My father was on Interferon for Hep C.......

[curiousme63]

My question is for those of you that have been off the treatment for a few years, like over 5.  

My father is in his 50's and underwent Interferon treatments for Hep C almost 10 years ago.  The treatment itself was hell on him and his physical condition has not really ever gotten much better.  He no longer has Hep C though, so there is a silver lining.  

My question concerns mental faculties.  Starting with the period of time he was on the treatment, up until present; my father is no longer the same person.  He has grandiose ideas, imagined religious meanings behind everything, forgetfulness and the list goes on.  His mental health has never bounced back from the treatment.  I am wondering if anyone else has had this experience.  I have read some materials that say it can exacerbate mental disorders and I can't help but wonder if this is what has happened to him.  I myself am Bipolar 2 rapid cycling, so manic periods could account for some of his behavior; but he is not diagnosed with this condition.  He is also a MD that has been around MDs for years and I have a hard time imagining that it went undiagnosed.  

I worry about his mental state, because I seriously question his sanity at times and trust me; that is a very sad thing for me to say.  So, if anyone out there has any insight to add, please do.  Thank you in advance for any and all replies.

[nygirl7]

And oftentime where people go through a life changing experience they do get deeply routed in religion - you know like jail house religion in prison.

I've never heard of anyone ever having this much of a direct affect from interferon - I would definitely try to get him to a doctor to find out what is going on physically/mentally.

[Diamond_Lil]

Curious,

Is your father at an age where changes in his mental faculties might also be occurring such as early stage Alzheimer's or mild dementia because of restricted blow flow to the brain?

[curiousme63]

Not as far as I know Brent.  I am thinking if I could find enough 'evidence' to support the idea of interferon causing mental conditions to worsen, or begin; I might have a better chance of convincing him to seek help.  The rub is that I live 800+miles away, so I have no real sway over his day to day life.  I just know it makes me sad to talk to him, because I always come out of it wondering if he has finally lost all of his marbles............

[IAmTheWalrus]

I can't say anything about your father's condition, but long term problems from treating with interferon have been reported here before. I can say that it is rough mentally (it was on me anyway) and I would not be too surprised to see lasting effects whether physiological or psychological.

Maybe an evaluation to rule out physiological causes could help narrow the field a little. Is he seeing a doctor about the effects?

Brent