3 replies to this topic

[luvmybees24]

I have always had depression and anxiety. I was on meds for awhile and then was off meds for almost a year when I was diagnosed with CML. I started to get depressed a month ago and decided 2 weeks ago to start back on Prozac. My doctor also gave me 0.5 mg of Xanax to take at night to help with my heart pounding and anxiety. I've never had that before in my life. Now all of a sudden I'm having sudden full blown panic attacks. The first one hit me 2 days ago when I was driving home from visiting a friend. I was 4 hours away from home and BOOM-huge panic attack just hits. I couldn't breathe, I almost passed out. It was horrible. Now I am in a deep depression, cry ALL the time and have almost constant anxiety. I saw my general doctor and he told me he would call my oncologist over the weekend to see if there is any link to all of this with the Tasigna. Has anyone experienced anything like this? I know I need therapy and a psychiatrist but I'm in mounds of debt and still no medical help or insurance. So far I'm getting my meds from my general doctor. I just feel like I'm slowly going insane!!!! I have supportive family and friends and I am not suicidal. This is just NOT ME. I don't know what to do....

Laura.

[hannibellemo]

Hi, Laura,

Short answer, yes.  I don't know how to cut and paste on my tablet or I would give you some web sites to go to. drugs.com has a pretty good listing of adverse reactions by system.

That may not help much but at least you will know you aren't going crazy. I experienced it on Gleevec, too.

Good luck!

Pat

[simone4]

Laura, sorry you are going through so much. I am on Gleevec and

I am not myself either.  Pitiful. I take Ativan and that is very good

for panic attacks.  I have not experienced those on G. but depression

is there always. Some days, not so bad.

If you look at the "search" in the upper right corner

of the screen and type in depression, it will give

a few post about depression, anxiety on Tasigna.

(Some of the best posts on the subject were lost at

the last update\ by LLS)

Maybe some of those who posted before will come

forward.

These TKI's take a toll on the psyche after a while.

Good luck. It is tough.

Simone

[JoshLee]

It's probably not your tasigna. It's probably more related to the fact that we have had a lot of tough questions and thoughts to deal with since dx. Anxiety and depression accumulate and overwhelm

us easily because our disease is so much of a drawn out "wait and see". I  trying to take it one day at a time. Even the healthiest people sadly sometimes don't get a tomorrow. Our mortality is just more present for us than other people. Which is a blessing and a curse. Give yourself a year to get into this stuff and remember to treat yourself well. I meditate for 5 minutes every day. Sometimes it helps and sometimes it doesn't. Exercising also helps get rid of the hormones we expell when we are anxious. A lot f my tasigna symptoms are anxiety related. If I am anxious and my muscles and body are tense for days at a time I have muscle pain. If I am anxious I don't sleep, so i am tired crabby and sometimes have nausea. Just do things to break the patterns once in a while. Try to observe your thoughts as your mind and not you. Change out the ticker tape. Hope this helps!