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depression
My husband is about to finish his first cycle of MVAC next week after doing 4 of cisplatin/gemzar. He is very depressed lately apart from feeling very sick all the time. Is this a side effect of the chemo? I can understand being depressed do to the fact of having a disease but he appears very, very depressed more than the usual to me. Any comments would be appreciated. I don’t know what else to do for him my heart breaks to see him like this. Thank you, Aimeth
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8 Replies
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Aimeth,
Yes, my husband dealt with this as well, the key is to know what is just mild and severe depression. The Cleveland Clinic had a whole staff of Doctors just for these issues. If you feel the need jump in and get help as it is temperary, cancer alone has the depression site effect and with all the other issues its not a wonder. Get outside with nature, see people, and if drugs are needed don’t hesitate to ask for them. Ginger -
Hi Aimeth,
I think it is only understandable that your husband has depressive episodes. My husband suffered from depression for about 40 years and medication can help stabelize him, but it may also cause side effects. Everyone reacts different,so it is very hard to say what the side effects will be. Therefore, I am not sure if you want to add another medication to the ones he already takes. Did you try to talk to him and discuss his depression?
Also the suggestion of Stephany to contact Cancer Centre for psychological therapy is very good advice.As you wrote before it is a recurrence of the cancer and the prognosis was not too great. If I remember correctly the chemo is MVAC, the “mother of all chemos” as Wendy wrote, “… and not easy to take”. The recurrence, the prognosis, the hard time he has with chemo have of course an effect on him mentally.
It may be good to talk about it, which isn’t easy, but it may help to clarify things and make it more understandable for all parties.
Take care,
Renee -
Hi…After alot of trial and error my husband takes the following for nausea/depression:
1. Phenergan 25mg for nausea every six hours as needed
2. Ativan 1 mg (this will also help with depression so it is a 2 for 1 deal)every six hrs. as needed.
3. Zantac 150 mg 2x’s a day worked for acid reflux/nausea.Just a few things to ask the Dr. about.
Hope it helps,
Karen
Caregiver for my Wonderful Husband Angelo, who has Metastatic Bladder Cancer.Life isn’t about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain.
Well thank you all for your suggestions and comments on depression. Today he seems to be feeling a bit better but still in some pain. He is currently taking zofran and compazine as needed for nausea and it seems to work but this new line of chemo seems to be taking the best of him. I will certainly consult with his oncologist and maybe she can suggest something.
Hi Aimeth,
When a person gets depressed after a cancer dx, it is generally called “situational” depression. The situation has caused the depression rather than it just spontaneously happening. Knowing this has made it easier for me to accept help mentally. More like it is just something else the cancer affected vs I just failed to effectively cope with day to day living. Maybe if he looks at it this way the help will be easier to accept.
You are both in my prayers, God Bless, Holly
I would certainly contact his oncologist and get something better or something changed regarding his nausea…that can go a long way to alleviating his depression and his oncologist will know which drugs he can take for his depression that will not interact with his present chemo. Just about all anti-depressant drugs these days will interact with grapefruit juice or the fruit itself so just be mindful of that. Pat
Also, Aimeth….there might be someone at the cancer center where he is getting his treatment. There was a group at our hospital that was “Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for the prevention of depression relapse” What this meant was a group that meets to deal with the depression.
My husband has his pretty much under control with meds, but it was of some help to him. His doc increased his meds when he heard of the diagnosis, and it also helped.
I hope you can get him to at least talk to someone, because there is hope and help there.
Stephany in Iowa
Hi Aimeth,
Depression is not only a side effect of chemo, it’s a side effect of cancer.
Is your husband open to the idea of an antidepressant? If so, the sooner the better as it can take a few weeks before they help, if they are going to help. It’s not a one-size fits all kind of thing, antidepressants, and sometimes folks get side effects, and when a person is taking many different treatments it’s hard to pin down what drug is causing what symptom.
I have been there and done that. Had a rough time, too. But glad I started on Prozac about 2 months before my diagnosis (breast cancer, ’99). I know it helped me through things I never imagined I could bear, and don’t think I remember side effects being a problem. Then I switched to a newer drug, Effexor, and that one caused me huge problems both during and after using it. Worst of it was constipation and nightmares.
There’s no easy fix. But it could be worth a shot. If possible, ask a psychiatrist to get on board, not just because they’re medical doctors and know about interactions and things, but also because it wouldn’t be a bad thing to have a therapy session or two along with starting an antidepressant.
If your husband doesn’t want to go that route there is not much you can do aside from be there and love him. There is no wrong or right in this. It’s a process he’s going through and hopefully it will pass on its own, or come and go in phases. Depression and cancer is a huge problem that increases the difficulty of the situation for everyone concerned.
My heart goes out to you both. Good luck and I hope things get better.
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