My own personal opinion, but I am not a doctor, is that the feelings you describe may be more of a normal emotional/psychological reaction to having Hep C as opposed to a physical effect from Hep C. I could be wrong about that and I am sure those on the forum with more knowledge of cirrhosis and hepatic encephalopathy will respond and let you know. I think that depression, fear, anxiety are normal reactions to having a serious disease. That does not mean they should not be addressed. If you tried an AD and it did not work, I would suggest talking with your doctor about getting on a different AD. Not all ADs work for all people. Keep in mind, ADs take about 3 weeks to start working, and longer to take full effect.

I was extremely anxious when I was first diagnosed and all, the way up to starting treatment. First I was shocked and anxious because of the diagnosis and fear that I would be dying soon. After I learned more and realized I could be treated, the anxiety shifted to the various tests and the anticipation/fear of triple med treatment. Now I am fine, more or less, lol. I have side effects from the meds but the anxiety is gone. I was already on antidepressants when I started treatment but that depression had nothing to do with Hep C.

Hopefully this helps.