Start tx tomorrow

[Unhep]

Oddly enough I'm not freaked out. I'll freak out later I guess.

Pegasys + Riba. Did a trial last year, Pegasys + Debio 025. Fatigue, headache, nausea, hair loss, irritability, sometimes major irritability masquerading as righteous indignation. Looking for any advice re - dealing with irritability, fatigue, etc. Also, wasn't there a thread about dos and don'ts a while back, bits of advice like avoiding grapefruit juice.  

[Marcia2202]

I use it for it's medicinal purposes, the dark liquid. I don't use sugar nor sweeteners, as I'm not too much into sweet stuff. It is really good on wounds and also sores in the mouth. It's one of the few sweet substances which don't cause tooth decay and is actually good for the teeth. It stings at first, but heals wounds really fast.

It is antiviral and antibacterial.

[Unhep]

So you're on week 5...and fatigued...that fits with my recollection of 5 weeks tx last year. I stopped exercising, actually stopped flossing, even showering! Scary. Mind you, there seems to be a wondrous built-in conditioned response that spurs even a lazy person like me to get around to showering once in a while. Whether I need it or not! Heh....

But seriously, I've got to watch out for this irritability and laziness, self-pity and whatnot. Dangerous stuff. Last night I noticed my wife kind of walking on eggshells around me after the first shot, and I made sure to say, "by the way, don't let me tyrannize you with my irritability and illness and self-pity..."

She's my great support and compass and more, of course, so why should she have to suffer opn account of being my very best friend, right?

btw, what's stevia? Googled it - seems to be a natural sweetener?

[Marcia2202]

forgot to say... I do have some sides. It's the eternal fatigue and weakness and then the brain fog. Sometimes quite bad. I'm not really able to go anywhere. It takes hours to recover just from a ten minutes walk outside. But fortunately no pain and the HCV induced arthritis is almost gone... for the moment at least.

[Marcia2202]

Congrats!

Don't worry about adjusting the dose.... portann might be on a dose lesser than what's in the syringe and has to get rid of some of the meds in it, before injecting.

I also use the swab, one before and one after the shot. My nurse also said that it wasn't necessary, but I prefer to do it.

As to tylenol, I have used paracetamol twice so far during tx and it was once for a terrible headache and the other time for some other pain. I have not needed to take any with any of the shots at all.

I did get a major depression, irritability and snappiness in week two and was put on 10 mg citalopram (Celexa) which started working after 6 days. No depression, irritability nor snappiness left.

I am drinking crazy amounts of water (ca 1 gallon a day) and have not had any dry skin at all. Am eating a good amount of apples too.

I started having mouth sores twice, but am using a drop of stevia neat in my mouth a few times a day and it goes away after a day.

Marcia

[Unhep]

I'll never forget to use the alcohol swab, but the specialist insists it's really not necessary. Necessary or not, I'm into it.

Uh, whaddya mean, adjusting the dose?

[portann]

Congratulations! My husband was more jangly than I was for my first shot and i was as jangly as anyone could be.

Now at week 17, he's ho-hum about it and I usually let him keep the movie running, unless I go blank about the preparation details. Once I forgot to take my Tylenol, which my nurse told me to take for the weekly shot. (I kept asking hubby if there was something I was forgetting and he didn't remember either.) That's how asleep at the switch I became over time.

It's good to be a little anxious - it can keep you on your toes, especially for remembering things like adjusting the dose in the syringe and using the alcohol swab.

[Unhep]

Thanks everyone :-)

Just did it, 5 minutes ago. For somebody who felt so cool yesterday (and earlier today), it's odd how jangly my nerves got in this last hour :)

Glad I did it! Glad that first one's done....

[mar148]

Good luck, You probably have already had your first shot.  I had intense irritability.  I took a low dosage of effexor and it worked well for me.  I got off it when I was done with treatment.  I did take the extra strength tylenol 2 times a day.   I babied myself at night with heating pad on my neck at night to help with aches and pains...  Good luck and take good care of yourself.  Mar

[Isobella]

major irritability masquerading as righteous indignation---Yup, that about discribes my day :-)

Wish you the best with this round.

Isobella

[Texas714]

Good Luck with Tx.
The pay-off will be worth it!

[Marcia2202]

Good luck with start of your tx. Don't worry, I wasn't freaked out either... and I still ain't... :-)  Not yet at least... I did shot 5 yesterday.

The Do's and Don't are on the Health Pages.

Good luck on your journey.

Marcia

[Trinity4]

Irritability is a very common side effect.  Many people use AD's to control depression which can cause irritability.  Fatigue is another common side effect.  Even with sleep aids fatigue is a constant among those of us who are treating.  AD's usually take several weeks to start working so you many want to talk with your doctor about this before starting treatment.  Regarding grapefuit juice, data supports grapefruit supplements should not be taken during tx, but a daily glass of grapefruit juice is ok if your system can tolerate the acid.  Good Luck with your treatment.
Trinity  

[Wilful1]

Hello Unhep,
I guess you have some sense of what you will be experiencing because of your previous trial.  I'm ten weeks in and everyday is a new adventure.  I just love this comment you made about your previous sx:  "sometimes major irritability masquerading as righteous indignation"  It's so me!  I wish you the best on your journey to "Unhep" status.
Warmly,
Wilful