post tx depression ?

[cthopeforall]

I finished my second round of TX about 7 weeks ago and most side effects have gotten much better. Depression and brain fog have not. First TX in 08 everything improved very quickly. Has anyone else had this problem. Hope this is not a stupid question to ask.

[Sentinel13]

Sorry to hear your recovery has not been quicker. Its not a stupid question.

I finished treatment 9 days ago and I'm still waiting to feel significantly better. Like you, after my previous treatment in 2009 everything improved quickly.

My brain fog is about 90% of what it was on treatment. I attribute that to my blood chemistry still likely being below the normal range and the toxicity of the drugs still in my body.

I'm still nauseous most days, but I finally weaned off of the Zofran/Odansetron. Have almost weaned off of the Gabapentin.

Have you had a CBC since completing treatment? If yes, when was it and was all of your blood chemistry back in the normal range? Cheers, GB

[orphanedhawk]

Although interferon is blamed for depression during tx, ribavirin can also cause depression. It says right on the precautions for riba, not to get pregnant for 6 months after taking it. This says to me, that it takes quite sometime to clear out the meds from our system.

During tx we look forward to finishing, expecting our lives to return to normal. It's somewhat anti-climatic to discover that although you feel better, you are still not up to top notch.

Also, if your liver is still in poor condition, this can affect your mind.
Talk to your doctor.

[Gerbils]

I agree with both of the above. I was checking through my recovery "log" and my brain fog lifted rather suddenly at the 7-8 week post tx point. If you follow my pattern it should happen anytime for you. I know this sounds funny but I kind of felt it happen. It was neat.

I was blessed not to have depression per se but felt pretty crazy for a while with all the emotionalism. After tx I was pretty good but please don't let depression get you. Please talk to your doctor. You didn't say whether you took an antidepressant during treatment. I did take  one so that may be why I didn't have the problem. If you chose not to; that's ok but maybe you need one just for a while. Please talk to your doctor; you have been through too much to let depression get you.

Also please keep us informed! You have done a great thing by getting to this point and it is all good from here forward. Take care,
G

[willbb]

Sorry to hear you are still not feeling up to par Not saying that your problem is due to hypothyroidism ,however it is a simple test to have done and it is a known fact that the condition can be brought on by INF. therapy and it can have an array of symptoms ,,including depression.

Best to you.
Will

  http://www.endocrineweb.com/conditions/thyroid/hypothyroidism-too-little-thyroid-hormone

Symptoms of Hypothyroidism
Fatigue
Weakness
Weight gain or increased difficulty losing weight
Coarse, dry hair
Dry, rough pale skin
Hair loss
Cold intolerance (you can't tolerate cold temperatures like those around you)
Muscle cramps and frequent muscle aches
Constipation
Depression
Irritability
Memory loss
Abnormal menstrual cycles
Decreased libido

Each individual patient may have any number of these symptoms, and they will vary with the severity of the thyroid hormone deficiency and the length of time the body has been deprived of the proper amount of hormone.

Will

[cthopeforall]

Hi guys, thanks for your posts. I had my end of TX cbc done on 2/29/12 and it was not normal. A few things high and a few low. My latest was on 3/28/12, 1 month post TX follow up, it was normal. I was taking a small dose of antidepresant during TX, but did not seem to help, seemed to make it worse. Maybe the soc and 2 trial drugs this TX have made it a little harder this time. Thank you very much. CT.

[Sentinel13]

Hi CT: Thanks for the additional information. I always figured my brain fog was caused by a combination of anemia and the toxic effect of the drugs. If I had a normal CBC after 4 weeks then I would assume the toxic effect of the drugs were still impacting me. Maybe walking/exercising more, and a deep massage, might help to clear the toxins -- just a thought. Cheers, GB

[flcyclist]

Not too surprised that your cbc levels took about a month to approach the normal range.  This is fairly common and may take several months longer for the meds to entirely leave the system.  

Weaning off of an antidepressant may also take some time and should be done with caution and under supervision of a doctor.  I'm not too familiar with this process, but understand it can take some time and isn't always an easy transition.  Your body has been through some major challenges with tx, so give it some time to return to some level of normalcy.

[cthopeforall]

Thanks flcyclist, it sounds like it will just take more time. Thank you all for your posts, you guys are great. CT.