Lupron and Depression--Anyone?

[Guest guest]

Hi Gretta,

I'll be discussing all of these points with the new gyn at my

appointment. The procedure would be a hysteroscopic

resection.

What I really need feedback on is: anyone who has experienced

depression as a result of Lupron. If you did experience the side

effect of depression, how severe and how long did it last? Did

you take any anti-depressants at the same time or were you put

on any anti-depressants?

To be open on why I am asking, I have had several deep

depressions that resulted in taking " strong " medications. I now

take a low dose of Zoloft to keep any depression at bay. (going

on 10 years) My chronic depression is lifelong. BC pills

triggered one in my late teens so I'm nervous and leery of

tempting the fates.

For me, I have to be really careful that a slight dip of the blues

doesn't trigger a full fledged " wish I were dead " episode. I know

this sounds rather harsh but its the reality I am dealing with and I

have to be really honest with myself about it and monitor things

closely.

So, if anyone can let me know their experiences, I would very

much appreciate it as Lupron may not be avoidable this time

around. btw: " Lupron " includes any of the similar meds used as

well.

Best wishes,

PS My psycho-pharmacolgist is opposed to Lupron for the

reasons I mentioned above and will probably want to consult

with the gyn if Lupron becomes necessary.

[Guest guest]

After my Lupron shot I did become depressed. It is still hard for me to tease

apart the fact that I

cannot honestly say what caused it, the injection, the desperate decision to

take the Lupron, the

three bc pills I took for 6 weeks daily prior to taking the shot, or the info I

researched on

Lupron. ;-)! On the plus side, I am not hemmorhaging to death and my blood

count and bone marrow are

now normal. That's the bottom line for me....to die or not to die...that waz

the question.

I myself took Zoloft and it caused depression. in fact, it almost killed

me! I think Zoloft is a

much more dangerous drug....in me it caused kidney failure and created a toxic

depression. Upon

reading the fine print it conceded vaguely that Zoloft had been linked to a " few

cases " of kidney

failures and deaths. hahaha....like me.

Our drug companies are riddled with corruption and fraud and half the

drugs on the market

should be pulled. That includes over the counter meds as well. Yeah. It's really

an objective

clinical trial when a doc gets an all expense paid luxury deep sea fishing trip,

or a quick trip to

Monte Carlo for his plying his patients with certain favored drugs. The drug or

m.o. du

jour......ahhhh thalidomide....the Dalkan shield....fen-fen.....I guess if no

one dies.....;-)! gg

sbolles432 wrote:

> Hi Gretta,

>

> I'll be discussing all of these points with the new gyn at my

> appointment. The procedure would be a hysteroscopic

> resection.

>

> What I really need feedback on is: anyone who has experienced

> depression as a result of Lupron. If you did experience the side

> effect of depression, how severe and how long did it last? Did

> you take any anti-depressants at the same time or were you put

> on any anti-depressants?

>

> To be open on why I am asking, I have had several deep

> depressions that resulted in taking " strong " medications. I now

> take a low dose of Zoloft to keep any depression at bay. (going

> on 10 years) My chronic depression is lifelong. BC pills

> triggered one in my late teens so I'm nervous and leery of

> tempting the fates.

>

> For me, I have to be really careful that a slight dip of the blues

> doesn't trigger a full fledged " wish I were dead " episode. I know

> this sounds rather harsh but its the reality I am dealing with and I

> have to be really honest with myself about it and monitor things

> closely.

>

> So, if anyone can let me know their experiences, I would very

> much appreciate it as Lupron may not be avoidable this time

> around. btw: " Lupron " includes any of the similar meds used as

> well.

>

> Best wishes,

>

>

> PS My psycho-pharmacolgist is opposed to Lupron for the

> reasons I mentioned above and will probably want to consult

> with the gyn if Lupron becomes necessary.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

, I had two injections of lupron and only briefly after the first one did i

feel any mood effects leaning towards depression. generally, the only side

effects for me were gentle hot flashes.

Robin

[Guest guest]

<PRE>What are some common symptoms of depression?

[Guest guest]

Can I ask you how much Zoloft you were taking? My elderly mother has been

taking 50 mg of Zoloft everyday for quite some time now, for anxiety and

depression. She has been complaining of dizziness, and lack of hunger, as well

as crying and feeling sad. I am meeting with her primary doctor next week to

talk about changing her meds for her dementia. They put her on Zoloft to help

with her fainting spells 2 years ago. I'm wondering if this was a big mistake??

I know this isn't related to fibroids, but I would appreciate knowing more about

your Zoloft experiences.

Thanks Much

Bunny

[Guest guest]

,

I don't take anti-depressants, but my feeling is that if you are inclined toward

depression, you may really, really want to try to avoid Lupron ( & lupron type

drugs).

Unless you are very anemic, I'm not really clear as to why you need to take it.

Greta

[Guest guest]

> <PRE>What are some common symptoms of depression?

For more information on depression, you can look at info at:

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/depression.cfm

National Institute of Mental Health

There are alot of resources out there. This site has broad and

general information and descriptions of the various depressive

mood disorders including manias associated with depression.

Depression

* Persistent sad, anxious, or " empty " mood

* Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism

* Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness

* Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities that were

once enjoyed, including sex

* Decreased energy, fatigue, being " slowed down "

* Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions

* Insomnia, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping

* Appetite and/or weight loss or overeating and weight gain

* Thoughts of death or suicide; suicide attempts

* Restlessness, irritability

* Persistent physical symptoms that do not respond to

treatment, such as headaches, digestive disorders, and chronic

pain

Mania

* Abnormal or excessive elation

* Unusual irritability

* Decreased need for sleep

* Grandiose notions

* Increased talking

* Racing thoughts

* Increased sexual desire

* Markedly increased energy

* Poor judgment

* Inappropriate social behavior

I would also add:

*an increase in alcohol, drug, or substance abuse as it may be a

sign of self medication.

*loss of interest in physical appearance and hygene and/or

environment

*loss of interest in social interaction and/or relationships

*self inflicted injury or attempts at self inflicted injury

*dreams related to suicide or self injury

*unexplained angry outbursts, crying jolts, temper tantrums

*risk taking (beyond what is normal for the individual) that might

injure the person

*irrational and unexplained fear of places or people previously

considered ok

*inability to experience joy

Hope this helps. It is by no means a definitive list as the

symptoms vary greatly person to person. Just as our fibroid

symptoms vary.....we are all unique and different.

Best wishes,

PS Also, just searching google.com with depression will turn up

alot of sites.

[Guest guest]

At 09:15 AM 10/10/2002, Robin Parmelee wrote:

>, I had two injections of lupron and only briefly after the first one

>did i feel any mood effects leaning towards depression. generally, the

>only side effects for me were gentle hot flashes.

>Robin

I've had 3 shots of Lupron and haven't experienced depression that I relate

to the shots. I am rather depressed, though, about how long it is taking

to get treatment and about my treatment options (I have one of those really

fun fibroids that likes to cuddle up to the cervix.) And work has been...

work.

But if you are worried about Lupron exacerbating a depression problem that

already exists, perhaps it would be better if you didn't take it.

Jen

[Guest guest]

Hi Greta,

My understanding from my gyn is that the fibroid is mostly

embedded in the uterine wall of the uterine cavity. At 1/2 inch it

would be difficult to " dig out " by hysteroscopic resection unless it

were smaller or sticking out more than it does. Also, its position

is high up and to the rear of the uterus. It was difficult to spot

even during the saline ultrasound as they had difficulty keeping

enough fluid in my uterus to visualise it. They got it finally after

they saw something--it took several attempts just to

" photograph " it. Given its position, size and embeddedness, my

gyn felt Lupron might be the only way to successfully remove it by

hysteroscopic resection.

(And yes, we did " argue " on this point but he was much more

firm on Lupron this time around than the last time when he let

me have my say and reject Lupron pre-myo. I respect his opinion

so I feel I at least have an obligation to learn all I can before

saying definitively no to the new gyn.)

While UAE might be an option, I'll need to discuss it with the new

gyn. And I'm not sure my insurance is covering it yet (I'll have to

check--Carla, if you see this, do you know if Motion Picture PPO

is covering UAE yet??) I'm also not sure if UAE is appropriate for

only 1 submucosal fibroid but I'll discuss this as well.

Right now, I'm trying to gather as much info as possible before

my October 21st appointment. As I am concerned about growth

rate, and its causing increasing problems each month, I don't

want to be in a position to have limited options come January. I

also have 3 weeks off from work in December/January and

would want to take advantage of that time if needed.

So, yes, I'm rushing this along, trying to get as much info on

Lupron as possible, as I want to make sure I don't end up like

last time--with one option and one option only. Even then, I was

just one or two weeks away from requiring a vertical incision.

Last time around I was pretty lucky not to have the bleeding

problems of submucosal fibroids. This time, I'm not so lucky but

its small and easily treatable--for now.

Best wishes,

June- initial spotting near ovulation--no big deal

July - 2 weeks of light spotting after a little gush during ovualtion

August - same as above

September- same as above but spotting was for 3 weeks, 1

week prior ovulation and 2 weeks after

October-spotting all but 3 days of cycle

Period flow heavier each month.

Its increasing each month and I am assuming it will get worse.

> ,

>

> I don't take anti-depressants, but my feeling is that if you are

inclined toward

> depression, you may really, really want to try to avoid Lupron ( &

lupron type

> drugs).

>

> Unless you are very anemic, I'm not really clear as to why you

need to take it.

>

> Greta

[Guest guest]

I would take her off the Zoloft and switch her to another drug. I lost 30 lbs in

a few months on Zoloft because I was going into renal failure from the effing

drug and so did not have an appetite. I know there are other ones out there that

are more mild or do the same thing. I was on a beginning standard low dose. gg

Bunny Homa wrote:

> Can I ask you how much Zoloft you were taking? My elderly mother has been

taking 50 mg of Zoloft everyday for quite some time now, for anxiety and

depression. She has been complaining of dizziness, and lack of hunger, as well

as crying and feeling sad. I am meeting with her primary doctor next week to

talk about changing her meds for her dementia. They put her on Zoloft to help

with her fainting spells 2 years ago. I'm wondering if this was a big mistake??

> I know this isn't related to fibroids, but I would appreciate knowing more

about your Zoloft experiences.

> Thanks Much

> Bunny

>

>

>