Riba rage on all oral DAA's??

[Cheesegrater]

Anybody know if one can develop slight or severe mental issues while on Ribavirin WITHOUT peg-interferon (all oral DAA HCV treatment)??

We are all well aware of the effects that can be had from Ribavirin with Peg-Interferon, but what about without the latter?

Cheese

[gerard11]

I too have been been feeling very uncomfortable lately on RIBA. It my 22 nd week out of 24, and I feel like I have had enough!!!!! Maybe getting close to end of treatment has something to do with it, not sure. But I know I can't wait to stop the RIBA!!!!!!!!
Good luck to you, and all who are treating!!!!
A special shout out to Hector!!!!! It makes my morning when I see a post from Hector on the site!!!!!!good luck to you buddy, that transplant is in your future!!!!!!!

[Cheesegrater]

Thanks to all who responded!  Some good and interesting advice.

First off, don't worry about me, I am doing  fine.  

I think what I noticed way back when I started all oral with riba is that a week or two in I could feel the riba. I could taste the riba in my system. And I could feel the slight effects the compound has on my mind.
I had been on riba and peg so many times in the past that this feeling is unmistakeable to me.  And it tends to contribute to me being a bit jittery, irritable and with it a loss of patience for that (or who) may be distressing me.

I was wondering if anyone else noticed this.

That said, being on Peg and riba at the same time is quite worse in terms of how hard it hits you.   Having a loss of patience for that which distresses you and having a rather uncontrolled emotional outburst for no apparent reason (Peg-Riba)  are quite different.  

So I was wondering, if anyone has noticed any significant or mild mental effects of being on only  Riba, or all oral with riba.

[dontworry_behappy1]

Your right because the site I ref. Had a red box update.  That box doesn't
talk about interferon.  

DWBH

[rivll]

Until recently ribavirin as always taken with interferon so most studies include interferon when noting side effects. However, ribavirin does have some adverse effects for many people though likely not as severe as when combined with interferon.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a605018.html#side-effects

Additionally as the studies on the new oral wrap up there will undoubtedly be more information on the sx of ribavirin w/o peg.

[dontworry_behappy1]

Never mind it does talk about interferon

Sorry

[dontworry_behappy1]

I found this and it doesn't say anything about interferon. But it does talk about
depression, memory loss and confusion.

Ribavirin: MedlinePlus Drug Information
nlm.nlh.gov

DWBH

[HectorSF]

Note that all the side effects you mention are when Ribavirin is combined with interferon. Reference http://www.drugs.com/sfx/ribavirin-side-effects.html

Cheesegrator asked "Anybody know if one can develop slight or severe mental issues while on Ribavirin WITHOUT peg-interferon".  

Psychiatric

"Psychiatric side effects associated with oral ribavirin in combination with peginterferon alfa-2a, peginterferon alfa-2b, or interferon alfa-2b have included irritability/anxiety/nervousness/emotional lability (up to 47%), insomnia (up to 41%), depression (up to 36%), concentration impairment (up to 21%), mood alteration (up to 9%), and agitation (up to 8%). Suicide, suicidal ideation, psychosis, aggression, anxiety, drug abuse/overdose, psychotic disorder, and hallucination have been reported in less than 1% of patients treated with peginterferon alfa-2a alone or in combination with ribavirin tablets. Impairment of desire and the potential to affect sexual satisfaction have been reported with ribavirin tablets in combination with peginterferon alfa-2a in male patients."

Read more at http://www.drugs.com/sfx/ribavirin-side-effects.html#ljuko4PWDsw8hgX7.99

Hector

[PGinMD]

Defiantly call your Dr. when ever taking new meds, especially these, there is a chance of  mental change.
Chin up, make the call.
Have a smile for the day on me....... Smile!!!!!!

[willbb]

Cheese...

You never mentioned "depression" however if that is the case possibly  there is a thyroid issue..

Not saying that your problem is due to hypothyroidism ,however it is a simple test to have done and it is a known fact that the condition can induce depression(below).

Best to you.
Will

  http://www.endocrineweb.com/conditions/thyroid/hypothyroidism-too-little-thyroid-hormone

Symptoms of Hypothyroidism
Fatigue
Weakness
Weight gain or increased difficulty losing weight
Coarse, dry hair
Dry, rough pale skin
Hair loss
Cold intolerance (you can't tolerate cold temperatures like those around you)
Muscle cramps and frequent muscle aches
Constipation
Depression
Irritability
Memory loss
Abnormal menstrual cycles
Decreased libido

Each individual patient may have any number of these symptoms, and they will vary with the severity of the thyroid hormone deficiency and the length of time the body has been deprived of the proper amount of hormone.

[can-do-man]

Stop using ribavirin and call your doctor at once if you have a serious side effect such as:
•
problems with your vision;

•
fever, chills, body aches, flu symptoms;

•
severe pain in your upper stomach spreading to your back, nausea and vomiting, fast heart rate;

•
stabbing chest pain, wheezing, feeling short of breath;

•
severe depression, hallucinations, thoughts of suicide or hurting yourself;

•
chest pain or heavy feeling, pain spreading to the arm or shoulder, nausea, sweating, general ill feeling; or

•
pale or yellowed skin, dark colored urine, easy bruising or bleeding, confusion, or unusual weakness.


Less serious side effects of ribavirin may include:
•
headache;

•
muscle pain;

•
dry mouth;

•
nausea; vomiting, stomach pain, loss of appetite;

•
weight loss;

•
feeling tired or irritable;

•
anxiety, mood changes; or

•
pain, swelling, or irritation where the interferon injection was given.


This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects.

http://www.drugs.com/sfx/ribavirin-side-effects.html
-----------------------------
So to answer your question, yes it is listed as a side effect as is clinical depression............... Good luck

[HectorSF]

As far as Sofosbuvir + Ribavirin there is no associated mental effects such as clinical depression. Clinical depression is a side effect of peg-interferon as in mentioned in the product label of all interferons NOT Ribavirin. The data on side effects is available for most trials that are completed at this time and that Gilead submitted to the FDA for treatment approval.

In phase III trials adverse events are generally mild and included fatigue, nausea, headache, insomnia, pruritis, anemia and dizziness. Less than 2 percent of patients in the sofosbuvir treatment groups discontinued due to adverse events. While in clinical trials using telaprevir (Incivek) around 10% of patients dropped out due to problems such as severe rash, anemia, fatigue, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting; some reports suggest that the dropout rate is much higher in clinical practice.

I have been on Sofosbuvir + Ribavirin for 38+ week. Had a few side effects in the first month of two adjusting to treatment. Headaches, dizziness, fatigue. All I feel now is some fatigue. Very few people if any will treat as long as me as standard treatment duration will be 12 or 16 weeks. I also have advanced liver disease and liver cancer which make side effect more common and servere with current treatments.

There never have been ANY reference to mental issues in the Sofosbuvir trials without peg-interferon. So it is not something to even worry about.

Good luck.
H

[Idyllic]

My understanding is that even though we call it"Riba" rage the phenomenon is really attributed to the Interferon. Interestingly I always wondered if folks who only used the Interferon experienced it. Anyway here are some interesting takes and suggestions related to what some people do while treating.

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Hepatitis-C/Riba-Rage-advice/show/1658519

Either way you might want to see someone about it if it gets too overwhelming. Treatment in general was pretty harsh and I went on an AD a couple months prior.

You might want to check the threads about the sides since Hey anything is possible.