monmon - Yes! Gleevec can cause depression. Sometimes not even listed among side effects, it sometimes turns up but very low, like 1-2% of Gleevec patients. But it's real, because it sure happened to me. Depression, anxiety, and malaise marked my two initial years on Gleevec, along with horrendous periorbital edema.
It looks like you are a good responder and you may make MMR at 12 months, which is good. Keep an eye on your creatinine level, btw. If it goes up, you might want to switch to Sprycel. When I switched to Sprycel at two years, because of just too much misery, the difference FOR ME was night and day. My CML number zoomed down, the toad eyes got tons better, I no longer felt sick all the time and that helped me get on top of the depression. A lesser bit of eye edema and depression (and fatigue) stay with me, as does the seemingly permanent change in my creatinine level, but oh my goodness is life ever so much better than on Gleevec. However, you will find in our group PLENTY of people who have the OPPOSITE sentiments!
Except, of course, you won't be finding us here after tomorrow. I guess I will head over to the LLS Community place. Or disappear back into the Land of No Help from whence I emerged all those years ago.
Dx July 2009 on routine physical. WBC 94. Started Gleevec 400 mg Sept 2009. MMR at 2yrs. Side effects (malaise, depression/anxiety, fatigue, nausea, periorbital edema) never improved. Kidney issues developed because of Gleevec. Switched to Sprycel 70 mg in Aug 2011. Above side effects disappeared or improved. Have been MR3.5 - 4.5 ever since. Two untreated pleural effusions followed by one treated by stopping Sprycel Jan 2017. After 9 weeks, PCR showed loss of MMR; re-started Sprycel at 50 mg and in 3 months was back to <0.01% IS. Pleural effusion returned within a couple of months, same as before (moderate, left side only). Stopped Sprycel 50 mg for 12 weeks; pleural effusion resolved. At about a monthoff the drug, PCR was 0.03; at 11 weeks it was 2.06 - lost CCyR? Have returned to 50 mg Sprycel for 3 weeks, intending to reduce to 20 mg going forward.
Happy you are still alive Kirk
