Very very painful at 4 weeks Tx

[Sunag]

Hi Everyone:

I took my 4th shot on saturday and the sides are so bad that I feel like giving up.

The joint aches (which start 6 hours after taking the shot) are unbearable. I have tolerated the pain without mentioning it, for 3 weeks, hoping that it will reduce as time goes by or that I will get used to it.
Neither of them have happened. I am taking tylenol and advil but does not seem to help at all.

Flu symptoms, with bone-breaking aches all over my body, head ache, nausea, and temperature around 101F, is literally killing me. Above all this the sight of food is make me throw up.
I drink a lot- lot of water as most of you suggested.

Can you suggest what pain medications are prescribed for this condition?
Which do you think are the best for my condition (Hep C and Cirrhosis)?  Please help.

Sunag

[Ella Mackenzie]

Hang in there because you just don't know if the sides will get better and they just might. I had such bad nausea, my doc prescribed zofran (some insurance co don't pay for it, though) and lorazapam which is in the valium family.
It semms that either the sides get easier to deal with or I have just gotten used to them.
Drink tons of water and then drink more. I am almost finished tx and I thought this would never end but it will.
The best of luck to you

[cuteus]

your team is following the stats provided for the standard tx of 48 wks.  if evr under those stats your svr chances go up considerably,  if doing the 48 wks.  for those not evrs, longer tx might be needed to obtain the same percentage.  tx extension might compensate for the lack of evr.  ANY drop is a great sign  that you are a responder, clearing the virus  at any point means your virus is vulnerable to the meds. those of us not in the norm of things need to get out of the standards and try customized treatment if we want to be cured.
we are guinea pigs anyway, aren't we?

[want2live]

I felt the same, it was very bad for me too. I know that it sickens you to eat, but you must have fresh healthy food.
It did get better for me as time went by (the physical aspect).
I found comfort in things I knew that I used to enjoy. Think of those things, and do some if you can.
Foods tasted funny to me, everything was very salty, and then there was the metallic taste on top of it.
How about some ice cream? Treat yourself even though you feel like ****. Focus on things like that, you deserve a treat.
Are they monitoring your blood work weekly? Make sure you tell the Dr. that you feel this way, you should be able to get some relief. Hang in there, take it day by day, don't think about the long run.
Pick one thing that you really like to eat and eat some! Eating will make you feel better.
Little be little you can feel better by enjoying (even just a little) the things that you used to enjoy.
Let us know how you are doing, we all care for you, and you deserve to feel better, and get well.

[kennedge]

i know your pain...about 5 months into tx i finally had my GP rx vicodan....it got to be a 2 to 3X a day...but it got me thru

best to ya

[cuteus]

What you are describing is the most common sides of the interferon tx, if I had to feel like that daily for the 54 wks i have been on tx, I would have quit long ago. My pcp has been extremely understanding and has given me no grief about prescribing effective meds for the aches and pains. The goal is to keep bombing this virus with the meds for as long as we can to effectively erradicate it.
Those symptoms are the most given reason for tx withdrawal. I have taken vicoprofen for the duration of these wks, without it I would not have made it this far. I will deal with the dependence after tx with the aid of my Pcp. You insist on effective pain management. Oxycontin is processed thru kidneys primarily, but for me it did not work as well as the vicoprofen. vicodin was not as good either. you need to find an effective med so that you do not need a large dose to achieve relief. GL  and insist on assistance to get you thru tx.