Antidepressant help

[His way]

I will be starting triple TX next month. This will be my 3rd time. I want to be on an AD before I start TX. Can anyone recommend which AD have worked for them and which did not work so well. I am usually a happy guy, but I don’t want to add any more challenges to this journey.

[pooh55811]

Those are excellent videos, Will. Thanks for posting them.

[HectorSF]

Will is correct. If you don't have a history of depression, there is no reason to take anti-depressants.

Monitoring for depression as well as "adverse events" is part of treatment that the treating doctor should be aware of. Also "Patients should be advised to report any sign or symptom of depression or suicidal ideation to their prescribing physicians."

Hector

[pooh55811]

Will is right, you may not need ADs at all and I agree that taking them only as indicated is the best approach.

Most doctors have patients get a psych. eval before starting treatment and this could help you determine if ADs are right for you.

[willbb]

Something you may be interested in.  This psychologist has worked with hundreds of HCV patients while treating..
Will..

http://blog.texasliver.com/2011/11/psychiatric-complication-of-hepatitis-c-therapy/

[willbb]

You say you are normally a happy guy.  Not everyone has issues with depression when on HCV treatment. Actually the majority do not,especially someone like your self that  doesn't seem to have problems with clinical depression in the past.
It is not recommended for those patients that "do not" have issues of pre -treatment depression ,to start an AD prior to treatment. It is recommended they be monitored ,for signs and symptoms during tx..

AD"s are very powerful drugs in their own right ,that often come with a litany of side effects and should only be prescribed to those who would be evaluated to need them .

Good luck with your upcoming treatment and welcome to the group..
Will
Will

[scoleman]

Finding an AD that works but without unwanted side effects can a trial and error process.  I've been taking AD's for the last 23 years and periodically an AD will just quit working for me so on to another.  I've only had one that gave me severe anxiety but that was ages ago and I can't remember the name of it.

I would suggest to use Zoloft since you know it works well for you but you'd have to work around the side effect of light sensitivity.  

Good luck, Sherry

[His way]

         I will be taking Incivek, IFN, and RBV. Last time I took Zoloft, my only complaint was it dilated my eyes and made them sensitive to light.
            Thanks for advice

[pooh55811]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

I am on Wellbutrin XL. I have a history of depression and was already on Wellbutrin when I found out I have Hep C. I have been on Wellbutrin since May 2011 and was diagnosed with Hep C in July 2011. The wellbutrin was working well by the time I was diagnosed and is still working well. I started triple med treatment with Incivek September 26th.

Everyone is different. Originally, I chose wellbutrin because it is one of the few ADs that do not cause weight gain. I am already overweight and I was trying to lose weight so I really did not want an AD that made me fatter. But, that was my agenda. The main thing is, it works for me. I am not depressed now and I will stay on it until a few months after I finish treatment.

I think you probably need to research on the internet (side effects, etc.) and discuss it with your doctor. I did that, looked up every single AD to compare side effects.  Another concern is you have to be sure that you can take the AD along with the triple med treatment. The triple meds interact with many different drugs so you have tom get an AD that can be taken with triple med therapy.  I used this site to plug in all meds I would be taking and see if any of them interact:

http://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.php

Just keep adding meds until you get all of the meds you are on listed there and then check for interactions among them.

I know others here on on other ADs so I am sure others will tell you what has worked for them.

Good luck.

[beeblessed]

Hi.  I'm on Sertraline (Zoloft).  Felt I was doing pretty good until about a month ago, so we upped to dose a little.  I think for the most part, it keeps me calm but as time goes on, I find myself battling depression a bit more.  I am in week 17 of tx, so the AD has helped me get this far.

Best to you, especially this time around.  We've seen great results here and I wish the same for you.

[Advocate1955]

Which triple therapy are you going to be doing?  
My husband has done SOC, daily infergen injections/Riba, and is now on triple therapy with Inc.  With the first he was on Lexapro, and it worked well.  With the second he was on Lexapro, added Bupropion (which didn't work well - made him feel "funny' - so it was discontinued), and then added Trazedone, which worked well in combination with the Lexapro.  With triple therapy with Inc., he is currently on Citalopram, and it's working well.  He wasn't able to be on Lexapro because it is contraindicated with Incivek.
Others on this forum will respond as well to give you some ideas.  I know there are quite a few antidepressants that were used for previous therapies that are contraindicated with Incivek, so doctors are prescribing different antidepressants.
Advocate1955

[fretboard]

May be best to start out with a mild one like Zoloft or Celexa.  good luck

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sertraline


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citalopram

[stormy456]

Hi - Husband on Wellbutrin, working brilliantly.  I like him even more on this ;)