Distinguishing cause of sx

[Amerabrit]

I've noticed in recent posts that some of you are report sx related to either the Interferon or the Riba. My questions is;  How do you know which medication is causing which sides?  I took my first dose of Riba pills at 3:00pm on a Friday, then my first shot at 7:00pm that same day (24 weeks ago)and am cluless as to which med is causing what sx?  The sx listed on the "warning" statements are very similar so I'm really interested in learning how you are able to differentiate between the two.
Thanks for your time.

[scoop49]

i would agree with fubarcat and most of the general feedback above.
not overdoing, drinking alot of fluids, and keeping your stress level under control will help with sx.
i have advanced liver disease so im not sure if i'll be a responder (ive experienced lower viral loads while on treatment but they are still higher than hoped.

i would recommend not waiting however- unless you are really early in the disease-as i may have messed myself up by waiting too long.
i decided i would stay in very good shape and cut out alcohol about twelve years ago- but the disease kept advancing and my doc and i decided to take a chance on tx even with poor liver functions.

generally i feel ok for 3 to 4 days a week- more fatiqued but happy and motivated, but for a couple days after shot i feel slow with managable head and body ache.

good luck demetrious!! keep your slay on

scoop49

[Babycakes1]

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[louisep]

I'm a bit late on this one but felt I had to post.

I really suffered with sx while on tx & didn't know which was worse...the riba or the interferon, however 2 months before finishing tx, I stopped taking the ADs I was given (Ciprimol) & felt a huge relief!  I'd never taken ads before tx so I really didn't know what to expect.  I put the light headedness, nausea, vomiting, diarhea, DEPRESSION & much more down to either the riba or the interferon, however I'm now pretty sure it was the Ciprimol as alot of these symptoms disappeared once I came off the ads.  Noone ever tells you what is normal & what isn't with these meds as I guess everyone has different reactions to tx.
Just a thought......
Louise

[n2cats15]

Sorry I hit the button twice!

[n2cats15]

I call the Ribaviron my scapegoat drug!  I call it this because every time I would talk to either the nurse or my hepatologist about a new symptom or problem the standard response was "it is the ribaviron".  I am having joint pain - "it's the ribaviron".  I am nauseated "it is because of the ribaviron"  I am having trouble sleeping "oh, it's the ribaviron".  I am bitchy "well thats because of the ribaviron!" etc, etc.  This has been the joke at my house for the past few months!

I am on week 28/48 (over half way!!!!).  I really can't tell which medication is causing which symptom.  Like alot of you guys I have good days and not so good days.

Take care...Cathy

[n2cats15]

I call the Ribaviron my scapegoat drug!  I call it this because every time I would talk to either the nurse or my hepatologist about a new symptom or problem the standard response was "it is the ribaviron".  I am having joint pain - "it's the ribaviron".  I am nauseated "it is because of the ribaviron"  I am having trouble sleeping "oh, it's the ribaviron".  I am bitchy "well thats because of the ribaviron!" etc, etc.  This has been the joke at my house for the past few months!

I am on week 28/48 (over half way!!!!).  I really can't tell which medication is causing which symptom.  Like alot of you guys I have good days and not so good days.

Take care...Cathy

[honey1616]

Fubar and Amerabrit said it all pretty well and each person is different on their sides from Interferon.  I am on week 27 out of 52 and the first 6 weeks were hardest for me adjusting to the ill feeling and very tired.  I still worked and did usual things but just felt like I had flu like feelings.  Now things seem to be pretty good and ever so often some sides will show back up and make you slow down again for week but about time you get sick of it,,,you are feeling ok so naturally you will have some sides such as the fatigue is a given.  What condition is your liver?  If you are feeling bad now from hep,,,Wouldn't it be great to do the treatment and give it your best shot to get rid of this virus so its not working on your systme daily?  Best of Luck to you!

[Amerabrit]

I am sorry to read of your ill health.  I can only speak for myself and the tx has not been difficult at all for me.  The hardest for me was the fatigue ( effects of anemia), Procrit helped with that problem though and today I feel pretty much normal: I am on week 25/48 and cleared at 12 weeks.
Very, very best of luck to you.

[Fubarcat]

I am sorry you are not well in addition to having the Hep C.  You have come to the right forum for info and support.  

It is hard to say "how much sicker" you will be on treatment.  My sides have been very tolerable with fatigue and anemia being the worst problems.  In a very general sense, you will find that within a few weeks of starting meds, you may be fatigued, loss of appetite, lack of concentration, have "brain fog" and your hair will start falling out.  On the other hand, you may not have such a problem with any of these possible side effect.  I think every person here has suffered some sort of side effect, some much worse than others, so it is impossible to say "how much sicker" you will be, if at all.

If you have pre-existing conditions, you may find that they become worse or that they make your side effects worse.  You need to stay in constant contact with your doctor and report any side effects you have.  There are medications that can counteract some of the side effects.  For instance, I now take Procrit due to the side effect of anemia and I feel great.  Almost back to pre-treatment self.  

Come back and let us know how you are progressing.  We will always be here to offer our support and whatever information we have.

[demetrios]

Hello:

    I have had Hep for 21 years and i am not a healthy person. i have been accepted for the interferon and ribovarin treatment. i am trying to get the funding now. could someone tell me how much sicker i will be when i go on the treatment,and does it help.                        please reply Demetrios age 35

[honey1616]

haha Yep I think Don is right,,,,Riba makes you feel like a quack and the pegasus pulls the plug on you while you feeling not all there! lol

[donAlfonso]

I just missed a Pegasys shot on Friday, and noticed that I didn't have to take ibuprofen all weekend.  Usually I take it twice a day, every day.  So I'm guessing that for me, the muscle, joint aches and pains are from the INF.  However, I remained insane, so I guess that comes from the Riba.  Made up the shot today, so in a while I'll be testing this theory.

dA

[cuteus]

and to compound the problem, some of the sx listed, actually will come to play when the cbc levels decrease, and because the decrease is caused by the meds, the sx are listed as a result of them, when in reality many symptoms have to do with the, anemia, for example, that resulted from the riba. so technically THEY are caused by the anemia not the riba, in my opinion.
only sign I can identify as riba's is the tachycardia when I tried to make up for missed doses. other than that...