Victrelis

[cbw36]

Just started on Vic on Friday. Besides the amount of pills one mush take, I can't seem to get over the nasty after taste. Really chemical like/poison like aftertaste. oh well, poison to the virus I hope. So my question is this: it says take with food, but is it necessary to take with 20g of fat, or is that only for incivek?
Anyone else starting this stuff?

[flcyclist]

Unlike Incivek, Victrelis doesn't appear to have a fat content requirement.  It is recommended to eat some fat with Ribavirin to increase absorption.   Be sure to take it on time and try not to miss any doses.

VICTRELIS should be administered with food. Food enhanced the exposure of boceprevir by up to 65% at the 800 mg three times daily dose, relative to the fasting state. The bioavailability of boceprevir was similar regardless of meal type (e.g., high-fat vs. low-fat) or whether taken 5 minutes prior to eating, during a meal, or immediately following completion of the meal. Therefore, VICTRELIS may be taken without regard to either meal type or timing of the meal.

http://www.natap.org/2011/HCV/results.htm

[Vannh9]

prosperitypharmacy.com/wp-content/uploads/Protease-Inhibitor-Guide.pdf

It shows the food intake requirements for both drugs as well as sample times/meals.

I found that site earlier~ Also wanted to ask what made you choose Victrekis? It looks like a lot of people have chosen Telaprevir?

Just curious as I know I will be faced with a choice soon.

Thanks,

Vann

[crossroadsec]

The fat thing is killing me, I've eaten healthy for so long. It makes me nauseated. But I choke it down w/ Incivik. (My inhibbie) I always have a metal taste in my mouth and make myself eat anyway. Load up on Boost type shakes when theyr'e on sale. I also buy Whey protein and Greens at the health food store to keep muscle mass up. Take care... Karen

[willing]

even a moderate snack with VIC seems to be adequate, no fat required. The package insert states "[a meal or light snack]". I'm about to start w12 and make a smoothie from an apple, protein powder and blueberries for my 2:30 feeding (worse than having babies in the house again!)

Seems to work OK - but as far as taste, that's there for the duration. Good luck.

[cbw36]

yes, tastes like stricnine.
Just had my first bad weekend. Had the flu like sx. Sucked, but not a deal beaker. I actually now wonder if maybe I didn't screw up with the interferon. I just grabbed the prefilled and injected, I forgot to squeeze out to 180mcg line. a little extra for those virons to suck on.

[spectda]

"I forgot to squeeze out to 180mcg line. a little extra for those virons to suck on. "
That won't hurt anything, it's not much. People have taken much more extra then that on purpose.

Good luck with the Victrelis. I completed tx with 40 weeks of Vic (plus 4 soc) 5.5 months ago, almost time for the big PCR. I usually ate it with whatever meal I was having or a yogurt for my 10 pm boceprevir jamboree. I had a small frig I kept next to the bed so I didn't have to go far for the meds when tired.

-Dave

[cbw36]

How did you find tx with Vic? Any regrets? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[can-do-man]

Hi there, i'm not dave but i also treated and i'm SVR thanks to Vic. One thing i would advise is to stay on top of your HGB, once it starts to drop it can go fast. My doctor starts people on procrit once their HGB drops below 11 when taking Vic.

Its very important not to miss a dose and they need to be taken pretty much on time. Besides the added anemia i didn't have much difference then when i did SOC only....... Yeah the taste is nasty, that don't go away, hang in there and best to you.

cando

[spectda]

I have no regrets. It'll be well worth it if I SVR which is looking pretty good since I was und at 17 weeks post. I had some pretty bad abdominal pain about 2 weeks after the Vic was introduced that lasted for about 2-3 weeks.  I was in an anemia trial and didn't get procrit until the anemia was really severe which made it pretty rough also.

I didn't become und until week 10 so tx was supposed to be 48 weeks (ended at 44 from low hgb) I was lucky because I wasn't working. For the first 3 months I was still able to walk 3-5 miles a day for exercise and could have worked if it did not require much in the way of physical or mental ability, lol.
-Dave

[cbw36]

That's awesome news guys. Success stories are
so motivating. I wish you luck on svr, sounds very very promising. Did you both have a good response to lead in with peg/riba? I will know my 4 wk results soon. I hear a log drop greatly increases odds of success.

[willing]

yeah, success stories are great, You have to wonder about the post-tx effects though. Seems cando has been out in the woods talking to himself lately. Could it be the VIC?

[spectda]

my starting VL was 2.65 million, at the end of week four lead-in it was 69,800. Not great, but hopefully good enough. I was und at week 10.
-Dave

[can-do-man]

cbw36......... Don't recall the excat numbers but i do know it was not a 2 log drop at week 4, maybe 1 and a half..... But 2 weeks with VIC. and i was und.

Willing........:) My wife wishes i would spend more time out in the woods. You know a funny thing, every response from the women was a HUGE YES, loud and clear they say were always wrong....... Try and figure woman........ I dare ya.

[frijole]

cbw - I am about to start triple treatment with VIC in a week or so.  Looks like we are in the minority for sure.  I will be watching your progress closely.  Having some good friends on this forum treat successfully with the VIC was a big factor in my decision.

Hi willing, specta and can-do -- you old trail blazers, you

frijole

[cbw36]

Best of luck to you frijole and to everyone else about to start. It really hasn't been that bad (yet).
I, like everyone, just need this stuff to work. I have a great family and a beautiful baby girl that I have no intention of leaving early. I don't even care if my hair falls out, my belly becomes a pin cushion, and my blood gets poisoned by these meds...whatever it takes. I would even give my left testicle if I though it would help. It seems to be the one I always sit on anyway.

[spectda]

Good luck with tx. Hoping all of us will be posting our SVR thread before long.
-Dave

[spectda]

That's what it takes. Fight this thing all the way whatever it takes. Good luck to you too!
-Dave

[summer7799]

Is VIC the newest treatment drug that came out in may?

[spectda]

Victrelis (boceprevir) and Incivek (Telaprevir) were approved a few months ago for treatment of HCV genotype 1 in conjunction with Interferon and ribavirin.

[frijole]

Dave - thanks for the encouraging words.  I hope to see your 6 month SVR post soon.  I hope you will see mine in a year and a half!
frijole

[deb121260]

this is a awful virus.  I will be starting soon and i read how brave and strong you all are, it helps me to be brave also.  thank you all deb

[nygirl7]

Even on plain interferon and riba I always had the most poisonous metal/medicine taste in the world. I swear I could smell it coming out of my pores - so you aren't alone most of us have had some discomfort even without adding the 3rd drug.

[willing]

frijole: so are you going to give details  -  how'd the appt. go? A year and a half sounds like you're planning on the full 48 regardless of response. All the best with getting it under way - the sooner it starts the sooner it's over.

cando: can't say I'm surprised by the results of that survey..but I think you're brave to get anywhere near the topic!

[cbw36]

so just a quick update...I got results of my 4 week lead in bloodwork:
viral load down to 52,000 from original 4.9 million. the doc seemed pleased with this.  CBC looks good.  Hemaglobin, neuts, and platelets all holding steady.  alt normal, ast a couple points about normal.
so doc decides to have me go check another pcr after 2 weeks on victrelis and then again on 4 weeks of victrelis.  he says reason is he wants to make sure there is no resistance issues developing.
also, offered me to take the heptimax test for greater sensitivity.
so what do you guys think?  sounds pretty kosher?
Hope all is well, best of luck to all of us.