HCV treatment

[Koolman88]

I am starting the HCV treament this week end. Can any body tell me about the side effects as I am scared of this treatment. I heard it is very hard for anyone. please advise.

[Dee1956]

Hi it's me Dee and is a day late and a dollar short.
By now you have done your first shot and I would say that will be the worst you will have to go through as far as shot day
For me, the first one is the worst and it could just be the anticipation and fear.  By the 3rd shot you are an old hand at it.  As far as sx with tx, everyone is different, some people have little sx while others are terrible and we are here for them as much as possible.  There will be bad days, good days in between days
I try to tell myself (tomoroow will be better)  There doesn't seem to be a reason or rhyme for sx
I wish you very mild sx as many people do have them, I have read about them/.  Most important, drink lots of water, the Peg dehydrates the body pretty bad.  It hink that is why my doc tried to stop my coffee consumption.  I tried but still drink my cup a day with a glass of water next to me.
Well, going to go baby sit, have a great day and I hope your doing ok
Dee

[capealava]

My side effects where horrendous. I used any means to get through treatment. Tramadol, vicoprofen and ambien.  The side effects are different for all of us. Some people are Scuba diving others are "sicker than ****"-like me. But I made it through and and 1 month post tx and undetected. Will I achieve SVR?? Will see on the test 5 months from now. So just do your TX and find a helpful who knows the "end justifies the means" and hang in there. Good luck!!!!

[sunshines76]

I had the same happened with me when I started pegasys. Most likely, your body will adjust to interferon and you will not experience this sx anymore.
Drink TONS of water, as Kathy advised you. It really helps. It helps to minimize dry skin rashes and keep your energy levels up. Also, if you feel like staying in bed all day long - don't do it, get out of the bed and go for a walk in the park if weather permits. Fresh air and some light exercise is very good for you. And get enough sleep. Take naps, if you feel like one is needed. Just don't turn yourself into a couch potato. Stay optimistic, take it easy, but make sure you get outside and breath fresh air.
These drugs make us very dehydrated, you could develop dry mouth while on tx, so get a good toothpaste like Biotene or any other toothpaste for dry mouth, and a good flouride mouthwash too. These will help you avoid any possible dental problems caused by dry mouth.
Protect your eyes and skin from direct sunlight (especially in summer time). Watch for your CBC results and discuss them with your doctor.
With everything else deal when it comes (if it comes...) - stay on this forum, you will find a lot of answers to your questions.
Good luck. May tx be easy for you :)

[Koolman88]

I had pegasys this weekend and had fever with chills. IT remained for 48 hours but I am ok now. Any further advises in this condition?

[Kathy73]

Sunshine and Koolman are right. Sx are different for everyone. I went 48 weeks and only missed one day from work. If you keep a positive attitude it will certainly help along with a TON of water! Have a good relationship with your GP so you can treat symptoms as they come along. I know everyone emphasizes having a Hepatologist, but mine would only refer me to my GP for actual prescriptions to treat symptoms other than the standard HEP C treatment drugs. When fatigue hit I would make light of it by getting up, taking a shower, laying down, getting dressed, laying down, feeding the cats, laying down...you get the idea. If you work full time I suggest you don't plan very much for the weekends so you can rest as much as possible to prepare for the coming week. I timed my injections so the fatigue hit me on the weekends and was in "recovery" mode by the time Monday came around. Hope this helps!

[sunshines76]

Don't be scared, deal with sx when they come. They might be so mild that you will feel just fine, or ok. It could happen you won't be as lucky. Yet, no matter what, try to do your best to stay motivated and positive. Please, drink a lot of water and spend enough time outside. wishing you the best. I went through daily infergen tx, it is considered to be one of the hardest ones by many people, yet, I was lucky, sx weren't as bad as I expected.

[paen53]

There isn’t a blanket answer to this question – everyone reacts/responds differently to their course/dose of meds. But I would be willing to wager that fatigue hits the majority of us in varying degrees, especially as time goes on. If you go to the Health Pages on the bottom right-hand side of this site, you will find further info on side effects and how some members dealt with them.
I went into tx expecting and prepared for the worst case scenario. It worked well for me especially since I live on my own and really needed to make it to work each day to maintain insurance. Kind of a warrior’s stance….For me, it helped immensely, especially at towards the end when I got really tired, physically and mentally.
But over and above, I think it’s most important to make the commitment  to stay the course. All the preps in the world won’t do much good unless the will is there.
Best of luck to you!