Anyone have moodiness issues increasing with treatment?

[Dale_Ray]

Let me give you the stats first, male 54, 1A. Next shot is 19 with 29 left. Mild fibrosis shown in biopsy. Have been doing pretty good since week 12 and many of the sides went away but it seems that my agrivation level is increasing substantially. I am taking Pegasus / Copegus / Nupogen / Lexapro / Ambien. Seems like everything has become a irritant lately. Anyone else experiencing problems like this or have a solution. My doctor says it just goes with treatment. Dale

[fishdoc]

Hey its a beautiful day in portland, nice green grass and a big snowy mountain out my window.  Basshole.  I did mention he has his own issues, ulcerative colitis, so, at times he probably has a basshole when he's at the bass hole...;).  
As good as I am, I still walk right into em... can do and his take on "he never gives me more than an inch", and his response" if thats all he has..."  LOL.  I tried to get him to email can do and tell him marriage to a pushy broad can be great.  but he's a man of few words... enter can do...

I am at the motel, they charged me $4.95 a day for internet, had to pay to park... next thing you know you'll have to pay extra for toilet paper...

nyg, we know with your attitude, the devitoknockoff don't stand a chance... hang tough...

[Califia]

Ask your doc for a test if you suspect deficiency.  They'll do a B12/Folate, and then, if that comes back low, an MMA level to confirm.

Can't advise you on amounts, but if you lack intrinsic factor to assimilate the vitamin, then taking it by mouth won't help.  Sub-lingual form is best,  if you're deplete.  As the vitamin is water-soluble you can't overdose it.   Best to take along wit a good B-complex because you need the other B's to utilize it.

[cquest]

Sounds like you're doing better, that's good. Stressful moving desks,jobs, I hate it. Add the type of junk you've been putting up with lately...what a drag!

Speaking of trouble, I don't need Riba rage to work myself up into a tizzy...plain ol stupidity does it for me these days! I am having trouble suffering fools and I have never been like this before. Could it be the recent root canal? Which by the way, had me in tears, yes tears...and maybe because my stomach hurts? Hmmm...could be making me crankier than usual...veru possible...
Cin

[goldyn]

my RDW came back high from what i read its when your red blood cell start changing mine are getting bigger im not anemic but have really low whites...they said it could be a b12 def. or a folic acid def  have you ever heard of this ....im going to ask for a b12 shot next doc appt am on15/48 some people on the board said they noticed a big diff  in the way they feel after having them ....can you take the b12 tablet and if so how much
               thanks angie

[cuteus]

Thanks! I will check it out!

[goldyn]

im not sure but i think these meds cause high blood pressure, i noticed lately ive been to quick to fly off the handle, and then my face gets all red like a hot flash,when i went to my docs last week  my pressure was 158/103 they checked it 4 times it finally went down to 134/88, so he tell me just to keep an eye out for it. after that im really trying to stay as mellow as possible  i take ativan anti anxiety when i need it but man these meds really mess with you sometimes i hate to think ive thrown myself into high blood pressure and have to start taking another pill,i also noticed a good ole prayer sessions does wonders to.

[can-do-man]

says....next thing you know you'll have to pay extra for toilet paper...
_______________________________________________________________

For your sake you better hope not. Because your sure full of it.

[Califia]

Damn, me too....am trying to get a total assay done right now because I just don't want any more surprises of that sort.   Would also like to know if  totally depleting one's store of B12 (the normal state of affairs is to maintain a  3 years supply in the liver) has anything to do with having lived so long with chronic liver disease?  I haven't come across any research to this effect, but I would not be surprised....

At any rate, interferon and riba are officially off the hook as the cause of my post-tx neurological symptoms.

So, as to the niacin question.  According to Michael Murray's _Encyclopedia of Nutritional Supplements_  (which  is pretty impressive, btw), sustained-release niacin is to be avoided, because although it reduces the probability of  naicin flush, it's actually far more liver-toxic.  (He cites a recent JAMA study to back this up.)    The safest form of niacin available, he says, is inositol hexaniacinate, and regular liver and cholesterol testing is called for when you're taking high dosage nician, which is estimated at 2 to 6 GMS a day.    Any amount lower than that should not be cause for worry.  

[sunspot]

My tx wore my wife out. Once, as I was laying on the floor, gasping for breath from a climb up the stairs, she said why don’t you try a little harder. She really missed my being Mr fix-it around the house. When the anemia got real bad, she laid off the remarks.

Dale. Buy a little single LED pocket light for your night walks. They help a lot and don’t wake up the family.

Dana

[Dale_Ray]

Nygirl's new position doesn't include Danny Divito (spelling) so how interesting could it be? Glad she got out of there with all kidding aside.

Now I thought Fishdoc was talking about fish again. This brainfog really sends me off topic sometime. Sorry didn't mean to butt in. Dale

[GoofyDad]

<i>Hubby has a bass hole out back</i>

I did too. But after loosing weight, it's sounding more like a tenor. It's also a lot happier for the Colace I've been sending it. Putting some needed elasticity back into them eggplants.

[GoofyDad]

<i>How is you new position going?</i>

NYgirl discovered a new position? Kewl! I'm sure we'd all appreciate hearing about that in detail. Blow-by-blow, as it were.

[Dale_Ray]

If needy were sexy I'd be a bordello. My wife will tell me why can't you be more understanding. So I give her the understanding I'm there for you treatment. Super supportive. Next thing I know she is telling me "don't you have an opinion of your own" "be a man". I can't win for losing. I have found through the years if you hold your ground on everything it can't backfire as bad as giving in. If you give in the only change that occurs is what she wants next. Might just as well argue about the same thing all the time. Dale

[cuteus]

for many yrs I tried to understand the mild, persistent depression-like state I was living with. I could not seem to enjoy the good things in life like going for a stroll on the boardwalk by the beach, one of my favorites.
I started analyzing what could be at work, and what I decided was that, if you are experiencing a chronic, debilitating condition, such as chronic pain on a daily basis, you are utilizing a lot of mental energy to "deal" with it during your waking hours, much like hanging on to a rope for long periods of time, what little energy you might have is been used to the limit sometimes. If you add more "wt", even if it is a feather, it is going to feel like a ton of bricks on your tired arms(in our case, our mental disposition) and it might be just enough for you to let go of the ropes and fall. That silly event might cause us to snap as if we were hit by a catastrophic event because we did not have any energy to spare on the unexpected "wt". This in turn will cause us more distress and depression.
If we can receive a reprieve of the pain and discomfort with effective medications, our attitude might improve significantly.
This little theory of mine was confirmed when tx ended and I decided to go for an epidural for my back since all aches seemed to intensify for a few months post tx.  The 5 wk reprieve changed my mental outlook immensely.
  
Now that Califia has shared the amazing recovery due to b 12, (I wish I would have known that at my EOT), many here can benefit from that experience and perhaps keep an eye on severe nerve related pain.
I am sure to ask for a panel on possible deficiencies next time I see the PCP, and invest on the b complex I used to take prior to hep c diagnosis. The problem is that I read niacin is not good for the liver...and all complexes have it. Anyone has an opinion on this b vitamin?
anyway, tell your loved ones that there is life after tx, and it is good for the majority of us.

[Mister beagle bailey]

How are you doing today?  Hope all is well, you know what I mean.  How is you new position going?

Beagle :)

[jmjm530]

LOL

Or...What do you call a friend in need?
Answer: A pest.

-----------------------------

Anyone remember the very funny scene, in I believe the movie Network. One of the characters was talking on the phone about a relationship where I guess he was dumped for being too needy.
He says to his friend, something like -- "So why can't needy be sexy"

[Dale_Ray]

You hit the nail on the head with your weekly schdule. A old man once told me that at the end of your life you could count your true friends on your fingers. Funny I never talked to him much after that comment. Dale

[Dale_Ray]

Don at least I've reached a point where I kill only the insignificant people who bother me. You know the ones within reach at the point I go from sane to insane in a nano second. You know faster than three gods could skin a minnow. Hand in there we will survive and then I told my wife it was vacation time and I would leave her a forwarding address. Dale

[jmjm530]

From studies with cancer patients on Interferon, Dr. Andrew Miller suggests two types of anti-depressants may be needed for those treating with interferon. Specifically mood/cognitive disorders to be treated with serotonim uptake inhibitors like Zoloft and the neuro-vegetative disorders (lethargy) to be treated with another class of anti-depressants.

From Projects In Knowledge. See Page 3. Dr. Andrew Miller
http://www.projectsinknowledge.com/Init/G/1700/1700-TxReporter.pdf

Also in the news regarding depression and HCV treatment:
http://www.hivandhepatitis.com/hep_c/news/2006/032106_a.html
--------------------------------

Depression, Hep C, Relatives and Friends:

Week 1: "Just tell us anything we can do. We're here for you. Anytime. Anything."

Week 10: "Can I call you back tomorrow, can't talk now. "

Week 20: Sorry I haven't returned your calls. Really been busy with stuff.

Week 50: ------------------------------------------- LOL


###

[strator]

dale- You put it very well..the agitation level. I've been through a couple of family life things while on tx but they were okay. But- The little dropping something, eyes giving me problems just when I have detail work, hands and itch problems...I can be going through the day pleasantly and boom! 'Broken Shoelace Syndrome' as they call it in recovery. It's inconsistent and the last 2 weeks I have been better with it. But give me an appliance to rip apart(dryer - can man not collar type) or run out of coffee filters, have my son be nice enough to put the dishes away but one's in the wrong cabinet(normally I wouldn't care), Dad leaves the caps lock on so my password don't work and
...Full Tilt Boogie Woogie, dial 911, mother's pull your children off the streets, get the chopper here NOW!...strator's frustration cork just popped! Man. No wonder my kid's dying his hair, figures maybe I won't recognise him. I've chose not ot use Ads or anxiety stuff, for me. But I have a lot of friends to talk to when it gets outta hand. I have apologies and know how to use em. Tho that doesn't make it easier on Dad or the kid. Tell ya the truth outside the house it usually doesn't happen. Best to you through this.

Cuteus- You mentioned in another thread about the relation between depression/anxiety and the fatigue. I really think that's a big part of it. In fact I was talking to my recovery mentor who doesn't have hep but has been through prostrate cancer, tx for nueropathy(sp), and treated for chronic fatigue. He says when they first tried to help him with the fatigue even the Yale Docs said they weren't sure whether the fatigue causes the depression or vice a versa. I had a lot of fatigue before tx, and it was only after I learned about hep and the liver that I stopped beating myself up that I had no motivation. It still gets to me but accepting that naps are part of the process and healing, and informing my family of that has helped. I still feel fairly overwhelmed when I wake up, but epxerience has shown me that after I get rolling, have some java, get busy, then the feeling goes away for awhile. It comes back but at least I know its not forever.
Getting rid of the fatigue was probably the determining factor in my choosing to treat-even if it's not a guarantee. Thanks for reminding me because if I watch my diet, get my rest, and do the best I can to manage the skin problems, I have a better day. The agitation level isn't so likely to cause an outburst. Figure if I get rid of this fatigue- a lot of the mental doubts may go away.

Can Do Man- I was beginning to wonder if you were back on your old shelves.

Hey! I think I finished my taxes, course my best thinkin got me arrested for 'pool hoppin' at 17.

Everybody curl your lips, between us maybe we can get a smile rollin,
Don

[IwillBeatHCV]

Hello,

I am on week 42/48, taking Pegasys, Copegus, Neupogen and I can tell you that one of my worst side affect has been the irritability and mood swings (besides low white blood cell count). EVERYTHING bothers me now!! It has gotten so bad that my wife and I aren't talking. She tries to understand about my treatment but I guess I have been too much for her to handle. And at work it has been a real challenge also. Normally I would keep quiet when it wasn't appropriate to make a comment, but now if something bothers me or if some one says something to my dislike, I say the first thing that comes to mind--and it isn't always pretty. And it very odd how I can't control it. Every day I say to my self: "please control your self" , but it doesn't work. At work no one knows about my treatment and they have been wondering what has gotten into me ( God only knows what they're speculating about me :-). This will go away after treatment I hope...

[Mister beagle bailey]

They can't make up their minds, they know I'm going home to Fl. next week for 6 days and the buggers decided to leave without me.  Have no idea when they'll be back, probably before me.

How are you all doing?  From your post can-do it seems your doing just fine. :)

              Beagle

[NYgirl]

;-P

Right back at ya!

(I haven't been on too much I am doing EONs better now that I came in to work, faced everyone and told them how hAPPY I am to be moving over to a new position - but this weekend well I was DREADING IT).

Now i'm back to being full of p*ss and vinegar again...this weekend I felt like a fuzzy little lamb that couldn't scare anybody - and that's not me or the image I portray on tv!  ;-)

[NYgirl]

AH isn't it so true I so so understand what you mean about your wife! After time progresses on treatment it's like all of those WONDERFUL pronouncements and proclamations and undying mountains of effort that people want to help us seem to uh trickle away it becomes WHAT WHAT YOU WANT ANOTHER WATER YOU JUST HAD ONE THIS MORNING!!!!!  What do you MEAN you don't want to go to the Jones's for dinner tonight so WHAT if it's shot night!  ;-)

hahahahaha that sure is how it's been in my home!

I have to tell you that I KNOW that this Paxill has saved my life --- I'm bad enough as it is, I think they really would KILL me if I got any worse!

I never took an AD before and I have to say, maybe I always should have been on them because the anxiety I've fought all my life seems to be so much better than before...things dont GET to me as bad as they used to.

PS I am doing GREAT today. I just fully realized that it's going to be wonderful to have a new job and not have to work for someone who can't stand me. :) Little Danny DeVito clone LOL.