HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Anxiety or depression

Support Forums
>
Prostate Cancer
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 9/7/2018 2:30 PM (GMT -5)
Hello everyone.

I have cancer and have another thread that I have been posting in. I am not sure if I should stay with my first thread or create a new one. I thought being this is more specific I should start a new one.

about two weeks after finding out I have cancer I had to go to my primary care dr because my stomach was in knots and just hurting all the time. My drs first thought and final diagnosis is stress related IBS. She asked me if I felt I was depressed and I answered no. I do however feel extremely anxious all the time. I have spine issues and am a chronic pain patient. This means I have a pain management dr who really has the final say so over all my meds. My primary care dr gave me some typical ibs meds but the script for valium was the big red flag for my PM dr. No way she said could I take that me. To bad cause it does help with my anxiety. Its like I cant sit still. I move from one thing to the next, never really enjoying doing anything.

My main focus is really my pain issues. Having DDD is no fun. It hurts and keeps me up at night. I have already had a double spine fusion which was of no help at all. My cancer is in the back of my mind even though my dad died from it. His prostate cancer metastasized to his bones.

My question to all you is do you take depression medicine and if so what works best for you? I was happy with the valium but now I will have to try something else. This having to go back and forth between drs is a real pain. Any help would be appreciated

thank
dmo
Posted 9/7/2018 3:07 PM (GMT -5)
Oceanfisher, ive mentioned before, I have been taking Zoloft for a few years and it’s helped me a lot. Everyone is different. I’ve had no side effects from it either. FWIW, maybe worth a conversation. It’s more of a long term drug than Valium, which I would consider an “as needed” drug
Posted 9/7/2018 4:21 PM (GMT -5)
I have a primary care appointment the end of this month. I am trying to get my dr to coordinate my meds but its really hard when you have a urologist oncologist, primary dr, pain management dr and a neurologist. Believe me all these drs are not by my choice. Anything relating to nerve damage from my spine has to go through my neurologist. My pain management dr only addresses my pain control. My oncologist takes care of my cancer and so on. This by itself causes me anxiety. If one dr does not like a med its up to me to find a replacement. I am constantly going to the dr. The war on opioids is another total pain in butt to say the least. You would think giving pain meds to people in chronic pain would be a no brainer, not so.

I look forward to hearing from others to see what they take for anxiety/depression and if it helps.
thank you Pratoman for your comments.

dmo
Posted 9/7/2018 4:39 PM (GMT -5)
Ocean, maybe a crazy idea, but if you have or can get an email address for ll if them, then maybe send an email copying ALL of them and explain your dilemma, while asking them to discuss among themselves and come up with a solution. A phone conference call would be ideal, but no doubt to much to ask.
Posted 9/7/2018 9:55 PM (GMT -5)
I have been taking Effexor for about sixteen months now and it has been very effective. Initially I became very depressed around four years ago... same year as my negative biopsy, and it seemed no one was willing to help me. Then just after my RP, my wife was diagnosed with a very rare spinal lymphoma. My own radiation had to be delayed and I was started on Lupron. The HT kicked my depression into high gear.

I too have a chronic pain condition and permanent partial disability. I hear you on the fallout from the recent opiate hysteria. Anyway, my doctor and I discussed starting me on Cymbalta and Neurontin (gabapentin) as Cymbalta has analgesic properties approved for chronic OA. But Effexor (venlafaxine) would help deal with the HT and that's what I chose. It does take a while to start working. Also there is an adjustment period.

My dose was upped to 150mg last January and in April it started to make a big difference in how I felt. Now suddenly I have what appears to be another cancer. With my PCa and my wife's lymphoma this is three cancers in just a couple of years. I am now trying to taper off the Effexor and all non-essential meds by the end of this month, when I am scheduled for surgery to remove the tumor.

Anyway, long and short is that antidepressants really do help, and there are more people taking them than you would guess, so there's not the stigma that there used to be. But they do add additional complications of their own. And there are so many different AD's that it's not easy to determine which one or combination may help in each individual's case.
Posted 9/7/2018 11:01 PM (GMT -5)
I've had "the blues" on and off a lot in my lifetime. Been told several times that some people's brain chemicals just never really get out of the gate... I don't know about that..but it seemed to fit. Anti depressants have always worked...but heart palpitations always began with the depression began to lift. (Palps all day everyday is just no way to live). Because of that...the cure's always been worse than the disease.

January it hit pretty good. (went to bed in Jan....got out of bed in June....pizza delivers). Went to the doc and laid it on the line. "I'm done". He's known me for decades so he picked up the fact that I was serious. "Take these samples. One every other day. Longer half life than any you've tried. Good luck". So I did.

The medicine is Trintellix. Longer half life than most. That very day...I could feel the medicine begin working. (I've read others' experiences with it...immediate relief not uncommon). It's also designed to sharpen your thinking as well. It's not a CNS...strictly SSRI. So no addiction.

No silver bullet. But it got me on my feet. Gave me the opportunity to get to work on it. And that was enough. Out of bed early every morning. No naps. In bed during the week by nine or so. Works pretty good....good enough to give me the opportunity. I'm takin' advantage of the opportunity. Sleeping 8 hrs. Out of bed a day break. Some structure. Remodelin'. Doin' some deals. Hanging with good people.

I'll be honest with ya dmo….this morning...I got out of bed....excited about this day. It's been along time since that has happened. The one thing about this med is it can give you more anxiety. But that seems to have lessened since I began taking it.

Good luck with your situation. I'm pullin' for ya dmo. Good luck.
Posted 9/7/2018 11:12 PM (GMT -5)
and always good to see you posting RobLee.
Posted 9/8/2018 12:10 AM (GMT -5)
Good on ya Island time...
Oceanfisher… Prato's idea is very good...but as he indicated...may be difficult to do...Im kinda stumped...maybe Purgatory our "senior" poster will chime in...another idea I got...google it...ask in plain lanquage your dilemma ...ive been amazed when I have done that and followed the links...bam!! good luck
Posted 9/8/2018 9:35 AM (GMT -5)

island time said...
and always good to see you posting RobLee.


Thanks IT, and same here... glad the Trintellix is working for you and your life is returning to "normal".
Posted 9/8/2018 10:07 AM (GMT -5)
Thanks everyone for the comments. I seem to suffer more from anxiety. I do not feel depressed at all. I am happy for each day I am alive. I am just in pain everyday and that takes a toll on a person. My anxiety is like this--I cant sit still much. I work on something for fifteen minutes and then jump to something else. The reason I went to my dr was because all this is just tearing up my digestive track. Stomach ache, abdominal cramping--typical IBS. My dr said all this is stress induced. Being diagnosed with cancer my dr said was just the icing on the cake. I was given the med valium which worked pretty good. I had no idea my pain management dr would say no way!! Basically now I am treating the symptoms by taking Carafate and Bentyl.

I guess I am just getting old (60) lol. My degenerative disc disease has just really changed my life. Having cancer is just a bonus
dmo
Posted 9/8/2018 10:28 AM (GMT -5)
Buspirone (Buspar). Google it. Prescribed it, but never took it. Your doctors would know more.
Posted 9/8/2018 10:46 AM (GMT -5)
Oceanfisher, if it makes you feel any better, I’d give my left nut to be 60 again
Posted 9/8/2018 2:32 PM (GMT -5)
I did a google search for anxiety meds and came up with some interesting ideas. I have access of Gabapentin which is an anti-seizure med. It is used off label for anxiety. When I look on drugs.com there are many reviews from people using it for anxiety. Drs seem to like using it off label. As I have easy access to it from my dr I might as well take it and see if it works. I used to take it all the time before surgery for the nerve damage in my neck. My dr still prescribes it but my arm is more numb now and doesn't really hurt since surgery. I took one a few hours ago and will see if it helps. I was really surprised for all the reviews giving it an 8 or higher score.

Again thanks for all the suggestions, I really appreciate them. My dr said my brain is sending signals to my large intestines and its going crazy. Hard to believe isn't it?

Pratoman, I wish I could turn the clock back for all of us. Getting old just sucks--Old age is an island surrounded by death. lol.

Thanks
dmo
Posted 9/10/2018 1:21 PM (GMT -5)
dmo - there is a depression forum here on HW (it is forum #19) as well as an anxiety forum and probably a chronic pain forum. And that's just here on HW. The depression forum here is not very active though.

BTW, do you know that Valium is also used as a muscle relaxant? And it has a very long half life, somthitng like 48 hours. Perhaps that is why your PM doc doesn't want you taking it. Docs these days are afraid to get anyone adicted to anything. I hope you have some luck with gabapentin. It just puts me to sleep and it's one of the meds I decided it was better to just discontinue (along with tramadol).
Posted 9/10/2018 6:28 PM (GMT -5)
Thank you Roblee,

Yes I do see HW has many different forums available and I actually have been reading the IBS forum. My dr is sure my IBS is related to my cancer diagnosis. I am not so sure. I am pretty laid back and don't get upset easily. My wife on the other hand is freaking out big time. My dr said I am not aware of my depression but I feel extremely anxious for sure. I cant focus at all. The Gabapentin does help me as it seems to slow me down. My next dr appointment is in a few weeks where I was told I would start something designed for my mental condition be it depression or anxiety. I think I am dealing with to many things at once and am having a hard time processing it all.

On a funny note I told my dr I was reading different forums to help understand my spine and cancer problems. This caused my dr to tell me to stay off the forums and just listen to sound medical advice. My wife also chimed telling her, my dr that I was always reading online forums and causing myself more anxiety. I just had to laugh.

Thanks
dmo
Posted 9/10/2018 8:14 PM (GMT -5)
Depression and anxiety are not to be taken lightly, especially since help is available. I've tried several meds over the years for anxiety I'm pleased with the reduced anxiety I experience with the SSRI I'm taking. Out-of-balance brain chemicals are often a primary cause of anxiety and/or depression. The medication that has worked best for me is citalopram (Celexa)
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply