No Interferon for me

I wrote in my October 12th post that Dr. C offered to give me samples of Interferon injections, combined with Prozac, as a short-term (1 - 2 month) antiviral treatment.  He offered this because of my ongoing prostatitis pain, believing the pain to be related to viral inflammation.  Dr. C theorized that the Interferon/Prozac treatment would control the virus long enough for inflammation to die down.

Throughout most of October and November, I delayed any decision to start the treatment because the treatment apparently causes severe flu-like symptoms.  With my family and work obligations, I couldn't afford to be 100% out of commission with a flu.

In the mean time, my prostatitis started to dissipate.  Not completely (it still comes and goes), but it seems like it's trending in the right direction.  I haven't had any days lately where the pain of sitting is unbearable.

At the same time, I spoke to a fellow patient who emphasized how serious and strong of a treatment Interferon is.  It's not to be taken lightly.  Plus, I researched the side effects of Prozac and it sounds like it can turn someone into a zombie--no emotions.  I don't want to be a zombie for the holidays.  So my little risk/reward analysis told me it wasn't worth the risk of experimenting with Interferon/Prozac. But it's good to know that it's (hopefully) still an option if things get really bad again.