changing peg-intron shot day

[hiya24]

I am interested in moving my peg-intron shot night from Friday  to Sunday now that my kiddos will be back in school.  My doc recommended doing it over a couple of weeks (i.e. go to saturday one week and then sunday the next).  This sounds reasonable to me but just wanted to see if you guys have been any experience with doing this or have any advice.  I guess my biggest concern is that I don't want to risk my peg levels getting too low.

Many thanks. Anna

[MichaelT]

I haven't had Riba-rage for a few years, now. I read the post, thought about it a bit, shrugged my shoulders and moved on... It was right decent of you to clarify the post, though.

Hiya,

Pegintron v. Pegasys. While both are pegylated, they are not created in the same way. If memory serves, the PegIntron is a smaller "package" of protein+polyethelene-glycol than Pegasys. How the body processes each is different. So it takes about a week for Pegasys to drop below theraputic levels and less than that for the PegIntron.

If you want the particulars, you can probably get them searching on the pharmokinetics of pegylated interferon. What is interesting is that how the pegylated interferon does it's thing is very different than how non-pegylated interferon works.

[jmjm530]

Using Cuteus' advice not to use the terms "back" or "forward" -- or "up" or "down" for that matter :) -- you make an interesting point.

If you move your shot day from Friday to Sunday by shortening the time between shots each week to six days, it will take you five weeks to get to your Sunday target day. So by the time you finish your 48th week of treatment, you will be five days short on ribavirin.

Personally, this wouldn't bother me, because I'd rationalize anything lost by the missing five days of riba probably was made up by stacking the five peg shots closer together.

But if it bothers, you, then the solution would be to tag on one extra week of treatment at the end.

-- Jim

[cuteus]

that's why I did not use the terms backward and forward...;-}

[hiya24]

<<<<<Sorry hit enter too quickly on my previous post while making some edits>>> augh!!

I do think Jim's explanation is more literally and less confusing.

Anna

[hiya24]

I realized after thinking about it more last night that moving the shot date 'back' from Friday to Sat to me means that the treatment period will be longer...you are extending the time of total treatment by an extra day. Conversely, moving forward from Fri. to Thurs. for example would shorten the treatment time by a day .  This is why I made an earlier comment about the riba component. If we all kept moving our shot day back (so 6 days in between shots) then the full course of riba would be shortened.  

interpretation is more confusingYou are right Jim,

[jmjm530]

HIYA SAID PREVIOUSLY: "Peg interferon should be taken every 7 days during combo therapy. Moving the shot date back a day would mean that there are 8 days in between two of the shots whereas moving it forward would make it 6 days in between two of the shots."

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I'm using the term "forward" as synonomous with "ahead" and
"backward" synomyous with "behind". So unless I got it confused...

If you're already in treatment, and your normal shot day is Friday, and you move it back a day (behind a day), your shot day now becomes Thursday. Therefore "moving the shot date back a day" would mean there are 6 days in between two of the shots, not 8 days. Conversly, moving it forward (ahead) to Saturday would make it 8 days in between the two shots.

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REV SAID PREVIOUSLY: With PEG-Intron, which drops off about 5-6 days after the shot (in serum levels in the blood), I would not move it back but forward. Pegasys is different, in that it maintains is serum level concentrations longer.
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With Peg Intron, I would think therefore you would move the shot BACK a day. (From Friday to Thursday.) Moving it back a day means you'd have 6 days between shots. Moving it forward a day means you'd have 8 days between shots meaning less protection for Peg Intron.

FRESHNOBORN...We're not telling you to take your shots every five days. That's a decision for your doctor. We're just offereing some suggestions if you want to move your shot day to a different day of the week. Peg Intron is generally taken every 7 days unless your doctor is following a more agressive protocol.

MICHAELT...

JMJM said previously..."For one time, you're probably right..."
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On re-reading, I realize this could be read two ways :)

Of course, what I meant to say was "If this is the only time you're going to move the shot day, you're probably right. "

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