Arthritis Forum
Home.

News.

Personal Stories. Links. Message Board.  
Arthritis Forum  
Add your comments to this topic Start a new topic
Date: 30.09.2013
From: Sandy

Subject: anti depressants ?

Hi all
I would just like a bit of advice from any of you who have been in the same situation ...I have now been signed off work for over a month and this time I'm finally admitting to myself that its unlikely that I will ever manage to go back ...I can barely function with the pain even after rituximab and steroid jabs ..I have been given numerous different pain reliefs but they all seem to make me feel either sick or like I'm 'away with the fairies'...my doctor always seems to be offering me anti depressants (I admit I'm getting tearful)but I've always refused them because I feel that I'm not depressed just in pain all the time and that's what is making me feel this way ! ... my question is will they actually help because I feel that I am stuck in a vicious circle ...and to be honest I'm not coping well at the moment ...sorry for moaning, but even writing it down has helped ...I'm fed up of saying "I'm fine" when inside I feel like screaming
reply | back to forum

Date: 30.09.2013
From: rhona

Subject: Re: anti depressants ?

Hi Sandy,

Sorry to hear that you are having such a bad time of it just now. It is only natural that you feel the way you do when you are in constant pain and what you are describing is the way most people feel when they have been struggling for a while. I don't honestly know if it would be worth taking anti-depressants or not but it may help you to cope a bit better if you do and if you decide to stop them,then you can. As far as I know anti-depressants are not addictive, unlike tranquillisers that used to be given out too readily.

I hope someone that has experience with them will be able to offer some advice.

Take care. x
reply | back to forum

Date: 30.09.2013
From: Sandy

Subject: Re: anti depressants ?

thanks for replying Rhona ...I think I'm struggling so much because when I first starting having rituximab infusions they were like a miracle cure and they worked so well for me ..but the more times I've had them the less they seem to work ..I do wonder if its possible to become immune to them ? This time (I had them at the beginning of June)it doesn't seem to have worked at all and I am in pain all the time to the point that it would probably be easier to say which bit of me doesn't hurt rather than which bit does !... I really appreciate you taking the time to reply because sometimes you feel that no one understands how you feel with this rotten disease ...I always feel that I have to justify myself when I cant do things like pack my own shopping at the supermarket etc ... all I ever get if I tell anyone I've got RA is "oh I've got a bit of that in my knee /hands... !" Aaaaagh !!!
reply | back to forum

Date: 01.10.2013
From: rhona

Subject: Re: anti depressants ?

I am on rituximab infusions as well Sandy. I am due my third course next month. It took around 4 months for it to kick in though. I sometimes think it is becoming less effective but I am doing ok at the moment. Do you take methetrexate along with it? Have you had a steroid injection recently? I usually find they help, even if it is just to get a break for a wee while. I would ask for one to see if it helps, I didn't think the first infusion I had was going to work as it was taking so long and I was given a steroid injection and that's when it started to work.

If you don't feel any better soon I would ask for something else, there is other infusions they can try. xx
reply | back to forum

Date: 01.10.2013
From: rhona

Subject: Re: anti depressants ?

I have re-read your post Sandy and see that you have already had steroid injections. I do feel for you as I know how horrible it can be.
reply | back to forum

Date: 01.10.2013
From: Colin W

Subject: Re: anti depressants ?

Hi Sandy
I had to give up work within 6 months of developing RA , that was in 1996 at the time they only offered me was sulfasalazine & two years later Methotrexate but by that time need my ankles needed to be fused , Despression is part of long term illness & alot of people with RA take amitriptyline at a low dose

myself now take Golimumab + Mtx & Sulpha & its still not working & expect to be on rituximab at some point , but seems to be normal that we all have problems with these biologics , NICE did approve some new drugs earlier this year & wonder if they would offer you RoActemra (tocilizumab)

hope you feel better soon

http://www.nras.org.uk/about_rheumatoid_arthritis/newly_diagnosed/which_drugs_are_used/what_is_roactemra/_tocilizumab.aspx
reply | back to forum

Date: 01.10.2013
From: bsk

Subject: Re: anti depressants ?

Sandy,
I'm not a fan of pills but if you are not coping, have another think about the anti-depressants, even in the short term they can help you get over a bad patch. However, for the long term you could also ask your GP for some counselling or therapy. There is a lot of evidence the latter can help people with pain. I did a couple of courses of Mindfulness Training on the NHS (check it out online) and that helps me cope. Mindfulness is a skill for life and I can recommend it.

You are not alone. Many of us suffer with this disease. I'm struggling myself with making decisions about future treatment.
reply | back to forum

Date: 01.10.2013
From: Emm

Subject: Re: anti depressants ?

Hi Sandy, reading your posts, I can identify with a lot of what you are saying. I cannot have bio drugs and am on only methatrexate which doesn't seem to help at all.
I sometimes wonder if I stopped them would I feel any worse, because every joint hurts.
When you read this site and all the posts it seems to me there is no reasonable medication at all for really affected patients.
I feel it has taken over my whole body.
I do feel for you and many others on here.
I get sick of pills every day just to keep moving, and not very successfully.
BUT what can we do?
reply | back to forum

Date: 01.10.2013
From: Sandy

Subject: Re: anti depressants ?

Hi everyone .. thank you all for replying - if nothing else its nice to know that other people understand how you feel and that you can have a moan with no one judging you or thinking all she's got is a few aches and pains what's she moaning about - they just don't understand that its constant from the minute you get up to the minute you go to bed and then it wakes you up ..there's just no respite from it !
Rhona - I take 25mg of methotrexate and I had the steroid jab 4 weeks ago - this was my sixth lot of rituximab ...I hope it continues to work for you x
Colin - I will mention tocilizumab to my specialist I've not heard of it before - he has mentioned putting me on a monthly infusion - possibly its this ? take care x
BSK - I'm like you - I hate the idea of pills - I feel that I pump so much rubbish into my body and I do wonder what the long term effect will be ..I've had a look at the mindfulness training on the internet - I think I need to get more positive - I've spent 10 years fighting this disease determined it's not going to beat me - at the moment I think it's winning ! so maybe anti depressants for a short while might help x
Emm - sorry you cant take bio drugs - I understand what you mean about it taking over your body - I think it's taken over my mind as well - I cant concentrate on anything apart from how much it hurts ! x
Thank you all for your help - you've all cheered me up a bit - I've spent the last few weeks wallowing in self pity - not the way to be !! just talking to others who understand really does help ! take care all xx
reply | back to forum

Date: 01.10.2013
From: Emm

Subject: Re: anti depressants ?

Sandy. I am pleased writing on here has helped you.
It helps me a lot.
I just wish we could be more positive but isn't the 'drug' thing. confusing.

Maybe try anti depresents for a while, should I , I am now asking myself!!

I hope you manage better with whatever you decide. We are all thinking of you. Take care and keep posting!
reply | back to forum

Date: 01.10.2013
From: Chris

Subject: Re: anti depressants ?

Hi Sandy,
i've read the 1st 3 posts here, but too full of fatigue atm to do much more. But i feel i have to post my experiences of anti depressants...

I was at my wits end last year and was worried about myself, and went to the doc to get some of the 'new' antidepressants the 'serotonin reuptake inhibitors' - SRI's.
It was a mistake, although i felt like i was in a bit of a bubble in the short term (slightly helpful) they did not help in the long term. Having read up on them recently, they should not be prescribed to patients with chronic pain as they are known to be ineffective (according to NICE). Also they are a bitch to get off and can take up to a year.
I'm afraid this is all i know, i havn't tried any of the other types of antidepressant.

The key is treating your chronic pain, in terms of medication all i can suggest is pregabalin (which your GP can prescribe) and i found wonderful. Mindfullness. Acupuncture. Paracetamol. Butrans pain patches.

Good luck,
as always, i'm a random internet idiot, double check advice from 'good' websites.

Chris
reply | back to forum

Date: 01.10.2013
From: bsk

Subject: Re: anti depressants ?

Interesting to read your post Chris but that's not what NICE says at all. Chronic Pain Syndrome is different to people with chronic physical symptoms and NICE clearly says anti depressants useful in the latter, depending on the severity of the disease and the depression and taking into account other factors.

It's true some SSRIS are more difficult to get off for some people but the ones with a shorter half life, like Prozac, are much easier. I didn't have any problem at all and all the doctors need to do is switch you to that rather than stopping the harder to get off types.

It's really important that people suffering from depression get treatment, whether it is talking therapies or medication, as depression can have a massive impact on your disease and how you deal with it. As I said, I'm not a fan of pills and I can't possibly think a drug like Pregabalin would be a good alternative to anti-depressants, however I know which one I would take!
reply | back to forum

Date: 02.10.2013
From: Chris

Subject: Re: anti depressants ?

Thanks bsk, this may be of help to me. I was so tired when i read/wrote that, surprised it was readable.
But to clarify, i am on Citalopram. Above is my personal experience of that particular drug. I have no experience of other anti-depressants.

You are quite right that depression is a disease and needs to be treated. However, in some people (me) if the pain is not treated, SSRI's are ineffectual.

A note on pregabalin: it's a pain modifier not a pain killer. It is used to treat chronic pain (amongst alot of other things), i like to think of it as soothing my nervous system. It stops all those nasty stress hormones being produced for me, which inevitably lead me to depression.
It might have had such a marked effect for me, as i have arthritis in the neck and spine, so it hits the spot.

On a side note, i would like to add that i prefer to think of depression as a disease of the brain/nervous system rather than of the mind. I feel upset when people say that things are 'in the mind' as if we could decide not to be depressed.

Good luck to all,
Chris
reply | back to forum

Date: 02.10.2013
From: Colin W

Subject: Re: anti depressants ?

Chris , totaly agree about what you said about good websites , some of the stuff even printed in the English press ie: Express & Mail I would not trust without something to back it up

from my experiance I think there sleep/pain & depression in conditions like RA is all linked & one reason they give amitriptyline ,

I never used any prescription drugs myself for depression , at first used to use st.john's wort but stopped because it interacts with Methotrexate & have taken Natures Aid Rhodiola for a long time but know not everyone gets on with it & dont think my docs would be that happy but finds it works for me
reply | back to forum

 

Add your comments to this topic
Subject:
Please type your comment here:

Your name:
email:

4+5=
(This sum is to help prevent automatic spamming through this page - thank-you)


top

Site design: T - Creative Home | News | Personal Stories | Links | Message Board