Has anyone else experienced extreme depression since taking orencia?

Yes, I was on Orencia for 5 years. After the first couple of years I became unusually tired and slept more than usual. I became increasingly more and more tired and was sleeping the majority of the weekend. (I worked Mon-Fri). I was sleeping 16 hours on Friday night and couldn’t get out of bed until 4,5 or 6 pm. The last three years I went into two major severe depressions that required hospitalization. Orencia was definitely the cause of the severe depression.
They should have a warning on this drug as severe depression can be fatal.

I have tried 3 different times to take Orencia. Each time within 3 to 6 weeks I would begin to have very severe depression. I had to stop. It worked for me years ago (stopped due to loss of insurance). However, the depression was too overwhelming to continue.

Orencia now gives me a 24 hour severe depession/anxiety so I have stopped using it , it was that bad and increasing. Though I have had some issues with depression in the past (who hasnt with chronic illness and its associated with RA anyway) this was becoming really scary. It was worth it to me to back off to see what happened (just my experience ) and my RA symptoms were such that I could do that. My dr was concerned about the infection risk anyway (I seem to get them easily).

Hi, depression isn't listed as a side effect. The only thing related to how you are feeling is the side effect of feeling very tired. Sometimes people can develop depression, even if they have a very happy & healthy life style. Depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, and can affect anyone at any time in their life. I would suggest you speak with your doctor about this to decide the best way to move forward.