I take Pegasys for a blood disorder and am fairly convinced that many of the side effects are the same ones for Magnesium deficiency. I personally recommend The Magnesium Miracle by Dr. Carolyn Dean. I take slow release Magnesium and have found it helps any number of things. Paula
I know what drugs would significantly improve my mood: GS-7977+daclatasvir :)
None of these meds are doing a thing to help my mood that's for sure.
Hi fret.
Major Depression can be triggered by many drugs. Not just interferon. So it is not usual for drugs to cause mood disorders. Here are some others...
Alcohol
Anticonvulsants
Barbiturates
Beta-adrenergic blockers
Bromocriptine (Parlodel)
Calcium-channel blockers
Antabuse
Estrogens
Fluoroquinolone antibiotics
Statins
Interferon alfa
Accutane
Narcotics
Norplant
I wonder if "Interferon-Alpha Induced Mood Disorder" is in the DSM-IV?
Yes it is "Major Depression". There are many things that can produced major depression, the drug interferon being only one of them. Note that there are many types of depression, "Major Depression" is just one type of depression with a particular set of symptoms. That is how carious types of depression are diagnosed.
NOTE: "Major depression" cannot be diagnosed if a person has a history of manic, hypomanic, or mixed episodes (e.g., a bipolar disorder) or if the depressed mood is better accounted for by schizoaffective disorder and is not superimposed on schizophrenia, schizophreniform disorder, delusional disorder or psychotic disorder."
"According to the DSM-IV, a person who suffers from major depressive disorder must have depression symptoms such as either have a depressed mood or a loss of interest or pleasure in daily activities consistently for at least a two week period. This mood must represent a change from the person's normal mood; social, occupational, educational or other important functioning must also be negatively impaired by the change in mood."
This disorder is characterized by the presence of the majority of these symptoms:
* Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day, as indicated by either subjective report (e.g., feels sad or empty) or observation made by others (e.g., appears tearful). (In children and adolescents, this may be characterized as an irritable mood.)
* Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities most of the day, nearly every day
* Significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain (e.g., a change of more than 5 of body weight in a month), or decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day.
* Insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day
* Psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day
* Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day
* Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt nearly every day
* Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day
* Recurrent thoughts of death (not just fear of dying), recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide.
Interferon has been known to produce major depression in certain individuals while on treatment. Which is why persons with a history of "Major Depression" are advised to take prophylactic measures by taking an antidepressant before starting treatment. People that have had depressive episodes in the past are prone to future depressive episodes. Depression is a recurrent illness. While depression is not completely understood, there appears to be persons the are prone to Major Depression genetically. It only takes an outside event or force (such as a drug is this case) to trigger their depression. Since Major depression is a recurrent illness, it is not unusual that a person treating for 24 or 48 weeks would continue to experience depressive episodes post treatment.
"Major Depression" is a the mood disorder that can be triggered by interferon and even more so peg-interferon. But no matter what the cause of Major Depression the treatment is still the same. The most effective treatment for Major Depression is a combination of psychopharmaceutical treatment and therapy.
As the LA treatment center's web page says "An interferon-alpha induced mood disorder is very simply a depressive disorder that is caused by HCV treatment."
Cheers!
Hector