Side effects

[Easy Mike]

I started my treatment yesterday, with 600 mg copegasys at 6am and 600 mg at 6pm, with 180 mg shot at 8pm. I woke up this morning with nothing more than the usual morning aches and pains, no apparent side effects. I recieved my medicine tuesday evening and put it in the fridge overnight. Wednesday morning I put it back in the styrofoam cooler with the ice pack and some additional ice and took it with me because I was not going to get back home before having to got to the doctor thursday afternoon. I drive a big truck that does not ride very smooth but I cushioned it in some blankets and a pillow. Before I took it into the doctors office I checked it and there was still plenty of ice and the syringe seemed cool and clear, but I am wondering if I damaged it due to the lack of any apparent side effects. Any thoughts on this? Thanks.

[olbaldguy]

The effects for me came about 36-48 hours after an injection, with an increase  as the chems stored up, like weeks 18-24. My 1st tx I thought "dude it ain't workin" and "maybe I won't have the sx they said" but it's comin Mike. You can do it!!! Listen to your body though, don't over do it

[SoCal Lady]

I didn't notice any dramatic sx from the first injection, Mike, nor from any of the others.  It wasn't until a few weeks later that I began to feel side-effects, including shortness of breath and severe loss of energy...

Good luck with your treatment!

[moveabove]

After the second week of tx I called the Doctor and asked him if it was a placibo.  Well thats what they thought I asked.  I had nothing for 2 weeks but then the sx started.
It seems everyone is different so unlike me, don't freak out if strange brian patterns arrive or if nothing but minor sx happen. Wellcome to the twilight zone.

[sfbaygirl]

I started to feel the Inf. sx about 24 hrs after the first shot. Now it varies week to week. Sometimes I dont' feel the effects for 5 days! Usually I feel yucky for 2 days a week with the shots, but it is easier because I know they may come now. Good luck and welcome!

[jaroman]

It sounds like your meds are fine!
The worst sides I had in the beginning were a headache,some muscle discomfort in the legs and not too much else.  I thought the same thing-it isnt working.  Just wait....  You can do it, though!

[big bloc]

You may be one of the lucky ones.I am week 41/48 I never got a fever or flu like. work 50 hrs a week never missed a day. had rash first 12 weeks no more.Pace your self you will be fine. I am on the same meds you are.Have a nice day

[52TELE]

Dont over-think it Mike. The sides are going to be what they are going to be and there is really not much  you can do to effect it.
Sides may change weekly , may disapear for a couple of weeks then come back with a vengence.

Roll with it and certainly dont try to schedule your life around side effects , you'll end up very frustrated with the lack of consistency of the sides.

Good luck and have a great day!!!

[Htownwife]

Our refrigerator had a freon leak and the meds sat in there for awhile before we realized what had happened. Of course, this had never happened before we had medicine that needed to be refrigerated!! We're on a trial study with Schering Plough so I knew the meds would be replaced if need be. I called the nurse and she said not to worry....after hurricane Rita the whole hospital  in the Medical Center had lost power and all the meds were unrefrigerated for awhile. She said they ran tests and the interferon was fine. This is the Peg Intron in powder form. The insert says they must remain refrigerated to a certain temp, (46 degrees F I believe) but she said actually it could be up to mid 70's to 80! I wouldn't do it on purpose, but I'm sure your meds were fine considering it was such a short time.

[Kalio1]

Im glad to hear so far you dont have side effects. That's great. Dont worry about the drugs being faulty!

The one thing people who have done this treatment seem to agree on is that the tx is UNPREDICTABLE. You never know if or when the side effects will or won't show up in each person.
Predictably unpredictable describes it well.

Good luck with it, I hope you breeze right through and don't experience side effects. Some do report little or no problems, I hope you are amongst that group.

[beamishboy]

powdered peg (that must be mixed prior to injection) does not need to be refridgerated at all...that in of itself,imho, makes it a much more trx friendly product...i used for 48 weeks and stored it ina toolbox on the floor....procrit&neupogen are another matter entirely

[Htownwife]

We thought that might be the case even though the doctor told us initially to keep it in the refrigerator. When he sent us home with it it was packed in a thermal bag with ice packs. I guess it's a precaution and we keep it refrigerated.

[cheddarhead]

I'm on the same meds as you, same dose. Last night was #25 of 48. We hear so much about EVERY side effect, I think we all expect to have each and every one of them, all at one time. I had minimal ones and my first few months were really smooth. So far I've never a fever or body aches, but headaches for sure and a bit of a dry cough with the start of the heating season. Like oldbaldguy and others, I began to "feel" the meds working more as I got into my 4th/5th month but still manageable. Good luck and try not to overthink it all...easier said than done, I know!