why is it still legal

why would these drugs be available if all they do is take away your health and make you suicidal?  I want to start tx but you guys are scaring the b jesus out of me.  is there no-one that is not suicidal or depressed after tx ...and did it not work? benmachree

[jdwithhcv]

I was not depressed or suicidal during treatment or afterward.  I did not need anti-depressants.  And yes, it worked.  Now I get to keep my liver and I don't have the spectre of Hep C hanging over me.  Life is good!

Good luck, whatever you decide.
jd

[merryBe]

most folks come back out of their depression post treatment.
there are exceptions...certainly if one still has the disease that alone causes depression, and it does take time for the riba to clear the system. Obviously if one has issues going into treatment, those issues may be amplified during tx, and still will need addressing when tx is over.

the big "D" that hits most during tx is a chemically induced depression. Basically the chemo messes with the levels of many neurotransmission chemicals in the brain.
The depression can be treated, and this makes the treatment bearable for most.
My own chemo depression needed 2 drugs to treat it...chiefly I beleieve because I had low cholesterol and cholesterol is protective of neurons and seretonin. Yet even if you have this issue, it is possible to use pharmaceutials to overcome all that and make it through tx.

it's also helpful to form a few close friendships in here or other hcv forum and have a support group that understands. Also have a good psychiatrist on board in case your liver doc wants you to "tough it out". Most docs who treat this know how important the right Rx's can be to a patient's peace and comfort throughtout such a long chemotherapy, but having a shrink or therapist on hand who knows well how this tx can depress is never a bad idea as a back up plan.
It an all be pretty scary, especially at first...and some folks (like me) hold back info about the extent of their struggle not wanting to scare folks off of treating.

The main reasoning there is, a. not everyone gets as depressed...so if the worst case scenarios show up in here and give all the gorey details that really won't reflex the treaters at large...many of whom do pretty well on tx...exaustion being a separate issue of course.  And b. being afraid to treat will never get one to a cured status. Depending on your stage/grade you might have time to wait for "better" drugs...but so far the "better" things on the horizon still have the same issues, although the tx length is shortened in some cases. Yet there you have to weigh waiting, for less suffering, against treating before perment damage is done or transplant becomes the only option.

there is a good tutorial in clinialoptions on treating HCV induced depression...you may want to sign up (free) and then read that.

mb

[alagirl]

I was very depressed after tx AND I had pretty severe side effects during tx.  

But if I had to do it over, I would still treat again tomorrow.  My treatment was effective, and I now have my health back.  The depression wasn't that lengthy.  

[lapis]

why would these drugs be available if all they do is take away your health and make you suicidal?

These are the only drugs that have been approved (so far) to treat HCV.  There is no other cure at this time.  Compare it to cancer chemotherapy, there are side effects that we endure for the period of time we're treating, and for most of us, we feel better and better after we finish tx and the drugs leave our bodies.

I have a history of depression and began taking antidepressants while on tx.  Now that tx is over, I am tapering off the AD's.  My tx was successful, the virus is undetectable, and I am eager for my new life without the shadow of HCV hanging over me.  It was hard AND it was worth it!

[charm27]

My tx was worth it. I was UND at 6 months. That was a blessing!
I WAS NOT SUICIDAL , however did have very dark days , if I had to do it over I would.
Isnt it worth saving your liver? There is a price to pay for EVERYTHING in life, and with this tx comes a few bad side effects..SOme people DONT experience dark days, or even depression.....My opinion its worth the trip! and like I said I thank god we have this tx.
You shouldnt be scared you should educate yourself read all there is to read , speak to a good hepatologist and know if you begin tx its hard but you have a decent chance in beating this perhaps!!
Many treated several times before killing this virus but they did it! They won!
I wish you the very best in the road you take! There is nothng to fear but the fear!

Best wishes go out to you
Charm27

[annieCinMD]

You have to take the good with the bad as there are no other choices right now. There are some better options as far as making beating the disease less of a carp shoot, but they still include interferon and ribavirin. They also will probably allow for a shorter treatment time for hard to treat geno 1s. I had my treatment stopped for 2 weeks and for me, most of the side effects that bothered me the most (depression, brain fog) do lift pretty quickly. Some of the others, the jury is still out, as I'm back on tx, at a reduced dose of interferon for another 3 weeks. I think the majority will come through without residual side effects. There have just been a lot of negative posts on here lately. I certainly worry about this stuff, it is part of the reason I have decided to discontinue my treatment after the protease inhibitor part of my treatment is over, but I do think the chances are pretty small for permanent damage, especially with the shorter (6 month) treatments. My mood absolutely did a 180 about a week after stopping the treatment, so I would probably not worry too much about staying deprressed. You can always stop, as I am going to. Nobody can make you take anything you don't want to take, short of tying you down and injecting you with  it. I really hope not to have to walk around with the stigma of having Hep C hanging over my head, so I took the chance.

[newleaf09]

Never depressed or suicidal, before, during or after.  I am, however, now going to live out my normal life span, get to meet my grandchildren and grow old with my husband.  That beats dead any day of the week.  Now that it's over, I am extremely happy and grateful that I did the treatment.  I muddled through just like everyone does.

I suspect that, like Merry says, if you are prone to depression before TX, you may feel worse during treatment and still have to deal with it afterwards.  If you are angry before TX, you may feel angrier during TX and still be angry later.  I don't think suicide is at all common but they put it on the label for interferon because it has happened.  When you enter TX, work with your doctor and he can help you manage any of the mood side effects so they won't be a problem.  Not everyone gets mood side effects from interferon.  

[alagirl]

Just to be clear, depression and autoimmune disease can both be expressed after interferon treatment regardless of whether one has had previous issues with either.  

http://biopsychiatry.com/interferon-alpha.htm
http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/156/7/1120

[benmachree]

thanks! that is better.  ying and yang as they say.  I have geno type 2 and they recommend 24 weeks of tx.  so I am going for it! benmachree