Depression after Rituxin

I am so thankful I have found all of you.Already,I've posted at least 4 times and always get responses.
Last week I asked about side effects or virus and found out that it was side effects not a virus.Luckily most have subsided.

I am wondering if anyone had depression hit them hard after Riuxin .I had somewhat depressed having to do infusions after an 8 year break but not to this extent..
I can barely talk with people without ending up crying.This is not my normal temperament. I am a fairly positive person.
The fatigue is ongoing and wonder if that contributes.I did research and it doesn't list depression as a side effect. It seems odd that up until I got the infusion depression wasn't a big issue.
Thanks

Just checked on uptodate.com and medicines.org.uk..depression is a known but rare side effect

Thank you.At least, I now know, I am not having a nervous breakdown!

I think dealing with the treatments and roller coaster of counts alone can contribute to depression. It's not a fun thing to go through and the worry of wondering if it will work is taxing. It doesn't matter if you didn't feel depressed the last time. That 'here we go again' thing can be hard. And yes, feeling tired can make a person depressed.

I agree,Sandi. It is difficult feeling so vulnerable when I am usually resilient.One thing I know is that anyone who isn't or hasn't gone through this can't quite understand the job it can do on one's psyche.This is why this site is needed.It addresses all aspects of ITP.
When I had cancer 20 years ago, I attended a support group for exactly the same reasons.There are no in person support groups, with in a 60 miles of me, so this is perfect.

thanks.

I've been a nurse for many many years, for the last 16 specialising in kidney failure, encouraging my patients in reading up on things, self management and to be pro active in questioning doctors about all aspects of their condition so they can make informed choices.

I had never come across ITP in all these years until I was diagnosed and was way out of my comfort zone.

This site was an absolute godsend. I learnt so much from fellow sufferers in the early days .

My haemo regularly says to me you've been on that website again haven't you. However she recently told me she is very proud of me and wants me to write a paper for the UK ITP Association about my self management.

Ooh Anne that is exciting! Be sure to post anything you write here too, as we'd love to see it!

I'm so glad that you are here because your insights from within the medical/nursing community are invaluable.

Yeah, it's sure a twist when someone in the medical profession is here. I once did an interview with a doctor who had ITP for the PDSA Newsletter way back when it first started. He gave his perspective on Prednisone use and it changed how he practiced as a doctor. I'm sure he is a better one for it, although I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

Thank you Mom your kind comment.

I'm still thinking about the paper. She said I had to be succinct. Not my strongest point I'm afraid. You ought to see me editing my posts repeatedly to make sure I'm not waffling. When I did my degree some of the assignments had a 2k (+/- 10%) word limit. They nearly drove me (and my late husband; bless him) crackers. Give me a 4k word limit any day.

If I do it I'll be putting it up on here for for comments before I submit it. I'm seeing haemo in a couple of weeks so will discuss it with her.

I have to say that when I attended the UK ITP conference last year I was absolutely staggered how many of the attendees just blindly did what doctors told them. Some of the questions people asked made my blood run cold at their ignorance. Many of them had ITP for a lot longer than me.
2 of the speakers Dr Nichola Cooper and Dr Marie Scully were advocates of empowered patients but I felt as if a lot of what they were saying fell on deaf ears. A lady sat close to me said to her neighbour it's up to the doctors too do this job not for patients to tell them what to do !!

Wow! I see a lot of that on the PDSA FB page and it frustrates me to no end. So many clueless people that just follow along blindly. Of course it's up to the Dr to do his job, but if you don't know anything then you cannot possibly judge whether or not you have a good doctor. I guess some people think they are all the same. You also cannot decide on treatments. Who wants to do Prednisone over and over for 20 years? There are so many ways to manage ITP and it's up to the patient to figure out what works best for their own lifestyle. It's also important to know the possible impact of all of the treatments.

We used to have a lot of people who would come here after splenectomy and be shocked that it didn't work. They were told that it was a cure. I don't see that much any more, thank goodness. There is no reason in this day and age to not be informed.

So true,Sandi!