I used Rebif for about 7 months, but didn't notice for me anyway that it caused depression. In September my neuro had me switch to Copaxone because I'd had 2 fairly bad relapses since starting Rebif. There may be others however who have noticed depression as a side effect. I think you should talk to your doctor if you notice any of the symptoms of depression.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, symptoms of depression may include the following:

* difficulty concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions
* fatigue and decreased energy
* feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and/or helplessness
* feelings of hopelessness and/or pessimism
* insomnia, early-morning wakefulness, or excessive sleeping
* irritability, restlessness
* loss of interest in activities or hobbies once pleasurable, including sex
* overeating or appetite loss
* persistent aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems that do not ease even with treatment
* persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" feelings
* thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts

Take care,
Neener

i didn'y ever take Rebif so your specific question I'm not able top address. I just wanted to chime in about MS in general.I never seem to realize something is affecting me until it is taken away. I believe it is a function of a disease of the nervous system, demylenation in particular. Nerves demylenate slowly, and gradually and unnoticilbe declining function happens. A person makes these asmaal adjustments and doesn't really notice it happening. In the RR stage ir is imflamation that comes on suddenlty in response to the slow deterioration of the nerve...that is the sudden result, but prior to that it has been happening so slowly a person doesn't realize it is happening. Until it is taken away, and they feel so much better they don't quite understand how they cou8ld not have known.

I never took rebif. But I took Betaseron for 3 years. Toward the end it hurt to flex my leg muscles. I was taking tylenol to get out of bed. If I didn't take tylenol I wouldn't get out of bed. I accomonadated to my current situation and never thought I hurt. I was making do. The hurt came on so gradually I never realized it was there.

Then the doc thought beta wasn't working for me any more & stopped it and staryted me on Tysabri. It wasn't until beta was out of myy systemn that I realiazed HOW much I had been hurting. I never realized it while I was hurting, I wasn't walking funny, I wasn'yt sucking down bottles of Tylenol. I didn't need to take a couple of Tylenol 20 minutes before I attempted to get up...

I don't have any experience with Rebif, but I did want to say that it is very normal not to suspect how much anything is affecting you until it is taken away. In a large part because of the slow way nerves demylenate until they inflame and cause a relapse...

From my experience with beta, I did the correct thing by first adjusting to it with Tylenol & then I had further evidence of how much it affected me after I stopped and could realize I was affected by it.

I'm not sure if your thinking of stopping Rebif., because of the belief it might be affecting you negatively....from my experience first I would try to take something that reversed what is being done negatively. That resulted in a stronger position of certainty when I did chage. JMO, in hindsight I liked the way I handled it. And Hindsight is the striongest critic of any action I have taken.

I've been on Rebif since 12/07, went through a period of time where I was depressed but not severely so. I consulted with a psych doc and she thought I was okay -- suggested that it might be more the result of my MS diagnosis and the future of unending weekly injections.

There are anti-depressants out there, you should talk to your doc if you are feeling REALLY bad.

Other than that, I'm functioning, still struggle with the flu symptoms (if I forget to take Advil), but no real severe depression.

Interestingly, I went off it for about a week once and found that I had more energy Maybe that's something to consider..

I've had periods of depression, both on and off Rebif. One thing I really noticed is that I get really bad in January. My doctor and I agreed that it's seasonal affective disorder, but not too bad to use meds. Everybody is different, and you should talk to your doctor about it. Since you are aware of the potential for depression, just keep a mental note. If you're feeling really bad, you can always try an antidepressant. There are many different types, and you might have to try a few in order to get the right one.

One thing I've found that really helps is a "happy light." Like this:

http://www.verilux.com/light-therapy-lamps/seasonal-affective-disorder

I start using it in October and continue through March or April. I use it in the mornings while I'm having my coffee. It's an easy, safe therapy.