Anti depressants

[meandmypbc]

Is anyone on citalopram for depression ? If not, which one do you take ?

[spoul]

Hi there I have taken Prozac in the past but it makes me a bit manic, so I now take mirtazapine long term. Is your depression separate from your Pbc or a result of?

Take care

[meandmypbc]

Hi spoul,

Yes my depression is asa result of pbc, how do you get on with mirtazepine ?

[PCBnPBC]

Hi MeAndMyPBC,

I am on Citalopram, diagnosed Feb 13, and not into pills due to being luckily healthy all my life, as Dr. put it whats wrong with you, no visits to Dr in 7 years and now 7 visits in one year ! (answer is your the Dr. you tell me) in advanced stage of cirrhosis and fatigue and brain fog lead me to a place where I was angry with my self for being so useless and making mistakes all the time. (started taking this out on those close to me, as I started to grow into a horrible person) Seems Citalopram really has helped tremendously- I could probably (certainly) have benefited by starting on this medication earlier on. Of the cocktail of pills and list of likely symptoms due to PBC who knows where various symptoms come from? I stared with strong fatigue as I started on citalopram, do others have this symptom? (and who can separate PBC from SSRI induced fatigue? )

[Lynne-k-g]

Hi meandmypbc,

I was on citalopram for a long while but am on venaflaxine 75mg twice a day now and I take mirtazepine 90mg at night as these are good for relaxing you and therefore help with sleep as I have other health problems as well as PBC. One thing I would like to add is anti depressants take a few weeks to start working and your change in mood is a gradual thing so they are not an overnight solution or miracle cure. Also everyone can react differently to anti depressants so what is good for one person won't be good for someone else. I've been on anti depressants for about 6 years now and I've had quite a few different ones, at the moment the venaflaxine is working quite well. I still have bad down days but that is normal.

Hope this has been some help

Lynnekg

[witchiegirl]

Just now I am on Sertraline. I've tried others but this was the one the GP preferred, taking into account my liver, my desire not to gain weight, etc. It's okay, certainly has helped the depression but, as with all drugs, not without side effects.

[PamRopp]

Sertraline ~ no problems with it, and it really helped the depression

[Hidden]

I too cannot help wondering if anti-depressants or SSRIs can aid fatigue or hinger it.

I'm not on anything other than urso. The only experience I had was a family friend several years back who was going trhough another phase of depression he apparently suffered in the past. I know that he started on Sertraline but he started feeling anxiety so he was switched to something else. Know he ended up on Mitrazipine.

I think it is the initial side-effects of these tablets that turn a lot of people off. My friend was given Prozac for labryinthitis several years ago, my sister an anti-depressant when was thought she had IBS. I can't recall what she was given but she nearly crashed her car and kept falling about on her chair at work. (She stopped taking after a couple days.)

Out of interest has anyone's bloods altgered slightly by taking these? Just a thought as you never know in future I might be wondering whether to take anything if I start to get really down with PBC.

[skywalker]

I take venlafaxine twice a day, morning & night, controls anxiety quite well.

[bink]

Hi All ,

I was put on Citalpram in 98 after being very sick during my pregnancy and then having gallbladder attacks during the labor and just became really down ~ i had severe to extreme depression ( Had healthy son on 12/08.98 and on 1/5/99 had surgery to remove gallbladder then at end of January still very sick and back in hospital to remove stones the doctor had dropped during surgery ) they have tried me on a few different ones over the years but the Citalapram seems to work the best for me . I was diagnosed in 2010 with PBC and am now active on UNOS and awaiting my call , i am one of the unfortunate ones who's Urso stopped working and the PBC progressed quickly . Also have PSC and AIH overlap .

[witchiegirl]

There was an interesting piece in The Guardian yesterday - Th 21st Nov - about over[-prescribing of antidepressants all over Europe, not just the 'sick' UK. Summation was that 'talking therapies' are expensive and not enough availability, so GPs and others give ADs as often the easiest, sometimes only, option. Which is dreadful really as lots of evidence that 'talking therapy' of the right kind and duration has long-term benefits. This is not a huge surprise to me, the resources problem I mean, as that's been my experience here.

I know when I had ADs in last few years, I really needed them. I did worry about my liver, and in fact (to answer Peridot) I had to stop one in a hurry when my LFTs flared a few years ago. Conclusion now, it was coincidence not the drug causing the flare up. This time, when starting Sertraline I was concerned about liver, but my depression had been getting gradually worse and I was going downhill, also scared the 'wheels' would come off entirely as they did a few years back. GP and GI/liver doc are happy enough and, as one of them said, I ma getting LFTs checked regularly, so any problem will show up promptly. I discussed all this too with my husband, who could see me going downhill. We concluded that, as I was almost non-functioning again, and had other symptoms of severe depression, we have to go for 'quality' of life over 'quantity' if that becomes the situation. For me at present it's the right thing, but I may come off again in a year or so (I fancy having another orgasm before I die!!!!)

There's no doubt having a chronic illness puts us in high risk for depression. I also think possibly there could be a change in brain chemistry, as you can get with other AI conditions like lupus. I also have family history of depression, as well as personal history from my teens. Oh well, I accept it now and I talk about it (this is a new thing really for me)

[SC49]

I had that citalopram a while ago and it was like a miracle. Within about 2 weeks it felt as if someone switched a light on for me. I was ready to come off them after about 3 months but you have to 'wean' off them over a short period so that you don't suffer withdrawal symptoms (or discontinuation syndrome i think its called). I had those long before I was diagnosed with PBC. I briefly took a low dose to help with pain / discomfort/ fatigue - that was awful and made me feel even worse so I stopped those after about 3 months.

Depression is a curse and it helps a lot if you have people around you who are supportive, even if they are not quite sure what to say or do. I would say to anyone who feels depressed, ask for help and then take whatever help is offered. It is an illness, nothing to be ashamed of and certainly nothing you should hide. you would be surprised how many people have had experience of depression and who will be much more helpful than you could even imagine. And if they are not helpful then that is their problem and not something for you to worry about. Keep smiling and stay strong xx

[meandmypbc in reply to SC49]

Thanks for your replies girls..need to get out of this dark place, and I will be willing to take anti depressants now..I know that Ineed help and I dont feel such a failure with your comments, I know I am not alone.

Thank you x