Antidepressants

[Irisw]

Hello just checking in to see what others thought about taking antidepressants while having PBC...

[ninjagirlwebb]

My opinion is that one should avoid as many unnecessary meds as possible since it impacts the liver. Having said that though, it is a tough call obviously, depression is a serious condition. Have to weigh the pros & cons.

Maybe try some other things, like talking to a therapist, doing meditation etc before turning to antidepressants as a last resort.

Life always throw us challenges. A lot of it, is haphazard & out of our control. We can step up & manage how we react.

The PBC diagnosis drama causes a lot of stress, but I tried to find the silver lining in every situation & move on.

Hope this helps.

Haley

[Irisw]

Thanks

[Pamela4475]

Not taking them but I think I could use them 😢

[Irisw in reply to Pamela4475]

I hear ya

[Irisw in reply to Pamela4475]

When were u diagnosed

[Pamela4475 in reply to Irisw]

Only 1 year ago

[Hidden]

If your suffering from clinical depression then therapy and antidepressants may be needed, you need to be guided by your doctors, we can only offer our experience or opinion all of which could be wrong for your best health we are all different.

Therapy on its own works, but may take longer, I personally took a short (6 months) course of sertraline with therapy some years ago and had no affects on my labs.

I think it’s sertraline is the SSRI antidepressant that is also prescribed off label for the itch of PBC, so it maybe one that’s worth discussing with your doctors. I can’t see them prescribing it if it were going to adversely affect the liver, however all medications come with side affects and these have to be weighed up against how your feeling. I hope you get some relief soon it’s just so horrible living with depression.

[JohnMalaney]

Most people are knocked for 6by the PBC diagnosis. I did some research when my wife was diagnosed and apparently it takes 2 years just to come to terms with the knowledge that you have a life changing condition which will never go away. Add the terrible itch and fatigue she was suffering from, plus some horrible family stress and it is no surprise my wife did elect to take antidepressants. The good news is that there has been no impact on her Liver Function Tests. We were both worried that she could end up ‘zombified’ by the drugs fortunately this has not been the case. My wife has tried Cognitive Behaviour Therapy but it did not work for her. Anti depressants are not for everyone but her depression became crippling and the medication allows us to get on with life. She still has issues with extreme fatigue and the itch which does limit our lifestyle and at present she continues to take medication. Neither one of us ever expected that she would be taking antidepressants but whilst it is not for everyone it is a tremendous help to her

[YvonneGS]

My husband has been on them for years (and yes, he did therapy, etc. which helped too). Neither the local GE he sees, nor the transplant specialist, thought it would be a problem continuing on them. I have my concerns, but adding in the PBC and then taking him off of Paxil would be too much to expect of him. We take it day by day. You have to weigh the benefits vs the risks with your docs.

[Ballymahon2]

My hep not keen on them

[mrspeffer]

There is a huge difference between the blues, feeling down, and clinical depression. Only a trained professional, preferably a psychiatrist, will make the diagnosis of clinical depression and prescribe the appropriate type of medications and dosage. There are many herbal concoctions out there to lift mood(Sam-E and 5 HTP are a couple them). But, if it is true clinical depression, discuss your options with your provider. As far as it being ok to use them when you have PBC, here is my take. You have to live in your head and body. What good will you be to yourself and family if you are unraveled due to untreated depression. Talk to you therapist first and ask them what your next step should be. The answers will come and you will be ok. I was on antidepressants for a long while about 10 years ago. they helped immensely and after a few years i was able to taper off of them completely. They never affected my LF's. Hope you feel brighter soon

[Lizzy1313]

I never thought I'd take anything for depression, but last fall the pain and fatigue got to me so much that I started taking a supplement with St. John's Wort. So far, so good.

[Irisw in reply to Lizzy1313]

Do you have fibromyalgia

[LindaVillanova]

I read fairly recently they were thinking there’s an antidepressant that has a positive effect on pbc. I don’t recall the name or where I read it, but do recall thinking that would be a double win for many. Maybe google it or check the Liver Foundation

[EileenUSA in reply to LindaVillanova]

Linda,

Yes...it was posted here recently. I find it fascinating. Here's a link to the info.

medicalxpress.com/news/2018...

[Anne29]

I was prescribed sertraline 50gms some years pre diagnosis for PBC. Before diagnosis and before sertraline, I was tearing my skin for years with no solution. If I stop taking it (to give my liver a rest), the itch gradually returns within days.