Is anyone on the Merck clinical trial? Interferon free

[corkylynn]

I have been on the new drugs from Merck which are mk-5172 and mk-8742 without ribavirin.  I am treatment naive and got my lab reports which I am undetectable right now which is great news.  I live in Penticton, BC, Canada.  I guess what I'm asking is if these new drugs are similar to the Abbvie drugs which are DAA's as well?  

I worked hard to get on treatment because I have been really suffering with severe side effects before tx and have a lot of hepatic manifestations.  I have had Hep C g1a for about 17 years and have been very ill since day one with this disease.  I need people and doctors to understand that all of us aren't asymptomatic and some of us are very symptomatic and very ill.  I believe that you don't have to be in end-stage liver disease to have all these symptoms.  I am 0-1 fibrosis and enzymes are normal.  

I saw a gastro about 8 months ago and he told me that he was skeptical to believe that all my symptoms are not Hep C related.  I was appalled and he basically said that I could carry on with a quality of life and be okay for 40 years with this disease.  B.S.  Its frustrates me that these doctors are not up-to-date with the new studies now
that Hep C can cause havoc in a lot of other areas and organs in the body as it is a multi-symptom disease and not just the liver that is affected.  

So I went beyond him and looked into doing a interferon free treatment  with the new Merck drugs that won't be out in the market for another 6 or 7 years.  I felt like I was losing hope and I got very depressed about April of this year.   I had to take a Leave of Absence for over a year because I cannot work anymore.  I'm raising my 14 year old daughter as a single mum and I haven't been able to do any activities with her and I just had about enough of this.  I have been debilitated at times and it sure hasn't been a piece of cake.  

Is there anyone out there who has experienced this as well?  I have nausea every day including viscious neuropathy all over my body, bad migraines, fatigue, etc. etc.  I want to be well again so badly.  I'm on anti-depressents which help with my sanity.  I only have about 4 or 8 more weeks and I'm finished my tx.  This a Phase II study as well.  I've been so desperate that I didn't care and went for it!!  

Another question is that I still feel like crap and I'm gettting sides and wondered if post-treatment, will these symptoms go away or just fall away one by one?  I know everyone is different and have different issues.  I would really like to get some feedback from anyone out there.  

Its been a long post but there is absolutely no one in this small city that know anything.  I have been making trips down to Vancouver to attend to all of my appts with the gastro there and his nurse.  Thank you.

[corkylynn]

Thanks so much for your insight.  My anxiety, I believe is what drives me sometimes and I have to remind myself to live in the moment.  I won't worry about these symptoms and be grateful I'm on this treatment now and so far the treatment has been working for me.  Thank you!!

[chidy1000]

You'll be ok. You got into a trial. That's a key huddle. And your trial from what I read elsewhere shows good promise. FDA recently gave it special status. Most likely your symptoms with abate gradually after treatment. Don't bother about it. Cross that bridge when you reach it.