anti-depressent and HepC ?

[orphanedhawk]

Hi, I have Hep C w/cirrhosis and am gearing up to do the treatment this fall/winter.I was advided to start an antidepressent since one of the major side effects of interferon is depression. My Dr. prescribed 10mg of Paxil. I did it for a week and slept almost the whole time. I have been looking on the net for alternatives. (My dr. isn't very helpful but will prescibe what I ask for unless he has strong objections.) I'm very confused. Have any of you had success with a particular anti-depressent while getting treated?
     thanks in advance.

[jmjm530]

Oh, you're a healthnut Jedi of sorts :) What's the story on smoked salmon like Nova? Been eating a lot lately, but wondering if it's healthy or not. Good fats I presume but not sure about the smoking process and whatever else they add.

[jmjm530]

Just saying that some pills can be cut and others shouldn't be cut for different reasons. Your pharmacist should know. If it can't be cut, I've heard it comes in a liquid form but really haven't looked into Lexapro all that much . Yes, may the Sushi force be with you!

[Forseegood]

hmmm, can you elaborate? Don't think I'm just getting the coat, cause I feel that antiD wonkiness, but not to that creepy extent like before, when I tried a bigger dose...that's besides my original wonkiness that is just me, he he... I'm using a pill cutter, works okay...hope youre having a good weekend and the sushi is plentiful...

[jmjm530]

I thought 5 mg was the smallest tab. Are you cutting them in half? If so, did you check with your pharmacy as some drugs are coated and shouldn't be cut. I also hear Lexapro comes in a liquid. Good luck and let us know how it works out.

-- Jim

[Forseegood]

You know, I thought none of them would work for me, I have been trying more then a few...but what I'm doing now (I heard this on one of these boards) is I'm taking 2.5 mil of Lexapro (when I took any more of it, I felt like I was on acid and nauseus and dizzy at the same time.) I'm taking so little of it, just to get used to it, and not have such a bad 2 week intro...I think this is going to work for me, and I was worried about this...

The jury is still out, but taking this little is doable for me, at least for the time being. I do feel some side effects but not anything prohibitive...Once I get used to it, I'll titer up from here, but I might be one of those people who really doesn't need much, I know two women that are only taking 5 mg. per day....(think the average dose of Lexapro is 10 to 20 a day) Also, some people have to try different ones to find the right one for their own particular body chemistry, guess some people need more, or less....I'm just extremely drug sensitive, I'm one of those people who can take a half an aspirin and feel the effects....

Maybe this method would work for other people, who had a bad reactions to antiDs, I don't know...I do know many people who were able to take full dose right off without many problems though, so everyone is different...

All I know is with diagnosed chemical depression, I'm not taking treatment unless I can take it with antiDs...but that's just me, I realize there are others who can take treatment without them...hope this helps...

[Myown]

hi, haven't treated yet either. my doc says lexapro, but I would rather wait until I see if I need them. She likes to get you started before tx,though. I asked her about Paxil because it seems quite a few people on forum have mentioned paxil. My doc said Paxil can have tendency to cause people to gain weight. that wouldn't bother me because I am not over weight and I don't want to drop on tx. I never heard anyone here say they gained weight on paxil, though, So who knows?

wish you the best with your treatment!