Incivek blocks prozac - severe anxiety is with me

[Dee1956]

Hello this is not a question more an attempt to help anyone else going though SEVERE Anxiety, if you can't sleep or stop talking or don't feel like eating.
I started the Prozac 4 to 6 weeks before Incivek so it would be in my system to help with depression and anxiety
I just called the Specialty Pharmacist at Aetna and she said my problem is that the Incivek has been blocking my Prozac and that is why I am driving all of you crazy with pleas for help
I apologize from the bottom of my heart.  I hope you can understand me wanting to share what the pharmacy told me.  I mean no offense, I am still on treatment week 14 of 24 I was UND at 4 8 10 12 weeks
I would like to thank all the people that have PM'd me with support and suggestions, at least now I know what to do.  I am in a little bit of trouble but I will be ok and I will be SVR!
You all are right, you have to fight and you have to be proactive and you can not give up, even when people te4ll you, oh that is not a side effect of Incivek, it's not but it blocked my prozac per pharmacy.  I am now having panic attacks
Thank you all so very much. My HGB is now 9.8 and the doc says I am stable, no rescue drugs.  My next call may be to a blood specialist,
I wish you all the very best as always.  The Incivek is still in my system so I now do not know how much Prozac to take or how much was blocked for 12 weeks.
Dee1956

[working dog]

might be good info here...http://pi.vrtx.com/files/uspi_telaprevir.pdf

[JasmineT]

Hi dee, your not driving anyone crazy, interferon is doing that for us. ;-)  I am so sorry you still feel bad but good you know what the problem is and great you are off incivek.  Make it through this, you are almost there.  My prayers are with you.

[pcds]

I used zoloft earlier in treatment, worked well, had to increase dose to 100 mg per day.  Sometimes docs start at a dose and increase it to a therapeutic dose.  You may need an increase.  Not sure how prozac is dosed but a good question.  So you have Aetna Specialty too??  I would suggest to your docs office to get auth going because it can take time.  If I were you I would want the procrit available and in the fridge.  It takes time for procrit to work.  They could riba reduce to stablize your HGB, that works pretty quick.  So don't worry too much.  I would express my concern to the doc's office that since your HGB is below 10 which qualifies you for procrit, to get it in the works.  If unwilling then you could go to your primary with your labwork and they can get the auth.  But it's tricky to have another doctor involved in your blood and dosing. I get a call every week from my hep doc with this weeks dosing of riba and peg and helper drugs.  Just some thoughts.  I often don't agree with my docs recommendation.  It's frustrating.  
Hint for Aetna:  If doc calls in any new order for a helper drug be sure they call it in as a STAT order otherwise it takes a much longer time to get auth in place.

[desrt]

I agree with willbb that it's best to check with your Rxing doc about this, A quick way to check the quality of your pharmacist's advice would be to ask where this info comes from and why is Prozac different from all the other SSRIs. I know it sounds horribly cynical, but if she can't answer these questions to your satisfaction, it may be that the 'problem' with Prozac, is the low profit margin of a generic compared to brand name SSRIs.
I hope you can find an answer and your problems can be resolved.
Take care.

[Dee1956]

Hello, the reason you can not find it in Vertex Infor is because this is brand new information that must have been given to all Specialty Pharmacies as they are handling the Protocol
Even the nurse at Vertex did not know.  I gave my list to Vertex, the pharmacy back in Sept and my doctor every visit.  This is going to be like other sx that are not known about until later.  I will be fine, I am not giving up.  I have an emergency request in for procrit for 9.8 and lowering hgb

My other doc has increased does of prozac and xanax to try to stabiize

NYGIRL7 Thank you so much for your encouragement

All if I had not call the pharmacist today I would still be jumping through my skin, no appetite, no sleeping.  I have heard it can increase or decrease meds you take by 70%, that was on proscribing information so I guess that was discovered in the trial.  I am not saying don't take it, it works.  I am saying to people who are in my shoes that now that we know we can fix it and go on to SVR

[Advocate1955]

Hi Dee,
I'm sorry to hear that you're having trouble with anxiety.  I also checked the drug interactions information on the Vertex handout for Incivek, and Prozac is not listed as being contraindictated.  Some other antidepressants are listed as interacting with Incivek in various ways.   Incivek is listed as decreasing the effects of many of the antidepressants.  Before you stop taking or decreasing your Prozac, I would strongly suggest that you call the doctor on call in your hepatologist's office and ask what to do.  Your specialty pharmacy may be incorrect, since it isn't listed as contraindicated in the Vertex info.  Even if its effects are being decreased by Incivek, it wouldn't be a good idea to stop taking it or decrease it without a doctor monitoring it.  He/she may decide to increase or add something to the Prozac, or to taper you off of it and onto something else.  Can you call the doc on call tonight?
Advocate1955