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You are here : Home  AIDS Factsheet Side Effects And Their Treatments Depression and HIVDepression and HIV
WHAT IS DEPRESSION? Background Information -What is AIDS? -HIV Testing -Acute HIV Infection -How HIV Drugs Get Approved -HIV Life Cycle Laboratory Tests -Normal Laboratory Values -Complete Blood Count (CBC) -Chemistry Panel -Blood Sugar and Fats -CD4 (T-cell) Tests -Viral Load Tests -HIV Resistance Testing -Monitoring Drug Levels Preventing HIV Infection -Stopping the Spread of HIV -How Risky Is It? -Condoms -Drug Use and HIV -Harm Reduction and HIV -Treatment After Microbicides -Microbicides Living with HIV -Choosing an HIV Care Provider -Medical Appointments -Telling Others You are HIV Positive -Participating in a Clinical Trial -How to Spot HIV/AIDS Fraud -Vaccinations and HIV -Medications to Fight HIV -HIV Life Cycle -Taking Current Antiretroviral Drugs -What Is Antiretroviral Therapy (ART)? -Adherence -Treatment Interruptions -Drug Interactions -Strengthening the Immune System -Immune Therapies in Development -Immune Restoration -Interleukin-2 -Immune Restoration Syndrome -Opportunistic Infections -Opportunistic Infections Side Effects and Their Treatments -Side Effects -Fatigue -Anemia -Body Shape Changes (Lipodystrophy) -Diarrhea -Peripheral Neuropathy -Mitochondrial Toxicity -Bone Problems -Depression and HIV Patient Populations -Women and HIV -Pregnancy and HIV aids -Children and HIV -Older People and HIV Alternative and Complementary Therapies -Alternative and Complementary Therapies -Ayurvedic Medicine -Chinese Acupuncture -Chinese Herbalism -Cat's Claw -DHEA -DNCB (Dinitrochlorobenzene) -Echinacea -Essiac -Marijuana -Silymarin (Milk Thistle) -Nutrition -Nutrition -Vitamins and Minerals -Exercise and HIV -Smoking and HIV Depression is a mood disorder. It is more than sadness or grief. Depression is sadness or grief that is more intense and lasts longer than it should. It has various causes:
About 5% to 10% of the general population gets depressed. However, rates of depression in people with HIV are as high as 60%. Being depressed is not a sign of weakness. It doesn't mean you're going crazy. You cannot "just get over it". Don't expect to be depressed because you are dealing with HIV! IS DEPRESSION IMPORTANT? Depression can lead people to miss doses of their medication. It can increase high-risk behaviors that transmit HIV infection to others. Depression might cause some latent viral infections to become active. Overall, depression can make HIV disease progress faster. It also interferes with your ability to enjoy life. Depression often gets overlooked. Also, many HIV specialists have not been trained to recognize depression. Depression can also be mistaken for signs of advancing HIV. WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF DEPRESSION? Symptoms of depression vary from person to person. Most doctors suspect depression if patients report feeling blue or having very little interest in daily activities. If these feelings go on for two weeks or longer, and the patient also has some of the following symptoms, they are probably depressed:
WHAT CAUSES DEPRESSION? Some medications used to treat HIV can cause or worsen depression, especially efavirenz (Sustiva). Diseases such as anemia or diabetes can cause symptoms that look like depression. So can substance use, or low levels of testosterone, vitamin B6 or vitamin B12. People who are infected with both HIV and hepatitis B or C are more likely to be depressed, especially if they are being treated with interferon. Other risk factors include:
TREATMENT FOR DEPRESSION Depression can be treated with lifestyle changes, alternative therapies, and/or with medications. Many medications and therapies can interfere you’re your HIV treatment. Your doctor can help you select the therapy or combination of therapies most appropriate for you. Do not try to self-medicate with alcohol or illegal drugs as these can contribute to symptoms of depression and create additional problems. Lifestyle changes can improve depression for some people:
St. John’s Wort is widely used to treat depression. It interferes with some HIV medications. Valerian or Melatonin can help improve your sleep. Supplements of vitamins B6 or B12 can help if you have a shortage. Antidepressants Some depression responds best to medication. Antidepressants can interact with some anti-HIV drugs. They must be used under the supervision of a doctor who is familiar with your HIV treatment. Ritonavir (in Norvir or Kaletra) and Indinavir (Crixivan) interact the most with antidepressants. The most common anti-depressants used are Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, called SSRIs. They can cause loss of sexual desire and function, lack of appetite, headache, insomnia, fatigue, upset stomach, diarrhea, and restlessness or anxiety. The tricyclics have more side effects than the SSRIs. They can also cause sedation, constipation, and erratic heart beat. Some doctors also use psychostimulants, the drugs used to treat attention deficit disorder. THE BOTTOM LINE Depression is a very common condition for people with HIV. Untreated depression can interfere with treatment adherence and can reduce your quality of life. Depression is a “whole body” issue that can interfere with your physical health, thinking, feeling, and behavior. The earlier you contact your doctor, the sooner you can both plan an appropriate strategy for dealing with this very real health issue. You are here : Home AIDS Factsheet Side Effects And Their Treatments Depression and HIV |
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