Does Isentress worsen depression?

[leit]

http://www.aidsmeds.com/articles/hiv_isentress_depression_1667_15212.shtml
http://www.aidsmap.com/en/news/FDC57274-63B8-4BAF-ABC2-09CC5C9ABA19.asp

Did anybody experince that?
Thank you!

[Miss Philicia]

No, I've been on Isentress for a year now and have not experienced that.  Color me dubious of drawing a conclusion from a news article referencing a grand total of four patients with pre-existing clinical depression.  This is nothing but vague and non-specific considering that depression is already higher in all HIV+ patients.

I could have sworn that there was a thread on this a month ago but I can't locate it.

[SteveA]

I can't speak for anyone else but switching from twice a day Fuseon Injections to twice a day Isentress pills alleviated a lot of my depression! Just not having to give myself shots did it. 

[Moffie65]

I too have had the opposite effect from this medication.  Depression is the farthest thing from my life right now, and has been for the better part of a year now. 

Obviously this cannot be enough proof that it doesn't cause depression in some people, but that is a whole other subject.  I think with all the people out there now having huge success with this drug, that depression would be a difficult conclusion to draw, in regards to a specific side effect. 

[Miss Philicia]

Isentress has by far been the least side-effect producing HIV medication I've ever taken -- the most it did was a few headaches during the first couple of months, but I would find it hard to pinpoint that on the medication as I only had them infrequently and it could have been nothing, plus they were easily addressed with a simple aspirin.

Also notable is this study results released on Monday: link

Raltegravir (Isentress), the new integrase inhibitor manufactured by Merck, showed equivalent anti-HIV activity to efavirenz during the first 48 weeks of a large phase III trial in treatment-naive patients, and those who received raltegravir had greater increases in CD4 counts and fewer central nervous system symptoms, delegates heard at the 48th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy on Sunday in Washington DC.

Several ongoing trials are comparing raltegravir to efavirenz in combination with other antiretroviral agents in first-line treatment. Results of a phase II trial recently reported in Mexico City found favourable tolerability for raltegravir and "almost identical" efficacy results in a group of just under 200 patients after 96 weeks.

[leit]

Thanks for your reassuring answers! I hope that also some depressed forumist who takes Isentress express his opinion.