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Depression as side effect on medication?


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#21 winespritzer

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Posted 16 May 2014 - 12:09 PM

Hi CML Mom,

I think I read about the reduced possibility of thyroid function on the blog - could have been Trey.

As I got colder and colder and more and more sluggish, I mentioned it to the onco who shrugged off correlations with the thyroid. So I went to my internist who ran a blood test - showed that it had slowed down a lot. I am already on .05 mg Synthroid.

Now I've increased my intake of foods with iodine and I believe walking every day this week has helped me LOTS with reduced fatigue.   I doubt the food would affect me so rapidly so it must be the effort I am making to MOVE !!   Am also wondering if like the blood counts and liver enzymes which plummeted and went back to normal, if the thyroid will do the same.

Meanwhile hope you can 'move' your son and hope he can blog to have his own personal age appropriate support group!!

I know how difficult it must be for you but keep on advocating!

Good luck, 

Winespritzer


CML History....

DX-1/14....wbc....55....100mg Sprycel-1 wk after DX....periorbital edema, fatigue,

.385-4/14

.365-7/14

.13-10/14

.11-1/15

.045-4/15

.07-7/15

.06-10/15

.04-1/16

0.00- 4/16-10/17

 

70mg Sprycel...11/4/17....40 mg prednisone (7 days)....thoracentisis...10/26/17

tremendous reduction w periorbital edema and fatigue


#22 Trey

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Posted 16 May 2014 - 07:44 PM

http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/20929406

http://www.researchg...ndocrine_System

http://www.researchg...e_and_treatment

http://www.researchg...nticancer_drugs

Regarding your question about countering these TKI side effects on the endocrine system, I do not know of any good options. 



#23 winespritzer

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Posted 17 May 2014 - 08:28 AM

Dear Trey and CML Mom,

Once again, thank you so much for leading us in a good direction, Trey.

Recent blood work showed that thyroid had slowed down from prior blood test on 11/13 (pre-Sprycel); have been hypo for decades with same amt meds.

Internist said it could be the Sprycel or just age but not to worry. And cannot increase synthroid because of osteoporosis.

Now, however after walking daily for a week, energy level has returned to pre-pre-CML levels and I am not freezing.

Perhaps the thyroid, like the hematology levels and the liver enzymes can return to pre-cml levels and I am one of those folks cited in one study as having transient thyroid dysfunction.

Or could walking be the elixir? Am taking in this joy in small steps.

Thank you, Trey,

Winespritzer


CML History....

DX-1/14....wbc....55....100mg Sprycel-1 wk after DX....periorbital edema, fatigue,

.385-4/14

.365-7/14

.13-10/14

.11-1/15

.045-4/15

.07-7/15

.06-10/15

.04-1/16

0.00- 4/16-10/17

 

70mg Sprycel...11/4/17....40 mg prednisone (7 days)....thoracentisis...10/26/17

tremendous reduction w periorbital edema and fatigue


#24 CML.Mom

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Posted 27 January 2015 - 01:55 PM

An update for all you wonderful people -

About the middle of last year I was freaking out because of my son's condition of Sprycel. Turns out it was not depression but chronic fatigue which sometimes mimics the signs of depression. Something to do with the basal ganglia and dopamine production.   Anyway after we shifted gears just based on one tiny little comment he made about just being so tired with no energy, I did some research and realized that the Sprycel could be affecting his basal ganglia which has been linked to chronic fatigue in a separate study (for AML i think and inteferon was the trigger).

 

With a quick consultation with his GP she prescribed 150 Bupropion which has an off label use for increasing dopamine and in 3 days he was back to normal.  3 days.  After weeks of emotional pain, inability for him to make a decision,  moving him back to our home for 4 weeks because we were secretly worried about him harming himself and 3 days later he was ready to move back to his home to start his life back up...and he did, and he has....

 

He took the bupropion (welbutrin) for a few more weeks but also when he got home started working out and getting busy and one day I called and he had weaned himself off the bupropion it had given him the jumpstart he needed to get back into life.

 

So we held our collective breaths for a few more months and everything was good and kept getting better.

 

As I got his BCR results today (from Dr Talpaz and they are the lowest ever), I smiled and thought about all you guys -especially Trey- and realized I had abandoned everybody when times were good. So I  came back to thank you all for all the emotional support and helping me through those really rough dark days.

 

Thank you all so very much...... CML.mom



#25 Trey

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Posted 27 January 2015 - 04:05 PM

Good to hear, and good info for others in deep chronic fatigue. 

 

Not sure why bupropion (Welbutrin) is off label for this usage since it is an antidepressant, and he fit the parameters well enough.  But good info for others to consider. 



#26 CML.Mom

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Posted 27 January 2015 - 04:33 PM

Good to hear, and good info for others in deep chronic fatigue. 

 

Not sure why bupropion (Welbutrin) is off label for this usage since it is an antidepressant, and he fit the parameters well enough.  But good info for others to consider. 

It actually is offlabel as a dopamine booster and has almost immediate effects. In the UK they only use it for smoking cessation and not as an antidepressant. The antidepressants normally take a little longer to have an effect, and in his case the effects took only 3 days. He had tried Paxil prior which was horrible for him and made things worse.






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