Hep C Discussion Forum

Huey · Guru

RE: Improvement in depression or energy after treatment?

pizzacake · Veteran Member

Huey,

ha! You are funny!

Pizza isn't a beige food. It is wonderfully colorful and round like the sun and moon and earth! As is a 5-tier chocolate cake with thick chocolate frosting!

I've decided to only eat round foods now. smile

TazKat · Senior Member

I have been feeling queasy the last few days. I finished 7/17.. today I juiced for the first time in a long time & yuk. can u say explosion in tummy?? terrible still feeling like crap.. cry

pizzacake · Veteran Member

To help with the depression and anxiety I'm forcing myself to exercise. I don't have a lot of energy but I feel so much better after I do.

Cinnamon Girl · Guru

JLynch30 wrote:
Almost two weeks off and I went for a jog yesterday! It is slow but it is so good to feel good again!

Hi John, that`s so good to hear! Onwards and upwards!

JLynch30 · Senior Member

Almost two weeks off and I went for a jog yesterday! It is slow but it is so good to feel good again!

Huey · Guru

Hi Pizza Cake,,, I have herd of beige eating when you have depression But if it is so bad that you have to have your Pizza and Cake at the same time. I would worry!...

I suppose when you start eating your pizza separate from your cake it will be a sign you are getting better. Just remember, you can't have your cake and eat it too.

We are all in this together smile , Keep your stick on the Ice..( Red Green Show.)

KLG · Veteran Member

You will definitely feel more energy and less depression after treatment. It will take a little while to get all the drugs out of your system but one day you will actually discover that have a lot more energy and are feeling normal again!!

pizzacake · Veteran Member

Thank you for all of your responses. This has been very helpful. It encourages me to know that I might feel more energy and perhaps less depression after tx.

hrsetrdr · Guru

Hi Pizzacake,

As is consistent with me being left-handed, I tend to do things 180 deg. backwards. I did not have AD issues while on tx(maybe some riba rage) but did experience AD post-tx.

However, aside from chronic back muscle sore+stiffness I feel 150% better now physically, than I had in the past 20 years.

Life is a mixed bag...

Did you know that the US and New Zealand are the only two countries that can advertise prescription meds?

I knew that in the U.S. the money-changers had broken in the temple and set up shop, sometime in the early 2000s; I'm sorry to hear that such practice has pervaded New Zealand as well.

Cinnamon Girl · Guru

HI again, PC... yes, Hep C can cause depression, it`s one of the recognised `extrahepatic` symptoms along with fatigue that some people can get. There`s no guarantee it will go away post treatment although it`s quite likely that your energy levels will increase once you`ve cleared the virus, and that can give you a huge boost mentally as well as physically. Many people report feeling better than they have done for years post tx, so there`s a good chance you`ll feel that way too.

It`s good that you`ve found ways of managing your depression and I`m sure that will help a lot during your tx...keeping a positive outlook is a real advantage so try to hold on to that. smile

pizzacake · Veteran Member

Hello everybody, Thanks for responding and sharing your experiences.

Sorry I should have mentioned that I've had depression since I was young so it isn't a new condition. I've managed it pretty well (except at stressful times in my life) and I take AD's. AD's aren't the only thing I use to manage depression. I also exercise regularly. Additionally I contracted HEP C when I was young and in my teens. I'm now in my early 60s.

I've been wondering:

1. Does Hep C cause or exacerbate depression?

2. And will my depression be "better" post TX?

Also I wonder if my energy level will be the same, or better, than it is now before treatment.

I really hope it is.

Dzdayscomin, I know what you're referring to. Withdrawal from certain AD's can be severe if you don't taper off. And I mean very, very gradually. I once did it successfully but it took months. Drug companies should be ashamed about hiding this information. Did you know that the US and New Zealand are the only two countries that can advertise prescription meds?

Dzdayscomin · Senior Member

Tig56 wrote:
Hi Duane,
Sounds like you had some problems with the AD for sure! What type of AD were you on? They do have different classes and they do affect you differently. My first was Zoloft and it worked very well. But it did take extra time to wean myself off of it. The last was Wellbutrin, low dose and it worked real well too. It has little withdrawal effects when stopped but I cut my dose in half for two weeks before stopping it and had zero side effects from stopping. Some people are affected differently by them and as Jill mentioned, some do fine without them. For me the depression was crushing and had the AD not been available I wouldn't have completed treatment. I recommend talking with the doctor and be prepared should the need arise. Good luck!
Tig

Effexor XR 37.5mg capsule 1/day ...big mistake for me. I remember being so mad I took a capsule apart to see if there was evil inside lol there was like 11 little white grains of what looked like sugar but round....that little bit is that powerful, I was amazed.

I said to my wife that anyone that prescribes these meds should have to do a test themselves first because going off can literally make you crazy...and then my thought was kids being prescribed ADD drugs and such boy I'd really think twice before going down that road.

Of course this is just my experience and nothing more than my opinion.

Duane

-- Edited by Dzdayscomin on Monday 16th of June 2014 05:51:57 PM

jimbob · Senior Member

Pizza-
I'm 2 weeks post eot on the very tx you're starting. It would be nice to know your age, wether or not you're working,etc.
I retired last Aug.in preparation for this, so I had a lot of time on my hands. I figured I could do this standing on my head compared to the 48 weeks the pioneers endured. And I pretty much could have had it not been for an issue pre-tx which fueled my depression. The INF/RIB just magnified it for me. Everyone is slighty different, for example, I had virtually no riba-rage (had the rage pre-tx), and almost no riba-rash issues. I avtually became nicer and more understanding on tx. I had days I felt so good I just wanted to get out and do something, but couldn't stay in the sun - lots of time on my hands. Then I had days of shortness of breath and fatigue, and of course the pre-tx depression issue. Overall, I had more good days then bad.
Fifteen hrs. after 1st shot I felt effects, it was manageable. Next days, not bad. Thereafter, I hardly felt the shots. Felt great til day 11,had severe headaches, got something for that. Thereafter, had good days except for my depression. Week 8 started feeling the fatigue and shortness of breath. Week 12 the fatigue really hit. Didn't want to get out of bed. Felt bad until 3 days EOT, then began to feel better. EOt, one day I'd feel great, next , I'd feel too tired. Just now I'm starting to feel somewhat normal again. I still have those pre-tx depression issues, they're just not as important due to taking the AD's. Also,last 4 wks of tx, I was operating on emotions due to the riba - expect lots of tearing-up. Still happening to me.

You can do this. I purchased all the necessary items prior to tx , oatmeal bath, creams,Cetaphil, alcohol swabs, Zrytec, etc.When a sx happened, I called my PCP and fixed it, i.e., AD's, etc. Also, and most importantly, I consulted with the moderators and experienced members on this forum. This is definitely the place to come for advice and support.

Good luck Pizza, and best wishes on tx.

-- Edited by jimbob on Monday 16th of June 2014 03:55:56 PM

Tig · Admin

Hi Duane,

Sounds like you had some problems with the AD for sure! What type of AD were you on? They do have different classes and they do affect you differently. My first was Zoloft and it worked very well. But it did take extra time to wean myself off of it. The last was Wellbutrin, low dose and it worked real well too. It has little withdrawal effects when stopped but I cut my dose in half for two weeks before stopping it and had zero side effects from stopping. Some people are affected differently by them and as Jill mentioned, some do fine without them. For me the depression was crushing and had the AD not been available I wouldn't have completed treatment. I recommend talking with the doctor and be prepared should the need arise. Good luck!

Tig

Dzdayscomin · Senior Member

Tig at one point my Dr. had me use an AD, this was well before treatment and I only used it for 1 month and at the very lowest dose possible, then I went off it and the withdrawal if you want to call it that, was extreme...I mean it was about as bad as anything I had ever experienced, and I vowed to never ever take another drug in that class again.

It was absolutely horrible, I only slept for about 8 hrs over a 10 day period, had brain zaps that made my whole body jump off the bed, balance issues with temperature changes, and it was like living in a fish bowl with vertigo and the whole bit, it took over 2 weeks for the symptoms to subside and a month or so before I actually felt somewhat normal, I actually was scared and thought I had done some permanent damage, I found out than that I could deal with things much better in other ways.

I know these drugs are lifesavers for some people and they really work, but either I really didn't need it or it was ineffective for me because I didn't even notice I was taking it, and my family really noticed that something was wrong!

But I am feeling better everyday since finishing tx 5/28 lots more energy, less fatigue, even better appetite! I would say this... stay as active as you can tolerate, and although there is a price to pay in soreness the reward is a better general feeling of well being !

Duane

Cinnamon Girl · Guru

Hi Pizzacake, good to hear you`re about to start your treatment with the Sovaldi triple.

Depression and anxiety can be a problem for some while on peg/riba based therapies but it doesn`t effect everyone in the same way and some people find they experience fewer side effects than they were expecting. If you do find it`s causing you difficulties then you could consider asking to be prescribed anti-depressants as Tig suggested. Personally I found them very helpful when I was on tx but you may find you can manage the side effects without too much worry.

Once your tx is over the side effects usually disappear over a fairly short space of time and many people report feeling better and having more energy than they`ve had for years.

You`re bound to be feeling a bit anxious before you start but try not to worry, just take it day at a time. Keep in touch, we`ll be here for you!

Wishing you all the best of luck! smile

Scruffy · Guru

pizzacake

Don't be frightened. Yes I felt it lift a few days after treatment. Some of the time you will have to take life a day at a time. I wasn't depressed though. You might not get depressed at all but you will have to deal with some brain fog and "runaway emotions". Any way this forum will be your outlet. Be sure to use it. Lots of peeps here to help and it will make a difference. biggrin

Best wishes for you and your tx.

Tig · Admin

Hello,

While depression can be problematic while you're on treatment, it can be dealt with rather easily. The primary factor in the Tx you'll be on, that is responsible for the depression, is the Interferon. Some people are affected less by it and some have more than their fair share of it. Unfortunately, I had a terrible time with it and finally was prescribed an anti depressant for it, which worked very well. The second time I went through Tx, I requested that my doctor start me on the AD well ahead of starting the Interferon. It worked very well for me that time as well. Now some people don't experience it like I did and some are able to tolerate the mood changes without medication. It's kind of a wait and see sort of thing. The Ribavirin can also cause some anxiety and irritation as well, so that's another side effect to be conscious of. Your doctor and nurse are aware of these side effects, and it's very important for you to keep them aware of your feelings during treatment. It's also vital that you let your family understand there can be issues like this during treatment. They can be a great help to you during these times.

So don't be afraid, just be aware that it can be a side effect of this treatment. Interferon and Riba are known for these side effects, so you be aware of your feelings and trust yourself and your family to be there for you during those moments. They can be difficult but are also manageable. Rely on your family, friends and health care team to work with you during those rough patches and you'll be fine. I hope you know that we're always here for you as well. Many of us have gone through the SFX you're soon to experience, and will do whatever we can to make it easier for you. Good luck, you'll do fine!!

Tig

pizzacake · Veteran Member

Hello,

Did anybody notice a lift in depression or energy after completing treatment? I haven't noticed any posts around this topic.

I'm starting treatment next Friday and frankly what I'm reading here about depression during treatment really frightens me.

Thank you!

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