RIBAVIRIN

[Stvski80085]

Hello again everyone.  Hope all is well.  I just have a question I hope you could answer.  I start treatment next thursday.  The good ol redipen I heard so many good things about and 1200 riba a day.  From what I have read it takes a while for the riba to build up in your system.  Should or has anyone started their riba before the first injection day? To get the level in your system up for the first inhection.  Just curious what everyone else on the same treatment has done.  I know it probably isn't that big of a deal when your going to be on it for 48 weeks but was wondering if I should start taking it now or not.  I forgot to ask the doc so I assume the day of and it wasn't really his fault for not telling me because I wasn't sure if I would see him again before I started.

Thanks again

[FlGuy]

Ttypically riba and IFN start on the same.  When I re-tx, and assuming it's with riba and IFN I have been playing with the idea of pre-dosing with riba for a few days to a week before the first IFN.  I have leftover riba from tx#1 and am kicking the idea around.  Although it's true that riba alone is not effective, it takes time to get to the saturation levels for riba.  The reason I may do so is my intent to get to undetectable by week 6 and then add 36 weeks.  I'm a replapsed geno 3.  Will also be consulting a doc about the strategy.

[Pauly Boy]

Good luck with tx,S. I'm a geno 2B who has been on tx for 6 weeks. My regimen is 180 of weekly Pegasys w/ 1200 Riba daily. I started with the shot and then followed up with Riba, traditional manner. I've never heard of anyone doing it the way you are suggesting, but I'd talk to my doc about that. My limited understanding of how the meds work are that the Riba works to keep the interfuron at a functioning level in the system for the entire week, so that we no longer need to take shots once daily or 3x a week. If that supposition is true then taking the Riba before taking the interfuron would not be helpful. Again S, I'm only another guy trying to get rid of these bugs, and have only laymans info about our illness. But I did get good news this past week when my viral load test came back UND, so at least I know what I'm doing is killing those bugs and ups my chances of clearing at the end. Well, keep close to us thru tx, I've found the folks on this board not only to be empathetic and sincere but can be a good source of much needed humor throughout our process. Keep the faith, Pauly.

[lilmoma]

This is what my doc told me:

Riba all by itself, does nothing.
It is the "kicker" for the interpheron. You can take interpheron by itself,...but not the riba, it serves no real cause, it is the combination, that brings the SVR (hopefully)