Roche Meds?

Hey guys!  Happy New Year!

My meds are from Roche.  It is a pre-filled syringe and four of them in a box.  Is that the same thing as a Redipen that many of you have posted about?  I just read a post about the ribavarin pills.  Some big....some capsules....mine are pills pinkish/coral in color.  These are ribavarin......right?  It wouldn't surprise me to be dispensed something else.  Just making sure.....I guess now I am getting that antsy feeling.  As always thanks for your input.  I have the meds in my fridge, but will not begin until January 23rd.  My vacation begins on the 24th, and on the night of the 23rd my best friend is flying down to stay with me for the first week.  I have two weeks off in a row to get aclumated before beginning to go back to work mid Feb.  Hope this finds all of you well.  FYI....on the TBN channel New Year's eve is the world premiere of ONE NIGHT WITH THE KING.  I took myself to see it when it was in the theaters and liked it.  So for those not doing anything and would like to see a good movie, I believe it comes on at 7:00, 9:00, and 11:00 on the TBN.  Take care and may God bless you all!!!

In Him,
Rick

[mremeet]

Yep, what you described sounds just like my drugs. A small white box with four prefilled syringes capped with rubber stoppers, including alcohol wipes and sealed needles. The ribavirin are oval shaped light pinkish pills just like you described.

Two weeks should be a decent amount of time to acclimate. Prepare for a rough ride for the first shot, although it may not be that bad for you. Make sure you take some Tylenol etc prior to taking the shot, and make sure you down lots of water. Also since you have some time before you start, try and get all your things in order financially, and arrange it so you don't have to make any significant or overly consequential decisions during your treatment. If anything physical needs to be done on your home or property, I would try and get all those things in order ahead of time and basically prepare to go dormant for the duration of your treatment cycle (although you may end up faring well in treatment, preparing for the worst is advisable).

Otherwise, relax and don't overanalyze. Think positively and visualize the finish line and all the benefits of achieving your SVR. You could be well on your way to an SVR very soon.

Take care and good luck.

[GrandOak]

What you are describing does sound like the Pegasys syringes.  Ribavirin comes in a variety of sizes and colors.  It depends on the pharmacutical company who is manufacturing it on what yours may look like.  Each pill should be uniquely marked and that should be identified on your prescription form somewhere and also found on the web (i.e. one side white, other side blue, one side marked with "$%@#" the other side "!&*^" )

[avidreader]

I never used the redipens but I think they are kind of like the pens in bee sting kits or the imitrex shots. I've heard them described as awkward to use. I used the pegasys prefilled syringes and they are a piece of cake. Unlike the redipen, they are standard syringes--the only difference is you don't have to fill them yourself--they are ready to go.

[LindyK]

I also have the Pegasys prefilled syringes.  Very easy to use.  I am on week 6/24.  Had a bad 4 hours late in the night after my first injection (flu like symptoms) but they went away with some Tylenol assistance.  Since then I have not felt bad at all after my injections. I actually feel worse the 2 days before my injection and feel better after my injection.  Everyone is different.  You will find your way.  I took 2 months off prior to beginning tx (because I was so sick) to prepare.  After 2 weeks of tx went back to work 1/2 days 4 days a week.  Then went back full time after 2 more weeks. I am feeling some fatigue now but will just have to learn how to pace myself and deal with things as they come up.  Like everyone has told me - it is a journey.  I think it was NYgirl who said "Welcome to Jumanji" which really scared the #$LL out of me because that movie is so crazy that I've never been able to watch the whole thing.  But I think I get it now.  Treatment is ever changing and you have to adjust as you go along.

Good luck - you will do fine.

[Imagine]

Ok I know I am probably being a little to uh..... anal? Redipens are a little different that the prefilled syringes that Roche provides. Schering - Plough provides the redipens which from what I have heard are a little more of a hassle.

[APKhaos]

You've described the Roche pair:
- Pegasys in 180ug prefilled syringes, four to a box
- Copegus in 200mg salmon colored kina oval tabs.