Aa
Playing catch up
My husband wonts to start taking his needle on Fridays so he can go to work on Monday. His question is.. he had his first shot on Monday and is going to do another shot on Friday. Is this okay? What should he expect.....
On my trial they started us on a Sunday morning as that fit with their protocols but not with my schedule so I asked to be moved back to Friday night.
We did it in 2 stages with the supervision of the study doctors and with permission from the trial sponsors. First stage was take it 15 hours earlier on the Saturday night. Second stage we moved it 24 hours earlier to Friday night which is where it has stayed for the past 36 weeks. We made the move within 7 days of starting.
As I was on a trial for new drug I don't think the sponsors would have wanted to negatively impact their study results.
I would like to be clear here and say that this is MY experience of how it was achieved. I'm not recommending anyone does it themselves with out discussing with their medical team.
Also, I would like to echo Zazza's post. I'm on Pegasys and have definately had some of my worst days on Mon and Tue when the IFN has reached max concentration. Might be an idea to factor in the the 72 to 86 component to any decision to move shot day although which ever way you do it you'll find a way to make it through...
We did it in 2 stages with the supervision of the study doctors and with permission from the trial sponsors. First stage was take it 15 hours earlier on the Saturday night. Second stage we moved it 24 hours earlier to Friday night which is where it has stayed for the past 36 weeks. We made the move within 7 days of starting.
As I was on a trial for new drug I don't think the sponsors would have wanted to negatively impact their study results.
I would like to be clear here and say that this is MY experience of how it was achieved. I'm not recommending anyone does it themselves with out discussing with their medical team.
Also, I would like to echo Zazza's post. I'm on Pegasys and have definately had some of my worst days on Mon and Tue when the IFN has reached max concentration. Might be an idea to factor in the the 72 to 86 component to any decision to move shot day although which ever way you do it you'll find a way to make it through...
I've read posts echoing what portann said about moving your days around by shortening one day at a time per week.
After consulting my Dr. (who is a Liver Specialist and head of the Transplant Department at a university hospital), I moved my shot back from Friday PM to Friday AM thinking it would help the early to mid-week sx's. He said I could maybe move it to Thursday after trying the twelve hour back-up first. So, I think there might be a way your husband can do this, but I would not do anything without consulting your Dr. first. The reason I started out of Fridays was to help deal with work my schedule, but found that the weekend time didn't help my mid-week slump. We are all different with how our bodies and minds cope with Tx, so there is no way of knowing for sure. Listen to all the experienced advice on this forum and your DOCTOR and then make the decision you think makes sense for your husband, but know that it may not do what he is hoping for.
Best of luck with treatment for the both of you.
Pilgrim
Best of luck with treatment for the both of you.
Pilgrim
"Many people on this forum say their worst days are 72 - 86 hours after taking interferon. In theory, that's when interferon is at its max in your system."
This is true about Pegasys, but not about PegIntron. Gonzo, which interferon is your husband taking?
This is true about Pegasys, but not about PegIntron. Gonzo, which interferon is your husband taking?
I've never moved my shot day but I'm sure there's a safe way to do this, without compromising compliance. It's been discussed several times on the forum but I can't find the links right now. I agree with FlGuy that sticking to a schedule for the long haul is very important. You seem on the same page about this and are simply asking about a one-time adjustment
I believe the gist of it is you can change days by shortening, not lengthening, your in-between shot days. So if he did his shot on Monday and wants to shift very conservatively, he could take his next shot Sunday (six days apart), followed by Saturday in the third week, then finally Friday in the fourth week. Some people might compress this to get to Friday more quickly, but they're more intrepid than I'd be.
Many people on this forum say their worst days are 72 - 86 hours after taking interferon. In theory, that's when interferon is at its max in your system.
That would mean Thursdays and Fridays could be his worst days if he's on a Monday schedule. Mondays and Tuesdays could be his worst days if he's on a Friday schedule.
You may want to stick to Mondays until he figures out which days of the week are his personal worst. That way, he won't have to re-arrange his schedule again. I never fit the above pattern and not everyone does. And my patterns also changed over the weeks, just to confuse things.
Good luck. He just needs to get into the groove of taking all his pills and injections on schedule. It's a bit of a learning curve at the beginning but becomes a habit with time.
I believe the gist of it is you can change days by shortening, not lengthening, your in-between shot days. So if he did his shot on Monday and wants to shift very conservatively, he could take his next shot Sunday (six days apart), followed by Saturday in the third week, then finally Friday in the fourth week. Some people might compress this to get to Friday more quickly, but they're more intrepid than I'd be.
Many people on this forum say their worst days are 72 - 86 hours after taking interferon. In theory, that's when interferon is at its max in your system.
That would mean Thursdays and Fridays could be his worst days if he's on a Monday schedule. Mondays and Tuesdays could be his worst days if he's on a Friday schedule.
You may want to stick to Mondays until he figures out which days of the week are his personal worst. That way, he won't have to re-arrange his schedule again. I never fit the above pattern and not everyone does. And my patterns also changed over the weeks, just to confuse things.
Good luck. He just needs to get into the groove of taking all his pills and injections on schedule. It's a bit of a learning curve at the beginning but becomes a habit with time.
thanks hall so much from hubby ofcourse.........he does not do the cumputer so well maybe by the end of treatment he will be an old pro. Seriously... thanks to all...:)
I'd expect that the Hepatologist's nurse is fairly experienced and might even have a closer touch in guiding treating patients. Hubby might feel some effects from Peg twice within 5 five days but it should not be remarkable. Personally, I did two on the same day for a number of weeks and it wasn't that bad. As a side note, there could be some benefit to the more frequent Peg early in treatment as a 'shock and awe' approach. Several people have done so, and many with positive results.
yes we do know this. The hepatologists nurce we are seeing said this would be okay..now he worried. Should he call Dr. hepatologists...this is his second shot......He is taking peginterferon and 1200 mg ribavirin......
I'll differ a little bit. If his intention is to take the INF on Fridays going forward, taking his next shot on Friday (4 day from his previous one) should be ok. But, consistency in treatment is important, he needs to take shots and eat pills on time, on schedule and not missing any. If his decision is to make it Fridays, he should stick to it for the duration of treatment. The formulation of the meds and their duration of effectivenes is based on dosing and time. He can't stylize and take the meds when he feels like it or when it's convienient. Successful treament requires committment and discipline with a couple of doses of good luck thrown in.
If he is taking pegalated interferon, that is definitely NOT OK. He needs to take the shots at the same time on a weekly basis.
I'm a little stunned to be honest with you that someone would be considering something like this. This treatment depends on a very high level of compliance from the patient. You need to take the medication on the set schedule without fail. I'm disappointed if he didn't learn that before he started.
I'm a little stunned to be honest with you that someone would be considering something like this. This treatment depends on a very high level of compliance from the patient. You need to take the medication on the set schedule without fail. I'm disappointed if he didn't learn that before he started.
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Hepatitis C Community
Learn about this treatable virus.
Getting tested for this viral infection.
3 key steps to getting on treatment.
4 steps to getting on therapy.
What you need to know about Hep C drugs.
How the drugs might affect you.
These tips may up your chances of a cure.
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.
