I think a lot of people here are on xanax to help them sleep and vicoprophen for the pain, and then the phenergan and zofran for nausea. So that's probably the norm. Some are on stronger pain meds, but I am probably on the heavy side with the pain meds. I go to a pain clinic to get mine. You might see if your doctor will refer you to one if whatever he/she does isn't working.
Everyone has difficulty with the treatment drugs but its expressed differently for everyone, and my personal feeling is that the treatment drugs tend to exploit what our natural weaknesses are. In other words, I have migraines anyway, now they're mindsplitting. Rheumatoid arthritis runs in my family, so of course, painful joints were my first symptom on the interferon. I tend to do very bad the first few days after the shot, then start to feel ok right before the next shot, then it starts all over again.
Hope it helps, I used a lot of his links,
Thanks for the link, Deb. I will have a look
Thank you very much!
I take good note of demerol, to ask my consultant for it next week. I hope you are not suffering too much. I almost feel like I have no reason to complain!
So I see that maybe there is not such thing like a specific drug for the flu??? Somehow, I was convinced I heard something here......
At least, if demerol can take my pearcing headaches away I provably could cope with the rest.
amateur
to me it sounds like you are having primarily issues with pain and fatigue. I haven't kept up with your treatment (I can't remember anyone's treatment protocol because my memory is so bad) so I don't know which medications you're on but at the outset, I wanted to make sure you're getting regular bloodwork done, and to see if you're anemic. If so, do you take procrit for that. It helps a good deal with the fatigue to at least have a normal blood count.
I am also having severe leg pain, so I feel badly for you. I have horrible aching in my long bones and joints, plus stiffness in my joints, and more of a shooting pain on the outside of my calves and thighs. I think that last one is nerve pain. I am strong pain killers and it STILL doesn't take the pain away, so I can't imagine you going through that without anything.
I take morphine and demerol for pain. (morphine for body pain, demerol for migraines) I take phenergan and zofran for nausea. I'm going to try lyrica again now that I've figured out that some of the leg pain seems to be nerve related. That drug isn't a narcotic and it does seem to help some people with extremity pain.
Anyway, keep us up to date with how you're doing and let us know if there's anything we can do to help. Hope you feel better.
I know I have to hold on.. I know. That's why I want the rescue drugs! I am tired of being an amazon or spartan.
I think Eprix is used against anemia, and I am -almost- OK on that. I need something specific to contrarrest flu symptoms... I thought I heard commenting about it in this forum a few months ago..
Amateur
moa is right, and some great comments!
Same here. I am with you!
I am sure national Health should have an equivelant rescue drug, I am in US. Have you been to a website called Hep C boy? Not sure if he is active still or not, but he had some great links and such he is in UK also.
http://www.hepcboy.com/
Not sure this will help, but good luck.
Deb
There are different drugs available. In Canada, I was eligible for Eprix (EPO), but fortunatley, I did not need it. There are various anti-depresants and other options too. I used sleeping pills around time of injection, just to get me in a good routine, but I think these ultimately lead to more tiredness as well.
Water helps. I also think it helps to try and be active, even just one trip outside each day (easier said than done, I remember waking up only a few weeks ago, and not wanting to get up, but having too). This treatment is "hard-core" for many, and hard for others who have not gone through it to understand, but, if your results are encouraging, then please do your best to stick with it, making use whatever support you can find.