Anti-Depression Drugs???????

what have people tried that work

I am fighting depression from my SCC of the Rt tonsil

been post Tx  8 weeks

I have been on Lexapro and did not seem to be doing much

so i was put on Wellbrutin

really made my dry mouth bad not worth it

I am going to stop

thank you john 

On 7/11/2008 mtkjohn1 wrote:

what have people tried that work

I am fighting depression from my SCC of the Rt tonsil

been post Tx  8 weeks

I have been on Lexapro and did not seem to be doing much

so i was put on Wellbrutin

really made my dry mouth bad not worth it

I am going to stop

thank you john 

Hi John

I am 8 mo post treatment for SCC of the left tonsil.  For me the 8wk mark post tx was a really bad time also.  I assumed (incorrectly) that the effects of radiation would stop the day tx stopped.  When things continued to get worse over the next few weeks I became very depressed.  I completed tx at the end of Oct and went through Thanksgiving and Christmas watching people eat (I was still on PEG tube) while I did my liquid diet.  I was in the hospital on my birthday - 12/10 - while my husband was on a business trip so the only people I even saw that day were nurses and doctors.  The nurses were going to order me a birthday cake until they remembered my feeding was through a tube (we could have tried to stuff it down but I don't think it would have worked).  I was dealing w/ the heavy mucuos - which we all know is very unpleasant - and can be scary when it affects your breathing.  I was dehydrated and hydration infusions resulted in an infection in my port which is what I was hospitalized for.  While in the hospital they found out I had thrush.  Somewhere in my mind I had this idea that I would start bouncing back quickly and when that didn't happen I got so depressed. 

What I can tell you is you are now where it is as bad as it gets.  Look forward to things you can do 6 months down the road - plan a trip.  Recuperation is slow going - I am finally beginning to feel like my old self.  You've been through a lot - you just fought the battle for your life but the day you know you've won the war is when you get your first clean scan and you know everything you've been through was worth it!  Look forward to that day.  From here on feel the wind in your hair because it is all down hill.  If you need to talk - just get it out of your system, everyone is here for you. 

Diana

I was on Ativan ( really an anti anxiety drug) both for anxiety and the fact that it helps nausea, which was bad with me. I didnt really have any extended bouts of depression, a blue day here and there, but I tried to maintain my sense of humor through the whole ordeal and I guess I came out of it ok. At 8 weeks out, you should be feeling better physically and that (hopefully) will help your mood out a little.

It does get better, I know, I've been there.

We're all here for you........

Best wishes,

Mike

Hi John,

I don't have anxiety/depression from experiencing everything you have...it just runs in the family.  I was fine until I was about 21, and that is when I was told that anything can trigger the chemical imbalance and then once you are imbalanced, it's best to stay on the meds.  I have been on Zoloft for the past 4 years and it's been great for me.  I got off of it for 6 months, was fine...thinking I was strightened out, but then pulled and all-nighter in college, had caffeine pills and it triggered the anxiety attack...I was anxious until I got back on the Zoloft, so I don't think I will stop again. 

These SSRIs are all trial and error for everyone.  Your own chemical makeup will determine how well it works for you/side effects, that is why there are so many different brands.  Wellbutrin and Lexapro didn't work for me, Celexa made me feel crazy, but Zoloft was the thing I was looking for.  My mom is also very anxious and she has found relief with Cymbalta...it is very similar to Zoloft but gets in your system fast, where Zoloft may take 4-6 weeks to feel back to normal.  Don't give up...you'll either start feeling better on your own, as this experience gets farther and farther behind you, or you may have to be on meds, as many people need that extra help.  Don't settle for one though, you should be able to find something that the side effects don't drive you nuts on!  Just remember that for some, like Zoloft, you won't feel completely normal for that first month or so.

 Activity is also the best thing for the mind...go on walks, this has helped me too!  Good luck to you, try to stay positive, you will get through this too!

Molly  :)

update

my dr increased my lexapro from 10mg to 20 mg and now i am doing very well

i do not know if it is the:

lexapro

the therapy

 or being 8 weeks out from Tx

but what ever it is i am feeling better

john 

On 7/18/2008 mtkjohn1 wrote:

update

my dr increased my lexapro from 10mg to 20 mg and now i am doing very well

i do not know if it is the:

lexapro

the therapy

 or being 8 weeks out from Tx

but what ever it is i am feeling better

john 

Hi John

As I said before, it is all down hill from here on - you  have crossed the highest hurdles.  Mountains always look higher on the way up than they do on the way down.  You have been in my thoughts and prayers and it is great to hear you are feeling better. Take care of yourself and let us know how you are doing. 

Diana

HI all,

well doing much better today than last week

someone posted a while back that you must look for progress in weeks not days and that really seems to be the truth

going to 20 mg of Lexapro has really help me, now i am not sure if it is the Lexapro, the theropy or the fact that at 10 wks post Tx  I am just starting to heal???!?!!?

but at this moment I am not going to change anything in a hurry

I have felt so crappy for so long that this is nice

started this horror show 2/03/08

john :-) 

Hi John

It is so good to hear you sounding so positive - whatever the reason.  Next week you will feel even better and the following week better still.  Start planning that vacation. 

Diana

On 7/24/2008 texasbelle5 wrote:

 

When I told my neuro oncologist I was battling depression and feeling isolated, he pushed a scrip for Cymbalta across his desk at me. I refused it. I don't want happy pills. I want to know there are others out there fighting the same fight. I want to be encouraged and uplifted, as I try to encourage others. And the only ones who really unerstand are those of us who are fighting this. Not diminishing the love and support of families and care givers, but until you have spent 8 hours puking and dry heaving from Temodar, or experienced utter confusion due to short term memory loss, it's hard to know what it's like. Many families live in denial. I am told often that my only problem is that I am disorganized. My friends assure me that I will outlive them all. One teases me constantly about the continued hair loss and my need to wear a scarf. This stopped being funny about 6 months ago, but if I say anything I will be the one saying "stop it" I feel that I have to be strong for all of them and keep up the lie that I am really OK and that I will really live another 10-15 years.

Hi

I have already posted above about my bout w/ depression.  I chose not to ask for any medication to get me through my depression and as the effects of treatment have lessened so has the depression - although I still have an occasional bout with it.  Many have been helped by medication and I don't take anything away from them but many of the meds for depression scare me.  I know people have been helped by Zoloft but research shows that many suicides have been attributed to the use of Zoloft.      

As for what I do to combat my depression, I look ahead and make plans for trips.  I look at people I went through treatment with last year but are still battling cancer a year later while I am recuperating.  I read on this site about the many people who are fighting the battle that I was fighting last year.  Then I think about how good God was to me - many would say it was plain luck the way my cancer was found but I know it was God's intervention.  I owe Him and my husband and my children and my grandchildren and my dad and all my friends who were there for me - I owe it to them to enjoy life even if I have to force it a little at times.  I make it sound easy but I know it is not easy for many people.  I also know that others are having a worse time of it than I am.  People many times don't know how to respond to you when they learn you have cancer so that may be the reason they try to reassure you that you are going to outlive them (and who knows - you may).  As for the friend who is teasing you about losing your hair - ask them to prove their friendship by joining you.  You hear about it all the time - people shaving their heads to show support.  My grandson kept mentioning it but he was only 14 and he was not teasing me about it - only mentioning seeing it in the shower drain (he also mentioned my hair turning blonde - bless him - I didn't even have to pay him for not being able to tell the difference between blonde and white). 

You are always the winner as long as you are battling cancer.  One of the most thoughtful things I heard said about Tony Snow after he died from cancer was that cancer did not beat him because he never gave into it.  Keep on fighting (and maybe acquire some new friends who understand what you are going through - in addition to all of us here).   

Diana