mood swings and the meds

[darcar]

hi all..
my boyfriend has hepC ...cirrhosis..and has and is being treated with interferon and ribavirin.
they put him on 10mg of paxil as a protocol from mood swings supposedly caused by the ribavin.
has anyone here had that?
he can be upset very easily...gets pissed about every little thing..has no patience.
he doesnt direct it at me but he is always triggered by things and ranting about someone or something ticking him off. Even he seems upset with his behavior and moods .
they upped his paxil to 20mg and it helped a little but not much.
just curious if anyone knows of this..experienced it themself or with someone they know who is on these meds?
is this typical or what?
thanks .
much appreciated.

[darcar]

oh..btw...he is now 54 years old.
the docs estimated that he had HepC for at least 30 years without knowing it..and thats why he already had cirrhosis by the time of diagnosis a few years ago.

[darcar]

thanks Mr Liver !
lol....yea the riba rage has a better ring to it !
i wonder...he smokes pot alot too supposedly to take the "edge" off of his moods and its like he is antsy, irrritable, wired...as if his nerves are on end or something..
we will see what happens with the 20mg of paxil since that was recently upped.
of course, the reason he got hepC was because in his teens and twenties he took every drug under the sun, and drank like a fish...and has a tolerance for meds thats unreal..
20mg of paxil for him is probably like nothing.
i always joke that his system (except his poor liver) needs horse tranquilizers!
thanks ..
i love your user name!  :-)

thanks.
Darcar

[Mr Liver]

Extreme irritability can be sign of depression, and when using IFN, the two are most likely connected. If upping the dosage of Paxil helped some, perhaps upping the dosage higher again will result in an even more positive effect.The slide to deep depression can be fast in some people , and cirrhotics can have exacerbated sides, as it is. I would seek the advice of the prescribing doctor, and the sooner, the better. Its actually the interferon that affects the mood, irritability, depression,etc,. But interferon rage doesn't have a good ring to it. ;)
Regards,
Mr Liver

[darcar]

thanks Moahunter...

yes..i can see that when he is stressed, overtired, or fatgued that irritability starts as the first sign.
i guess its just not easy to stop where he is at though..at work or coming home from work on the subways and its enough to make someone not on this treatment get upset.
so imagine with it.
thanks though for the response.
appreciated!

[moahunter]

As the treatment has gone on, I have found my "rage" has got better, not so much because it is not there, but because I understand it better, and my family does also.

I know now that there are times I have to isolate myself, or just not do certain tasks. The biggest thing I found though, is that a lot of the rage for me, came from iratibility, which was linked to sleep issues. I recognize oncomming iratibility now as a sign that I need to rest, or sleep.

I have been taking a sleeping pill just on injection day, once a week. This has helped me a lot, puting my week off to a good start in terms of sleeping patterns. Whatever works for the individual though I guess.

[darcar]

believe me...im not sympathetic to it..in fact im very tough with him about it and tell him he better control himself ...or walk out of a place if he is going to lose it.
i dont take responsibility for it or excuse it..
what i do want is to understand it and IF THESE MEDS ADD TO THE MIX AT ALL.
I want clarity on facts of what is at play in this situation and hopefully...with knowing the causes..we can resolve and find the resolutions .
again .thanks'
tough love in nyc

[darcar]

your responses are so helpful! thank you.
yes i like that term Riba Rage..had never heard it till now and it certainly describes it well.
while he doesnt rage at me..im always a bit unnerved, especially in public situations if/ when he is going to explode.
glad there are others who understand here!
big thanks!

[FlGuy]

Even under the influence of these meds boyfriend and husband are still responsible for their behavior, what they say and the way they act.  Yeah, the junk makes you nuts and can affect people in many not-so-great ways.  Ultimately, they are accountable.  If necessary, they can slink away when the feelings get on the volatile side, but it's not excusable to say it's the meds.   And displaying a great amount of pity for their plights doesn't make it any better.  Combo treatment is as much a psychological challenge as it is an physical drain.  But, don't let them off the hook.

[Liz50]

Darcar--
My hubby is exactly the same way--8 weeks into tx. He will just blow up for now reason at all--I feel like I am walking on eggshells all the time, I never know what is going to start him off (but I know it will be my fault) and he NEVER apologizes, which makes it 100 times worse, Shoot, I went thru 5 terrrible pregnancies and did not do this to him---why he can't take the stupid antianxiety med or SSRI and me a tad more mellow would make life a whole lot better.
NYC may be bad, but driving may be worse--there's hundreds of other drivers to yell at/about--
I "like" the term Riba Rage....from now on I am blaming that **** & not myself.

[darcar]

thanks..
i know part of this is his intense type A personality to begin with...but then add in the drugs and its made for an awful mix. He will almost get into fights on the subway one time..just overreacts to things. He doesnt take it out on me in that way , but i hate the feeling i never know how or what might set him off if we are out in public..We live in NYC and lets face it..its not he most tranquil environment! lol...its high paced...very very crowded., expensive..and alot of rudeness and pushy people...so altogether its a perfect set up to trigger his already wired body.
he will smoke pot alot..and i wonder if that is harmful to his health as well...but he says it mellows him.
i know he is unhappy with his reacting as he does...i think it bothers him more than it does me.

[nygirl7]

I was also upped to the 20mgs of Paxill that is very normal they start you off and then push it up.

Ribavirin makes us who treat CRAZY - mood swings and just this general rage that come on so QUICK its amazing (but then it goes away too).  Nothing you do can stop them.  Gosh I think I got mad at my kid for breathing too loud one day and went NUTS but she laughed at me and said wow that stuff makes you INSANE.

Just know it's not you its the meds.  The ride on this treatment is hard on the others in the persons life - but we have to do it.

Remember - this too shall pass and try not to take it personally.  As you can see from my pals above...it's the most common thing in the world on treatment and that is sad because it's already about the hardest thing I've ever done in my life as it was I didn't need to be torturing other people around me too!

But I did. (shame face).

Good luck!

[meki]

I'm not into Paxil, Prozac, Celexa or SSRIs.

I prefer Lorazepam, Xanax - fast acting - take only when needed.

Riba is tough - this treatment messes with your hormones and can make the loveliest person into a haggard troll...

Just hang in there... Another year and he'll be fine. It's a really rough ride.

Hugs,
Meki

[koala68]

That's one of the most common side effect of treatment. People often call it "Riba rage" as it is associated with the Ribavirin intake. I just finished a one year treatment and I had that too. It just comes and go and I snapped at anything without reason. I am a very patient person in general so it amazed me how the drug can flip things around. Hopefully that was just temporary but as partner you will have to be super patient with your boyfriend and take some of the heat even if you did nothing wrong. Think about it that way... for a year you loose about 3/4 of your energy. You feel like twice your age. Eveything in your daily life becomes a real challenge (including the simplest basic tasks). Being upset at anything during tx is just a way to vent the frustration. Don't argue with your Bf when he will be upset because there is no point. Just stay beside when he needs you and everything will be fine!