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233002 tn?1316027966

venlafaxine

I was prescribed venlafaxine recently and it was a nightmare. I was wondering if anyone else has had any experiences with it and other medicines used to combat the depression that seems to come and go with this disease.
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446474 tn?1446347682
The stress of having hepatitis C may cause certain individuals to becomes clinically depressed but that is not inherit in the disease itself. Depression is not a symptom of HCV or liver disease.

Effexor XR is only one of many anti-depressants. There are also different categories of these drugs. The drugs work in different ways and the choice of anti-depressant should be based on the type of depression experienced by the patient. (Major Depression, Anxiety Depression, Atypical Depression) Anti-depressant treatment is based on each individual's response to treatment. A med that works for one person may not work for another. It is a trial and error process unfortunately. There is no "magic bullet" when it comes to anti-depressants.

Cheers!
Hector
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233002 tn?1316027966
Thanks I wish there were more magic bullets around.

I have read the following though in
Why Depression is Likely With Hepatitis C

January 19, 2009
...
3. Biological Result of HCV – This theory describes the potential for the Hepatitis C virus to negatively affect the central nervous system bringing about depression. Although not directly proven, this hypothesis is supported by studies demonstrating that HCV directly causes fatigue and other neuro-cognitive symptoms. Adair and colleagues used gene expression analysis to evaluate gene expression in HCV-infected patients and a control group. The researchers found a difference in the expression of 29 genes, including those involved in brain oxidative and energy metabolism. These findings support a biological basis for the link between HCV infection and depression. Additionally, Hepatitis C viral particles noted to cause chemical changes that could initiate depressive symptoms have been found in the central nervous system.
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