Incivek Itching

Good Morning, I had some kind of itch attack last night (did not have with old SOC) and tried benedryl pills and lotion, cortaid spray, gold bond cream, and I iced it.  The benedryl finally knocked me out but the hour was unbearable.  I would appreciate any suggestions on what to try or ask the doc for for this itching.  I hope some day this will be a funny story but righ now it is just a nightmare :)
I have tried to find something on the forum but did not see anything
Thank you very much for any ideas you can come up with
Dee

[lynda607]

You may want to ask the doctor for a prescription for Atarax. Works well for itching.

[Dee1956]

Thank you so very much for your reply, I am a mess, going to have to put socks on my hands and cut my nails.  I have a call into the doc and will ask about Atarax when they call me back.
Dee

[scoleman]

I changed my sheets on my bed to some that hadn't been washed with a detergent without perfumes and dyes.  I could feel that my skin wasn't happy so I stripped them off the next day and rewashed them.  They feel better now.

The basics for dealing with rash and itching:
No hot showers.
Lots of lotion right after the shower and several times daily on itchy areas.
Use perfume free soap or Cetaphil body cleanser.  

The Atarax helped me a lot too.  

Hang in there, Sherry

[his3707]

hey Dee sorry your suffering with that,  the doc should be able to get you set up.  To bad they dont give us a hand fulll of script to filll as needed so we dont have to wait on them in a situation like this.  

[Lifenet62]

thax all, just started tx incvk this morning....good info....have a good day!

[roostermom]

That happened to me one day. I was going crazy. Started on my upper body and then moved to my legs. I took 2 benadryl to no avail and made a desparate call to the dr who called in a prescription for a stronger antihistamine. Just when I thought I couldn't take it any more, my sister showed up and lightly scratched my legs and arms until the itch stopped. There is nothing like family- sometime family trumps meds!

[Dee1956]

Thank you all for your responses.  I asked about the Atarax unfortunately my doc is out of town and my nurse is trying to get someone to tell her if Atarax is good to work with Incivek.
NYGirl7 said this a while ago and I agree, they know that we are going to get these side effects, why aren't they ready? I recently heard that there is food that is not compatible with Incivek, great.  I am the first patient in this office who has been on the new tx.  I thought by waiting til Sept someone would have been before me.  It is a sad commentary on our medical system.  I think we have been to the pharmacy every other day since I started tx.  I thought I had stocked up but did not know about some of these side effects.  My doc has been wonderful, his nurse even better but when you are itching you want  relief :)
Thanks again, bless you all for being there for me.  I do not think I could go long with the severe itching I had last night.  Right now with Benedryl it is ok.  I just far what I cal "the itch attack"
Dee

[pcds]

what week of treatment are you in.  It  could be riba rash, my doc says the rash from incivek doesn't show until week 6.  The difference is the incevik rash is more a concern.

[JAY0914]

that crazy inc itch  will drive you crazy....zyrtech by day and benedryl by night kept me sane..

[Gerbils]

Yikes on the itching. I used all of the stuff you are trying OTC and they helped at first. The rash for me just kept getting worse. My doc would not prescribe meds for the rash as he felt it was the incivek. I kept using the OTC stuff and Aveeno products especially the skin relief and shower oil. The Aveeno was the only reason I made it as long as I did. But the rash progressed anyway. I know you treated before so I hope that your doctor can help. The rash and the itching can be torture. I too took a prescription antihistimine by day and we added benedryl at night. I cannot tell you how much I hope you get relief and control of the rash.

[Dee1956]

Thank you all very much.  There is no rash, it is just itching.  When I treated 3 years ago I used inf, Riba and Roche1626 and I had a little itching, nothing like this one.
Thank you all so much for your input, I love this forum.  I have read that if I were to get the Incivek rash that it is imperative to get it under control asap.  That was why I panicking :)
Oh I am on week 7 going into week 8
Thank you again

[Dee1956]

I have heard the something called clobetasol propionate Desoximetasone is being used for the Incivek rash.  I do not know for sure
Thank you
Dee

[Dee1956]

Hi there, I asked for an got Atarax, it knocked me out but when I woke no itches, I am going to try splitting with a pill cutter, to see if I could remain conscious
Thank you

[Dee1956]

Hello, thank you to all the people who answered me and PM'd me when I was going crazy with the itch.  The nurse said it was odd I only had it on my arms so now I wonder if perhaps it was not the Incivek but a combination of things.  Some days I do feel like a medical experiment.  Perhaps I ate something that interacted with something else and that is why the itching.  I guess if it only happens once a month I can handle.  I was looking back and saw that it happened the beginning of the last month then again this month.
I want to thank everyone on this forum, there are many times I feel very alone, isolated and I come here and feel so much better
The nurse I see now has about 100 patients and she said that is the iggest complaint of all her patients this feeling of being alone and isolated.  I do not feel that way when I am here on this forum
Thank you all so very much
Love to all
Dee

[nocello]

I'm in week 14, cEVR. At the beginning of week 12, chronic itch became acute--so acute (but no rash) that I could not bear the pressure/friction of clothing or bedclothes against my skin at night and could get a modicum of relief only by standing naked. In consequence, in week 12 I averaged 2-3 hours sleep a night. Itch almost totally abated within 24 hours of final Incivek dose. Several days into week 13, I had a disabling attack of lower back, abdominal, and groin pain. Bucking and writing on the floor, I suspected kidney failure as effect of cumulative drug load. Three hours after the attack began, the pain resolved instantly with passage of kidney stone. I had been eating nuts three times a day for the preceding 12 weeks as my Incivek fat catalyst. Nuts are high-oxalate and implicated in the formation of kidney stones.

[indy531]

Going into wk 12of tx; have had rash/itchy/scratchy since day 2 of tx-riba I guess. Atarax works great but left me w/major cotton mouth, along w/ other mouth issues. Clobestol gel has helped on the welts; referring derm said whole body was inflamed under top layer.I'm only bathing every other day, wash hair 1x a week and wear soft cotton next to skin, esp at nite. I'm sorry you are being tormented by worst rash-I empathize w/your discomfort.

[Dee1956]

Thank you all for posting, the itching did eventually go away, I made it to week 12 with Incivek and now am on week 19
I appreciate all the responses.  

[micheall]

Hi DEE;I am on my 2nd treatment in the last 18 months.The itch is drug induced.I found that if I use personal hygiene,keep my hair and body clean,and keep the itchy areas shaved,I have licked that problem.Keeping my anus clean with baby wipes often and use Pramasone cream solved the anal problem.I am working on a device to combat the dry mouth at night.Sprays and liquids is only temporary.The chin strap someone recommended to keep my mouth closed at night I will try when I get it.In severe outbreaks,I use Corrtizone 10 plus cream for the itch and orajel for the dry mouth.

[Dee1956]

Thank you so very much for your response, very nice of you to share
Dee

[sadie81179]

i just ended incivek last wk am on wk 13 and just started with the itching keeping me up all night. just curious when your itching stopped

[micheall]

I am surprised the ice didn't work for you.Before bed I rub my body down with ice for about 30 min and I called Vertex for help'They said to get prescribed with ic diphenhydramine 50mg for the itch and ic prendnisone 10 mg for the rash.