Aa
tell doc or not
I hear that some people wont get their treatment if they are too depressed, Now maybe I should just tell the phyc that is pre treatment that i am ok not sure what to do i want the treatment it is my only hope to get rid of the associated vasculitis and tired of being tired
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Thanks! I hope the Cymbalta kicks in soon too.Spoke to my rhuemy and she said to really try to stick it out for the full 48 weeks as like you say it is the only way to treat the underlying problem of cryoglobulinemia. So I will stick it out. Thanks for the advice
Take Care
Take Care
I am very glad if I could help. I hope the Cymbalta works well for you.
I note that you also have other issues to deal with (cryoglobulinemia, lupus, etc). Idon't know much about those but I have been told by my hepatologist that the best course for cryoglobulinemia is treatment of the underlying hep c.
Anyway, many here have been through the treatment for hep c, have an understanding and sympathy for what you are going through, and will be pulling for you.
Good luck!
I note that you also have other issues to deal with (cryoglobulinemia, lupus, etc). Idon't know much about those but I have been told by my hepatologist that the best course for cryoglobulinemia is treatment of the underlying hep c.
Anyway, many here have been through the treatment for hep c, have an understanding and sympathy for what you are going through, and will be pulling for you.
Good luck!
Thanks again for the cymbalta advice. I got the green light for it yesterday from the phyc. at the hep c clinic. I told him about my migraines tmj etc and he thought it was the best choice for me also. He was concerned about my living situation and asked me if I had put any plans in place . I have. I have a sis in the city a friend from a church that could bring me to a shelter if it gets really out of hand, but he said to make it very clear that there is to be zero tolerance for yelling, slamming, banging verbal abuse etc. That went over like a lead balloon but later on I think he started to realize that he has some anger and frustration issues to deal with,The phyc says be mainly concerned with getting yourself out of bed and fed. I guess the lupus really plays a big role along with the cryoglobunmia.He also said that my family doc should have gone along with my request to check my blood to see where my titer was for my lupus now so my hep doc will have something to refer to.And to give his office a call if he wont go along.So it all turned out and he said he thought I was one of the most prepared and informed patients he had seen,I give you guys all the credit for that. I am fortunate to have you and thank God for it. Wish you all the best and will let you know if I find out anything else that might help us all. Now if I can just get my Cymbalta covered. Best of luck to you all,
I think Cymbalta is not as liver friendly as some others, but I had a real problem with the headaches and the doc seemed to think Cymbalta was OK.
Cymbalta is the one i have heard the best things about but they also give warnings on the commercial about liver problems etc anyway i am hoping for that one
Thank you for the tip on paxil I intend on seeing my family Dr again and getting on a good ssri he wants me to wait till i get to the pyc. but i really need it now.Like u I have much on my plate. No work too sick relationship issues (emotional abuse) I think that is the biggest issue that has to be dealt with before treatment . I never realized that I would have such a great support group online. I feel blessed that I have someone who doesn't even know me send me advice and caring that you
I have migraines (as a matter of fact have one today the first in a long time) and was able to take paxill, it didn't affect me negatively that I know of. My doc put me on it a month before treatment as i had never had real deep suicide I had a lot of stuff on my plate and he wanted to make sure I did not GET depressed. The depression on interferon can be very extreme so you have to make sure you are being monitored somehow before you start the IFM - it can be life threatening in fact so it's something somebody will have to work out for you somehow.
Good luck.
Good luck.
Thank you so much for the great advice. I am seeing a psychiatrist before hand they insist and like u say they take a while to build up in your system. So I went to my family doc yesterday to get a jump up on it, He could not find one that did not interfere with my migraine meds.I am going to tell the psychiatrist that I will just deal with the headaches as they come up.Lucky for me I have my mom who can help me on those days as they are so bad I cant walk or talk.You have given me new way of looking at this I did what u advised with the doctor here lets hope i have better luck with the actual psychiatrist. Thank you so much.In stage three so it better work for me. take care
what you said is true, it's also the best reason I can think of for going to an actual hepatologist. Because liver docs and oncologists treat hundreds of folks every year they are more familiar with the depression chemo causes and more likely to understand and pretreat you, or work with you when it occurs.
Docs who don't deal with this chemo regularly are more paranoid. They are more likely to cut you off if your platelets drop as well, whereas docs who deal with this everyday take it more in stride and know how to help the patient get better or keep treating. That's just my observation after hearing dozens of stories in here.
Does the fact that you are depressed preclude you from treating? No. But it does mean you need to be premedicated with something on board to head off the worst days. Since most meds take a while to build up in the system (up to 2 months) this is crucial.
Honesty can pay off if you approach it right. I'd say it's best to share that you've been prone to a little depression, especially if they can access your records anyway, because hiding it won't be possible anyway, and dealing with the meds you NEED will be necessary to succeed. If you are bipolar, you REALLY do need to share that info, as this group is at very high risk of bad reactions.
As long as your liver will tolerate it (you are not in late stage disease) you should say "I'd like to pretreat to head off any major depression...I do have my teary and blue moments and I don't want that to it turn into something major, which I hear happens to a lot of folks, all the patients in the forums say it happens."
Interferon induces depression by destroying all the happy chemicals, so there's no reason that using a drug to keep the serotonin in circulation longer should be thought of as anything more than a useful and needful preventative.
My clinician told me and I quote, "this is the only treatment where grown Marines, who have never shed a tear end up in pools of tears."
So this has nothing to do with being emotionally or mentally deficient or defective and everything to do with an imbalance created by and induced by the chemo drugs themselves, and ergo this should be treated rationally with intervention in advance, knowing that it does this across the board to all patients.
INF/Riba is an equal opportunity depressant and the medical world needs to just deal with that fact, and stop thinking that some folks are going to be just fine. Nobody is just fine, it's just that some folks hide what's going on better than others, because they fear being cut off of treatment they hide the truth, IMHO.
Docs who don't deal with this chemo regularly are more paranoid. They are more likely to cut you off if your platelets drop as well, whereas docs who deal with this everyday take it more in stride and know how to help the patient get better or keep treating. That's just my observation after hearing dozens of stories in here.
Does the fact that you are depressed preclude you from treating? No. But it does mean you need to be premedicated with something on board to head off the worst days. Since most meds take a while to build up in the system (up to 2 months) this is crucial.
Honesty can pay off if you approach it right. I'd say it's best to share that you've been prone to a little depression, especially if they can access your records anyway, because hiding it won't be possible anyway, and dealing with the meds you NEED will be necessary to succeed. If you are bipolar, you REALLY do need to share that info, as this group is at very high risk of bad reactions.
As long as your liver will tolerate it (you are not in late stage disease) you should say "I'd like to pretreat to head off any major depression...I do have my teary and blue moments and I don't want that to it turn into something major, which I hear happens to a lot of folks, all the patients in the forums say it happens."
Interferon induces depression by destroying all the happy chemicals, so there's no reason that using a drug to keep the serotonin in circulation longer should be thought of as anything more than a useful and needful preventative.
My clinician told me and I quote, "this is the only treatment where grown Marines, who have never shed a tear end up in pools of tears."
So this has nothing to do with being emotionally or mentally deficient or defective and everything to do with an imbalance created by and induced by the chemo drugs themselves, and ergo this should be treated rationally with intervention in advance, knowing that it does this across the board to all patients.
INF/Riba is an equal opportunity depressant and the medical world needs to just deal with that fact, and stop thinking that some folks are going to be just fine. Nobody is just fine, it's just that some folks hide what's going on better than others, because they fear being cut off of treatment they hide the truth, IMHO.
Tell your doc you've heard some MDs won't even Rx IFN until the patient has been on an SSRI (antidepressant) for a couple weeks. Which is true. He'll probably write you a nice 'script for some Prozac.
If you feel like you truly have some issues, then Dave's suggestion to find a doc who will work closely with you, is probably a good idea.
If you have suicidal ideation or attempt in your history, you may not be able to find a doc who will Rx IFN to you. The black box warning that comes with the meds is there for a reason.
If you feel like you truly have some issues, then Dave's suggestion to find a doc who will work closely with you, is probably a good idea.
If you have suicidal ideation or attempt in your history, you may not be able to find a doc who will Rx IFN to you. The black box warning that comes with the meds is there for a reason.
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