interferon+riba reaction

[alijee]

i have started taking interferon+riba for last 2 weeks. after passing 1 week i have to face diarrhoea (IBS) and mental stress. i tried Despas with Doctor's prescription but vain. i have become too much weak to walk. i am worried how i will manage to get these medicines for remaining 22 weeks.

[scruples]

Well change in the digestion system is a common thing after starting Tx, sometime its get worse like in your case and some time your indigestion is immediastely cured like that of mine. No one can predict. However, if you are so weak then discuss with your doc , but do keep in mind that first some shots really heart some people and then situation starts getting better day by day, normally your body get use to this meds after 3-4 weeks. You can take anti diarrhoea med with the suggestion of your doc.
Me too use to have this for 1-2 days after 2-3 weeks and it really make me sick.

[chefsalad]

In the beging treatment kicked my butt hard. It is still difficult but it took some getting used to. You will too. That's how it is now. I am "used to it". I often take anti-diarehal. I've learning when to take them before it starts. You'll learn how to manage things as time goes along. Rmember runs can leave you very dehydrated so be sure to drink extra, extra water. (is that possible? lol) Being dehydrated will make you feel tired and crummy alone, plus the treatment meds on top of it. Make sure you let your dr. know all your sides so they can work with you. You want this to be as smooth as you can make it. I am in week 27 and somemes I wanted to quit but I didn't. Go slowly, go one day at a time. Rest when you can, and be good to yourself. I still find myselfself having good days.Even though  u are on treatment don't stop living life. it may be a little 'different" for a while, but there are still alot of things you'll be grateful for.

[alijee]

Thanks chefsalad. sorry to hear that u have same problem like me. i m trying my best to manage diarrhoea. Actually i m a patient of IBS (irritable bowl syndrom (syndrome)) alongwith HCV. i have to fight with both at the same time. Some times i feel too week to walk and heart sinking. Thanks again. i will pray to God for your.

[alagirl]

a couple of things.  first, sorry you are having such difficult.  Certainly there are people who come into the forum talking about stomach/bowel distress with the start of tx, so you aren't alone.  Also, for me personally, even though my side effects were different, the first few weeks were the worst in many ways in terms of how I felt.

Of course, I echo the advice of people saying to see if your doctor can prescribe anything for your bowel issues, and would even recommend lomodil as being superior for me, to immodium, but if you are tx'ing IN Pakistan, not sure what drugs they do and don't have there.

Ok, the second thing I wanted to say was to make sure your hemaglobin is ok, because although your weakness can be attributed to your loss of so much fluid, for some people, serious drops in hemaglobin happen rather immediately and this could definitely leave you weak.  And if you are too low, your doctor can prescribe procrit for you (hopefully they have it there anyway) in order to build your blood count.

As to the antidepressants, they are REALLY helpful for a lot of people on treatment, however, some of them ALSO cause stomach probs, so you might have to wait until your digestive system is more stable to start them.  They also take up to a few weeks to make you feel better emotionally, so just know that this is the case.  I hope you feel better soon!