Mood change…

[larrybg]

I started my treatment with viral load more than 5 million. First shot of Pegasus was horrible, I don’t have another word to explain it… I started feel the reaction after 2 hours… Now I’m on my 26th week, and Motrin is my best friend on my weekends. My viral load dropped to 14 - at least here some good news. The bad news is my mood. The situation at home is not looking good – constant “fights” with my wife, our girls (we have 2 beautiful daughters) see that and they started fight each other. We are trying to stop them – who is right, who is not…  Oh, God… This is like snow ball – getting bigger and bigger. I think I’m just losing control… or already lost it… Yesterday after another scene my wife told me she wants to get divorce… I know that I’m the only one who is responsible for this situation, I wish I can control myself better….

[becksta29]

OH THATS NO GOOD,THATS AWEFUL,I WAS JUST READING YOUR THREAD AND I WAS HOPING U AND THE WIFE R OK STILL.
HOW LONG WAS YOUR TX AND WAS IS SOC?
U POOR BUGGER,AT LEAST U GAVE UR LIVER A BREAK AND THE NEW DRUG COMING OUT SOON IS THE GO,THATS WHAT I WILL BE DOIN NEXT IF NEEDED.

[larrybg]

The second blood test returned positive to Hep C... :(
Looks like I'm going to the second round... not sure what kind of treatment I will get now.
Starting new forum question --> http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Hepatitis-C/Treatment-failure/show/1069582

[RCM829]

What a wonderful update to a troubling and heartfelt thread.
Congratulations, you made it!

[Isobella]

Yay!  Congratulations on finishing tx.

Next stop SVR!!!

[nygirl7]

Great news best of luck Larry and here's hoping you get SVR! :)

[jdwithhcv]

Congratulations Larry.  You hung in there!  Hope you feel better every day.

jd

[larrybg]

Finally I’m DONE with my treatment. My last shot was on June12.  Today is 10th day since I took my last medication… Feels G-O-O-O-D!!! Live is in color again. Just waiting for the blood tests…

[DragonSlayer45]

I am at week 32 of 48. I made sure I spoke with my entire family prior to treatment so they understood. I will not bore you with all the details but I also had some bad anger rage issues come up beginning around week 8. It was not good. I also resisted the AD's or anything else as I did not want them. I have strong opinions on the over prescribing of meds in today's society...anyway. My doctor basically told me AD's or your coming off treatment. They made a huge difference. The anger rage is caused by the interferon as mentioned earlier. He also put me on Xanax, which I did not want either.

Bottom line is this is a well documented side effect. It effects some worse than others.It can effect a significant portion, but not all, patients.  I will also add that this treatment if you read over the archives has had a negative effect on a lot of peoples relationships, they just did not survive it. This is very real what you are experiencing. Family support and understanding is key. Not to mention when you get angry retreat to a neutral place and stay away from them. I find that works best.

My doctor, who is the Director of Hepatology at University of Pennsylvania, when he saw my 2 sons with me went out of his way (I was not scheduled to see him that day just the PA)  and sat them down. He said "listen if your Daddy gets angry, grumpy, yells at you or anything you need to understand that it is the medicine that is causing it, it is not your daddy and tell your mommy what I said too OK". That was really nice of him to do and my boys really appreciated hearing it.

This treatment is hard on entire families. It is important to have a support network at home. In my opinion it is critical.  Make sure your wife reads this too and tell ehr to come here and ask questions or just be a a fly on the wall. It is important to understand what is happening. This treatment is not an easy one. Many doctors even do not fully understand the severity of this medicine.

Here are some links if you are interested in technical information about it.

http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/display/article/10168/52351?pageNumber=1

The quotes below are from a continuing education course for health care professionals.

"Antiviral treatment with interferon, as well as chronic HCV infection itself, can be associated with several central nervous system changes, notably fatigue, anhedonia, depression, irritability, cognitive disturbances, psychotic symptoms, delirious syndromes, relapse in alcohol or drug abuse, or suicidal thoughts and attempts.[20,21] Psychiatric adverse events may lead to dose reduction and treatment discontinuation affecting the efficacy of interferon-based therapy. In addition, the patient’s quality of life may be markedly reduced during treatment. Therefore, management of psychiatric events and cooperation with an experienced psychiatrist are crucial for treatment success.

In recent years, interest in mood changes associated with interferon treatment of chronic HCV infection has increased. Between 1991 and 1995, only 11 papers on the subject of hepatitis C/interferon/depression were available in the PubMed database; the number of papers increased from 1996-2000 to 35, and from 2001-2006, the number increased to 149. More than 360 papers were published from 2001-2006 on the subject of interferon/depression in all patients."

Irritability
"Irritability is a difficult-to-treat symptom of interferon use and may be associated with the coexistence of multiple problems. A systematic psychiatric examination is recommended for sleep disturbances, mania, depression, psychosis, or worsening of agitation and impulsivity in patients with personality disorders. As a first step, sleeping disorders should be carefully evaluated and treated when possible. If irritability is thought to be a symptom of depression, antidepressants (eg, SSRIs or mirtazapine) should be given. Whether irritability is a form of “mixed-mood state,” typically observed in patients with bipolar affective disorders, is currently under discussion.[33] During a mixed state, depressive and manic symptoms may appear at the same time and the patient may respond better to treatment with mood stabilizers (eg, valproate) or antipsychotics (eg, amisulpride, risperidone, quetiapine, or perazine). In some cases, short-term treatment with tranquillizers, such as benzodiazepines, might become necessary. However, the risks and benefits should be carefully weighed in patients with methadone drug addiction. Discontinuation of HCV treatment is recommended if irritability is complicated by aggressive behavior."

[justme53]

You'll probably find two schools of thought on OTC pain relievers, but many Drs. recommend Tylenol while on treatment. I can take up to 2000 mg per day OR half the adult dosage of Advil...NO aspirin. I take one Tylenol PM on shot night just to be on the safe side.

Glad to hear that things are going better for you and your wife.......Pam

[lchou]

I was a raving lunatic until I got on AD's.  I resisted but they really did make a huge difference.  I alternate between a half pill one day and a whole the next (5/10mg).  It does take awhile for them to kick in tho.

My husband has gotten real good at tuning me out when I'm saying something he doesn't want to hear, but was happy when I started being "nice" again.

Good Luck

[granitekonig]

This virus is a really personal issue. It can be difficult to have other people around and to expect them to understand. I'm lucky that I'm in a situation where I live by myself but can have friends over when I'm feeling lonely. I think minimized social interaction helps me the best. I just don't have the patience to deal with people....I keep finding faults in people and wanting to bite their heads off and teach them a lesson for being such a dumba$$. (hopefully that captures the irritibility and anger I often feel in traffic, hahaha)

[larrybg]

Hmm, interesting, but looks like we have two different opinions. My doctor didn’t tell me anything about what medication is the best Motrin or Tylenol, she said – what is best works for you… I had Motrin at home and since that I’m taking it. On other hand – my wife is going to the medical college, and they actually learning liver diseases now. So the teacher told them that Tylenol is not good for the liver, especially when you are on the treatment. Anybody has something regarding this?

Next time I’m going to my doctor – I will ask her about it.

[jmjm530]

Port: I'm wondering why you take Motrin? Did your doctor recommend it? Why are you not using Tylenol as needed, up to 2000 mg daily?
-----------
Good point. Liver specialists recommend Tylenol, not NSAID's like Motrin while treating.

[portann]

Hi Larry,

So good to hear from you. Please mention to your wife that she is welcome to join the forum.

I'm wondering why you take Motrin? Did your doctor recommend it? Why are you not using Tylenol as needed, up to 2000 mg daily?

Also, I'm wondering if you have a hard copy of all you PCR results and could post them here, with the dates and sensitivity, etc.

I'm almost in week 35 of 48 and so far have only occasionally needed Tylenol.  My doctor didn't think I'd need anything else and, so far, I haven't. This may turn out to be the case for you.

I manage my irritability with a kind husband and as much outdoor walking that I can manage. Walking reminds me of what's important to me and where I want to be at the end of  treatment. I want to be married to the same great guy, even though I b-itch about his shortcomings now. It's the cabin fever, you know.

[Ricki62]

I'm on my 17th week of treatment and  can relate to the mood changes.  Somedays I can be fine and the next few days I'm raging at my boyfriend and having hateful thoughts.  It does pass. I think if we can keep in mind that these side effects don't last and keep our ultimate goal of health in mind, that would be ideal, but it's hard and discouraging alot of the time. I'm trying to be more spiritual and say the Serenity Prayer when needed.  

I am fortunate in that I took an early retirement so I can really take care of myself and concentrate on getting better but I still have some horrible days when I'm a raging bull (or cow in my case).  

One suggestion I do have is to maybe show your wife some appreciation for her support.  I do go to a therapist 2x a month and that helps to let off some of those negative feelings. Maybe that would help you guys.  I'll put you in my prayers.    

[larrybg]

Hi,
All of you – THANK YOU for your support! I talked to my wife after I cooled down, and she understood me. Things are going well now. NO DIVORCE for sure!!!

Debbie, thank you for the reminder – I did drink this Vitamin water too, and I loved the Orange one. Not sure why I stopped, but I will back on it again. I felt much better then.

Portann, my second viral load test results shown 14 (I think it was 18th or 22nd week, I just don’t remember).  We both talked to my doctor before treatment, she explained us what the side effect could be during the next 48 weeks. It is always up and downs in the mood, but last week I think it was worst, I never felt myself like this.

I’m trying to stay away from the antidepressants as much as I can. And you know there is lot of natural products that you can use. I’m taking “Valerian”, and on bad days I drink tea called “Sleepy Time”. All these (and other products) have natural herbal in it that helps to cool you down.

Larry

[nygirl7]

is your VL still at 14 now on week 26??????????

[portann]

Sorry I haven't had a chance to find links I promised you last night. Hopefully, others can help. I'm in a brain fog today.

People here use an expression to describe how you're feeling. The expression is 'riba rage'. (The rage is caused by interferon, but 'riba rage' has a catchy sound.)

You and your wife should both talk to your treating doctor about this. It is almost a universal problem for patients on treatment.

There are threads in Medhelp's archives about riba rage, some serious, some funny. You can put in a search for key words like riba rage, divorce, etc. One of many is at:

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/show/592545?camp=36

I don't agree with you that it's all your fault. Yes, you're irritable on treatment but you're doing this for the entire family's sake. Each of you has responsibility to make this work.

I think your wife needs to look for more creative and positive solutions rather than hit the road. She's having a hard time, too, and you both need to de-escalate. Go to a movie and get her some flowers. And talk to the treating doctor, together.

[granitekonig]

I'm sorry to hear that you feel like you're losing control. The ONLY way to fix it is to take control again.

That's it: Take control.    

Want to make things right? Then take control. Laundry needs to be done? Do the laundry. Just focus on that like a mantra and the rest will fall into place. It's the trick that breaks me through every obstacle in my life and it's worked always.

[lalapple]

and remember, tx is only temporary.  everything will be back to normal before you know it!  you are ready on your way to better health!

[can-do-man]

I agree with portann, it takes both spouses to get through this tx. Heres wishing you the very best as you go forward.

portann.......He's a saint, though............ Sometimes your way to kind to me:) Hope all is well with you.

[lalapple]

i'm so sorry.  my mood has changed significantly also during tx.  i get into more arguments with my parents and get really depressed and angry often, very unsatisfied sometimes and feel like i have no support and no friends and no one cares.  but despite these hard times, i find happiness in daily life.  don't take some things for granted, and try to life a normal life.  get some fresh air, exercise, and sleep OFTEN, i feel like so far, sleep has kept me from antidepressants, and has basically saved my life.  even if i feel like i can't/ don't want to go to sleep, i just lie on my bed bc that's the best place to be when i'm trying to avoid something or angry.  

if things get worse, maybe try to consider taking antidepressants, but i hear it's hard to get off for some people that's why i didn't want to be on it in the first place unless i has having seriously harmful thoughts.

i'm sorry about your wife, she should be able to understand what she was signing up for right when you decided to do the tx.  your daughters should understand how difficult things are for you also.  people are selfish sometimes.  i wonder if there is anyway for them to take your tx into more consideration.  please please please don't get a divorce, at least use it as your last resort.  i personally believe divorces are pure forms of child abuse, it's not good for anyone and i fear that you may regret it later.  and regret is the worst feeling in the world.  

just whenever you get a chance, take a breather bc you deserve one, and rest well, and eat well.

best of luck to you

[portann]

When did your viral load drop to 14?
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Moods are a common side effect of treatment.

Your wife could also join this forum for support. It may really help her see how typical your problems are. I believe some members here did have marital breakdowns during treatment, so with two young daughters to consider, your situation is potentially serious and needs attention.

My hepatologist REQUIRED my husband to take time off work to be interviewed by him. He said the worst side effect of treatment is DIVORCE! (Yup, that's what he said.)

My husband had to more or less promise he could put up with me for 48 weeks. (He foolishly thought it would be like mood swings during pregnancy!)

There are many solutions to family tension during your treatment, believe me, and many opinions. You and your wife can find information here and at other excellent sites. (I'll post them tomorrow, if nobody does in the meantime.)

To be warned is to be prepared and it sounds like no one prepared you or your wife.

My husband tunes me out when I'm irritable but it's a tall order some days. Here we are, week 34 of 48, and hanging in, not too much the worse for wear. He's a saint, though.

[sunshine585]

On my ugly days, I put a do not disturb, not feeling well sign, on my bedroom door. You can chill til you can cope again.