Hi all,
I thought many here may find this interesting if they are having long-term effects post-treatment...
I completed the interferon/ ribavirin tx in August of 2008. During treatment I had the usual sides (hemolytic anemia, hair loss, itching/dry skin/ mouth, fatigue and aches) and I also had thyroid issues (thyroiditis that caused hyperthyroidism which "flipped" to hypothyroidism). After finishing treatment the thyroid levels straightened out and all was well (or seemed so). I kept waiting to get back to the 100% energy, but only reached about 85% (which I was grateful for!) I kept experiencing hormonal issues, hot flashes, and in the past year palpitations and increasing issues with period and bowel irregularity. My thyroid levels were checked and found to be "in range".
Two months ago, the joint pain and swelling in my legs became so debilitating that I turned to a Naturopath for help. He found that I had thyroid antibodies (most likely spurred on by the interferon leaving my immune system in modified hyperdrive) that were attacking my thyroid and that I had developed Hashimoto's thyroiditis.
I've only been on dessicated thyroid meds for two weeks, but what a difference already. No joint pain, my memory is improving, I have more energy, and the heart palpitations (and hot flashes) have all but stopped.
Come to find out, rarely do western medicine Drs check for thyroid antibodies because they treat patients reactively (meaning they only treat the patient's lab values, not the symptoms). With Hashimoto's, the thyroid levels swing back and forth -sometimes too high, creating irritable bowel symptoms and high blood pressure and palpitations, -and sometimes too low, creating leg swelling, joint inflammation, fatigue, poor memory, feeling cold all the time, low blood pressure, menstrual irregularities, etc...
If anyone has these symptoms several months after treatment, get your thyroids checked! -Especially the antibodies! (Even if the other lab values are "normal"). This is often diagnosed as fibromyagia, chronic fatigue syndrome, perimenopause (for women), arthritis, and depression.
It's been nearly 2 1/2 years since I finished treatment, and I am still SVR. My liver enzymes are as low as they've ever been (AST 10, ALT 15) and, even though I have these lingering (annoying!) issues, going through the treatment was worth it. ~MM