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48 wk. treatment not completed

Can you give me some statistics on the Rate of success for people who started the Triple Combinant Therapy and did not complete although they were neg. at week 4, week 12, and at week 24. I am at week 40 and have started getting sicker and want to know if I quit now, what are the chances of relapse.
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Avatar universal
I agree that you only have 8 weeks to go
I know its hard and you feel as if it is going to kill you but it will be worth it in the end. I went through 5 yrs of treatments almost back to back and it felt as if i were loosing the battle but i told myself that i had to do this for family and myself to give it my all.    The new meds have a fantastic cure rate. I wish they had it sooner so i wouldnt have to have gone thru so many yrs without a cure.   Just stand your ground for 8 more weeks

God bless and be strong
Helpful - 0
1654058 tn?1407159066
I'm getting a deja vu. I love all of you guys! This time last year I was the one singing the blues. I thought another day would kill me. TWC- these responses are from the die-hards who refused to give in. I hope the support helps you get through each day. It is sooo worth it to hear SVR. After all the weeks you've completed...
Karen:)
Helpful - 0
1815939 tn?1377991799
I don't want to appear to be be nagging, but if you have  Stage 4 liver fibrosis and you were a partial or null responder on your last treatment, you definitely need to complete the 48 weeks of treatment in order to give yourself the best chance for SVR. Here are some articles that outline the SVR rates and trial data for cirrhotics and previous partial and null responders. The SVR rates are NOT in the 90% range. But, the longer one treats the better the chance for SVR.

http://www.natap.org/2011/EASL/EASL_14.htm

http://www.natap.org/2011/hepDART/hepDART_03.htm

http://www.clinicaloptions.com/Hepatitis/Treatment%20Updates/HCV%20New%20Agents/Module/Practical_Guide/Pages/Page%202.aspx

The last one you may have to register for but it is free.

Best of luck.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thanks for the great advice. I am going through the 48 wk. because of a failure to clear after treatment in 2002. I have stage 4 but all of my blood work has been good and I have been und since wk. 4. Thank you all for your comments, advice and encouragement. Wish you all a long life full of the Joy of the Lord and Happiness.
Helpful - 0
1669790 tn?1333662595
Since this is your first post and we have no idea why you're doing 48 wks of triple therapy, I'd guess you either had a prior relapse or later stage fibrosis as Pooh mentioned above.  Whichever the case may be, I strongly agree with the good advice repeated above to hang in there for the 48 wks.  You want to give yourself the best chance for SVR and don't want to look back on this wishing you would have done something differently.  Try your best to stay compliant and avoid having to consider other options later.  I also had to go 48 wks and SVR'd and now looking back, it is beginning to be a faint memory.  I go for my one year pcr new week.  Hang in as long as you can.
Helpful - 0
4896357 tn?1360670904
You are so close. Stick it out for 48 weeks. If you stop now and do not attain SVR think how you will beat yourself up for not going 8 more weeks! I cannot wait until I am so close to the end as you are!
Helpful - 0
1747881 tn?1546175878
As someone who did 48 wks w/incivek I can relate, I don't have anything to add to the great advice given above but I would like to encourage you to just take it a day at a time and it will be over soon, I completed 48 wks last july and am now SVR.

Wishing you all the best
Helpful - 0
1654058 tn?1407159066
That last few weeks get tough. As long as your doctor can keep your blood labs good with hemoglobin and platelets - hang in there! The drugs accumulate in your system and the riba is raging in you now. That is a good thing.
It's a mental game of endurance now. I felt like a robot and looked like a hairless chihuahua. It was pure hell. But I've been SVR for almost a year. Get through today. Then tomorrow.... Have a pity party if you need to. Then it will be a happy dance in 8 weeks! Karen:)
Helpful - 0
1815939 tn?1377991799
"Can you give me some statistics on the Rate of success for people who started the Triple Combinant Therapy and did not complete although they were neg. at week 4, week 12, and at week 24. I am at week 40 and have started getting sicker and want to know if I quit now, what are the chances of relapse. "
------------------------------------------

As Can-do-man said, there are many things that factor in to the equation. If you are on triple med treatment you must be Genotype 1. What is the reason you are doing 48 weeks? What is your liver fibrosis stage? Those with a lower fibrosis stage have better SVR rates than those with more advanced fibrosis.  What was your prior response (if you did treatment before this time)? If you were a relapser, your chances are better. If you were a partial responder or a null responder, your chances are not as good.

It is excellent that you were UND at weeks 4, 12, and 24, but if you are supposed to do 48 weeks, then it would be best if you can hang in there and do the 48 weeks. If there was a reason for you to do 48 weeks, then, if you do less than 48 weeks, statistically you lower your chances for SVR. So doing 48 weeks will give you the best chance for SVR.


Keep in mind, you cannot take numbers from a study that was done of people who were supposed to do only 24 weeks and then apply those numbers to those who are supposed to do 48 weeks. If someone is supposed to do 48 weeks, there is a reason, and numbers from a trial involving people who are supposed to do only 24 weeks cannot be interchanged with numbers and percentages from studies of people who were supposed to do 48 weeks.

You are at week 40. You have only 8 weeks to go. As Can-do said, take it week by week or day be day, but try to hang in there. Set up some weekly countdowns or rewards or goal posts. Anything to make each week go by until you get to 48. Then celebrate. I played a lot of psychological games with my head to make the 48 weeks go faster, or at least to get there. We all did. You did 40 weeks already. So try to hang in as long as possible to give yourself the best chance at cure. You will be happy you did when you attain SVR.

Best of luck

Just for the record, I did 48 weeks and I attained SVR (cure).
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Everyone is different, so many things to factor in like age, race, sex, and the biggie, liver damage. Also  If one is a type CC, CT, or TT... If at all posible do the 48 that way you will not wonder if stoppng early caused you to relapse and then all this torture was for nothing... All that said I have seen those here stop early and win, then again I have seen those that did it all and lose......... My advice take it one day, week at a time and just do it.

Wishing you the best
Helpful - 0
4856858 tn?1365378777
Hi TWC. The only stats I have seen show 91% SVR at 24 weeks and 98% (or something) at 48 weeks. Thing is, it was not a big sample and there were also stats about non-whites not treating with as good results. And they don't say which group they were in. But I kind of think they were in the 24 week group since the 48 week group had only one person who did not achieve SVR. This is for people who were UND at 4, 8, 12 and 24 weeks. That said, people with advanced liver disease are more difficult to treat. I am 62 and I think I have stage 3/4 liver damage. I stopped at 24 weeks and actually I am glad I did because I started feeling like I was going to have long term side effects. I have been UND since week 2 1/2. I take a blood test next Thursday and that is 5 weeks after Tx. It is a big one! If I am still UND; I have very good odds. My Doc originally wanted me to go for 48 weeks but since I was UND so early and since the side effects were so bad; she decided I should do 24 weeks. I stopped Incivek one week early and after 13 weeks lowered the Ribaviron from 1200mg to 800mg. Both of which I was told will not affect outcome.
Helpful - 0
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