Started Pegasys and Ribavirin and cant sleep need help or suggestions

Just Started Pegasys injections with 600mg of Ribavirin everyday
can't sleep very well wake upearly all the time anyone experience this at all?

[cruelworld]

i think all us have it, all of the time, and some use meds to help.

[Teufelhunden]

Welcome and good luck on your journey. I have difficulty sleeping as well. I do pegasys and 1200 riba. I've been prescribed Ambien CR and it helps me. For some folks, it makes them do strange things like raiding the fridge at night, awaking to crumbs in the bed and not knowing how they got there. There's alot of stuff out there to help with your sleep problems. OTC, herbal, prescribed. You just gotta find whats best for you. I look at it this way. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Waking early gives me the opportunity to watch a beautiful sunrise. Best of luck!

[Bill1954]

Real good advice from Teufelhunden above. These are strong meds, your best bet is to try to co-exist with them as best you can. Keep making lemonade. As someone that traditionally wakes early, I have no problem with it personally.

Also, carefully evaluate your situation. Investigate your environment before blaming insomnia on treatment meds. Are you waking up early due to the summer sun? If so, maybe an Alaskan aluminum-foil job on your bedroom windows is in order. Other environmental issues might be new noisy neighbors, dogs barking, etc. We tend to blame everything that goes wrong in our lives on Tx meds, when in fact we can be on treatment *and* have other parallel problems  as well.

As suggested above, ask your doc for help as well. Some folks are sensitive to

[jmjm530]

Sorry you're having trouble sleeping. That's very common with the treatment drugs, especially in the beginning.

Is there a reason you're only taking 600mg of ribavirin? How much do you weigh and what is your genotype? Usually, 800 mg is the lowest dose unless there are some other medical issues.

Assuming you're taking three 200mg pills a day of ribavirin -- if not already, you might try taking two pills in the morning and the third pill no later than 6 PM. That might help with the sleep. Just make you take the ribavirn with a meal/food that has adequate fat content.

-- Jim

[FlGuy]

600 mg riba.  That a mid-morning snack for you isn't it?  Hope all continues to go well for you. Im 28 down with 18 to go, horizon is not far out there anymore.

[Alady1620]

I took 1 Tylenol PM at bedtime when I was treating.  Occasionally, I took a prescription but I was worried that I'd get hooked on it.  I had no problems coming off the PMs.

[Bill1954]

Hi FL;

Mid morning snack? I really wouldn

[FlGuy]

I have the rx for an U/S in hand.  Will alternate U/S and CT every 6 months down the road. Although I have access to Fibroscan, I probably won't pursue that until a fair amount of time beyond tx end. It would not affect tx decisions at this point and it would be a cash outlay and some hoop jumping. So assuming this tx does the trick the longer term concern is hcc anyway.  This tx is similar as the first in tolerability.  The increased riba is offset by Aranesp this time and hemo doc has found the delicate balalce.  Muddle is the right word, but there is a finite end.

[illo]

Hi, welcome.  I just started to.  Did my 2nd shot last night.  I also had trouble sleeping, but am taking the amino acid, Ornithine.  It is a liver loving herb and safe to take.  I can't guarantee what will work for you, but it puts me right out.
After the first shot, I took 6 500mg capsules.  Last night after the shot, I took 4.  During the week I don't need them or only take 2 if I do.

Hope this helps.

[GoofyDad]

I'm a fan of the ambien - but benedryl can last longer and into the morning. That's the sleep agent in tylenol PM and sominex II. If your taking tylenol PM solely for sleep - I'd say just the benedryl would be a better choice....

[GrandmaA]

I use Ativan 5 mg. melatonin, 5HTP and amino acids. Still I wake up almost every hour after 2 a.m. Sometimes I have vivid dreams with my naps. We cannot take valerian root or kava kava.

[wonder65]

I meant to say 600 in morning, and 600 in evening. I'm not having insomnia constantly now, but I did get "nytol" sleep aid OTC, and it helped. Walking up is sporatic, but just glad it's improved a bit.. hope that lasts.