Depression And Anxiety

Hello all,

I'm having A/C chemo for breast cancer at the moment and I am feeling really
depressed and anxious all the time - a lot more so than when I had surgery or
radiation therapy. Up until now I have been extremely positive and able to enjoy
life almost as usual.

Has anyone else experienced emotional reactions during chemo? I'm trying to
work out whether the idea of cancer has finally hit me or if it is the drugs
messing with my head.

Love to hear from others on this topic.

:)
Holly

Hello Holly,
I guess it's not that uncommon for people to experience depression/anxiety when they have cancer. I had this even before I was diagnosed with colon cancer in Nov of 2000. Have you discussed these feelings with your doctor? Maybe he or she can give you a mild medication to help you through. I myself hate meds, and I chose not to take any, but for some they can help. Sometimes, support groups are beneficial too. Sharing your concerns with others,and knowing you're not alone can lift your spirits. I experienced such feelings, and I felt like I was in limbo as far as my future was concerned. I just try to stay as positive as I can and I am thankful for each day I have. Good luck to you Julie C.

Hi Holly, it is not uncommon to experience depression and anxiety when facing cancer of any kind. It is perfectly normal. I do suggest you discuss these feelings with your physician and maybe they can refer you to a good support group as well as give you some medication to help you get through...You may note all you need is someone to talk to about this...Do it, don't go it alone...that will not be a good idea!
Take care, God Bless and my prayers are with you...Sincerely, Angie

Hi Holly,
I was diagnosed with astrocytoma stage 3 one year ago. I am 52 years old and when they told me what I had it floored me and my wife. Me it only took about a week to realize that if I do not get this attitude out of my head I could no way possible to beat it since it was non-operable. Well it took awhile to get my wife to think positive but we are, I went through radiation and chemo for the first 7 weeks at the same time. Well I had some fun with it when I started to lose my hair I told the wife I was going to get a mohawk. Well I did and the haircutter asked me if I wanted to do some thing funny. I told her yeah anything she wanted to do – to do it. Well she died my hair blue, green, purple, yellow and a couple of other colors. I had a ball with it. So just do something you always wanted to do but were afraid of doing when you were healthy but were scared to and have fun. It will relieve the tension and anxiety because you are doing something that you probably would have never done. God bless and stay strong. Ed from bullhead

Dear Holly,
I experienced mood swings, anxiety and some depression with my chemotherapy. It progressed and after the last round of chemo was the worst. The cancer disappeared and my physical health was improving dramatically as I went through six rounds of chemo so I didn’t associate the depression to bad news. People have different side affects from the chemo and the same person can respond differently at different times. My liver got bogged down several times during chemo. I did kidney and liver cleansing to help these organs function more normally. I also was on steroids as part of my chemo protocol, which had a huge influence on my mental state.

The difference in anxiety and depression you are experiencing may be caused by your reaction to chemo. I did multiple things to support my body and mind and if I had a particular problem I'd look for something new to address it.

Take care and many Blessings,
Brian M.

HI Brian,

Thanks very much for your response. It is reassuring to know that others have
experienced emotional side effects to chemo. I also have a very good
prognosis and have coped extremely well right through all my previous
treatments. That's why I have been so confused and frustrated by my sudden
onset of depression and anxiety since starting chemo. But I am doing
everything I can to rise above these problems and have seen significant
improvements.

Thank you to all who have replied, wishing you all the very best for your
continued recovery, health and happiness.

Love,

Holly

Hi Holly,

I am receiving chemo for ovarian cancer. I've been on chemo, steadily, for 2 years. Last August, I too became more anxious and depressed. I am usually a very up-beat and positive person, so these feelings were more distressing to me.

I called my doctor (didn't wait for my next visit) and explained things. He immediately prescribed 25 mg of Zoloft on a daily basis. It took about 3 weeks to begin working.

I feel great now. This improved feeling helped me cope with things, enabled me to better make decisions, helped me to get back to enjoying things, etc. I also feel that having the depression and anxiety removed has helped me to heal better and more quickly.

I have learned to be patient active. Ask for what you need to feel better. I was surprised to know there were so many things to help. Prior to this, I just accepted chemo and all of the side effects it dealt me. I thought this is what I was supposed to do. Now, I don't hesitate to ask if there is something available to help me to through whatever situation comes up.

Hang in there.

Annette

I did have those feelings also. I did take Xanax for the anxiety and that helped a lot. Now I have my own business and its been 4 years since my surgery (lumpectomy).and lymph node removal. When things get a bit overwhelming I try yoga or I do take a xanax on a rare occasion. It helps take the edge off. Time works wonders and believe me in a couple years this will become a faint memory and your life goes on. I still get 6 month checkups w/ my oncologist/ surgeon and gynecologist. Everyone has a hand in my recovery even my GP who is great!As a matter of fact this is the first message board I have read in a very long time. I dont know what brought me here today. Anyway life is unpredictable and there is light at the end of the tunnel. I pray for you and all our sisters that have had this experience. God Bless.
Marilyn

Hi there, I am a 25 year old who is also undergoing AC chemotherapy for early stage breast cancer (beginning my second round of 4). I have always been an extemely strong, positive, and brave person--even during my entire experience with cancer thus far. Lately (the past couple of weeks) I have been experiencing some anxiety, which includes racing heart, shortness of breath, and feelings of helplessness/ anxiouness. Even more recently (the past few days) I have been plagued with an overwhelming sense of sadness (crying out of nowhere, irritability, lack of motivation, negative attitude). This is VERY out of the ordinary for me. I have never had anxiety or depression in my life, and I have to stress that I have been able to cope with my dignosis, surgery, and all the tests and appointments very well thus far. Also, I haven't even been finding the chemotherapy to be overly difficult so far (very little nausea, no fatigue, no sore mouth, one allergic reaction to Stemetil).

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't feel that my recent feelings of anxiety and depression are rooted from the cancer itself, unless somehow they have become built up inside me over the past few months. The problem is that nothing in particular gets me down, its just a general feeling of sadness or anxiety. Because of this, I wonder too whether the chemotherapy itself is having some sort of chemical effect on me.

Does anyone know for sure whether or not chemotherapy (in particular Adriamycin and Cytoxin) can directly cause anxiety or depression through some physical/ chemical effect?

Until then, I hope you are well! Soon all of this will be behind us :)

M