hub's side effects - physical or mental?

[juli4591]

good morning to everyone, and thanks for taking the time to read my post.  My husband is in week three of triple therapy with incivek.  He's had issues with rash, (which is currently under control ) as well as tiredness, shortness of breath,etc - a lot of things that seem to pop up and change daily and that many of you have posted about. My biggest concern is that he feels like this treatment is poisoning him and that it is going to kill him before the hepC does.  He treated once before with interferon/riba and responded well but relapsed.
Have any of you experienced this overwhelming feeling that you won't survive the treatment? This morning he had a very difficult time taking the Incivek, almost feeling that is was suicidal to take the pills. He is 58, has early cirrhosis but never had any symptoms/side effects from the hepc. He is taking welbutrin 2x a day as part of his regimen.If anyone can offer an encouraging word or advice I would surely appreciate it.  This is such a scary process, and how can you know what to be alarmed about and what to try to work through? Thanks.

[juli4591]

Thanks pooh55811 - his liver dr has been the one prescribing the antidepressants but is very good about meeting our needs.  If hub gets worse I'm sure she would be responsive to his seeing a specialist.  I think I'm seeing a pattern - the first 48 hrs after his interferon shot seems to be when he bottoms out.   He's feeling much better tonight and we'll see what tomorrow brings.

[juli4591]

Ugh those 24 hr bugs sound terrible!  on top of everything else!  Hub pretty much stays home, and we are big on hand washing and using sanitizers, etc.  Congratulations on your SVR!

[juli4591]

Thanks, and we'll be watching very closely to  make sure things don't get worse.  WHEN is medical marijuana going to be available everywhere??

[juli4591]

Thanks for your reply and it is so true - this is a med that you have to hurt yourself in order to help yourself.  Hub tries to get out every day and fill the bird feeder, the birdbath, etc.  He is feeling better tonight and hopefully can ride that wave a little, but if not we'll be calling for an appointment sooner than his next scheduled one ( next week ).

[juli4591]

You hit it on the head with what a game changer the triple therapy is!  Since we had gone through the interferon/riba treatment about 1.5 yrs ago, we prepped for the new treatment based on our last experiences.  Last time hub was extremely nauseous, could barely ride in a car to the drs, had to wear wristbands the entire time, etc.  So we got all our ducks in a row.  This time, very little nausea and motion sickness.  Felt lucky until the rash bloomed like an invading army in one night and none of our OTC treaments seemed to do anything. Started on the Welbutrin weeks before treatment, but a different type of depression this time.  So it's constant tweaking, constant vigilance. This board is a godsend, and I read hub the responses to my post and he was so moved that people would share so much to help him.  he's very private and probably won't post, but very appreciative. Dr did mntion anxiety, and said she could prescribe something like ativan to take just in times when it was overwhelming ( like this morning.)  Husband is very much better this afternoon - he spent some time visualizing the Incivek wrapping around the virus and kicking it to the curb. Tomorrow is another day and hopefully the sun will shine outside as well as in his heart a little bit!

[pooh55811]

I was on Wellbutrin when I started Tx and I stayed on it throughout Tx. I had zero depression and zero emotional issues. I was fine.

I think if I was having the mental problems your husband is having, I would see the psychiatrist immediately. If he has no psychiatrist, perhaps his treating doctor can get him in to see one ASAP on an urgent/emergent basis. He may need a different antidepressant or perhaps another needs to be added to the Wellbutrin. Either way, he should be evaluated by a psychiatrist who is knowledgeable in treating this type of problem.

The Interferon can cause severe depression so you want to get on top of this immediately.

Best of luck.