sides of treatment

[audreywald]

I am five days into the treatment; and I am experiencing terrible stomach aches. My nurse said the pills can cause this, apparently they made my acid refulx disease worse by taking them on an almost empty stomach.

Does anyone have any tips on avoiding certain side effects?  I know a lot ot water helps in general, and NOW I know that Rebetron on an empty stomach is a terrible idea.

Any and all advice on minimizing side effects would be much appreciated. Some stuff I know is unaviodable, but perhaps some of you have found ways to make some of them more bearable?

Has anyone ever felt that their entire body was tender, as if you had been in an accident and gotten banged up a bit without any major injuries?

[oldhippiechick67]

LMAO, omg, LOVE those goofyassed icons of yours, you are too funny!  OHC

[whybabe]

ALWAYS take your pills with food and try to take them the same time each day.  I ate a small cup of applesauce with my pills and never had a stomach ache.  Good luck!
Deb

[hph5477]

In addition to what new-sojourn stated about the water, it will also help keep the headaches away.  If you have ever gotten a dehydration headache, you would never want another one.  I used to get these when I first started riding bikes because I didn't drink enough water.  They would turn into migraine nightmares.  I now drink plenty of water, it seem to help.

[lookin-up]

I had a really hard time in the beginning with nausia ...I tried everything imaginable.  THEN I was given the purple pill (nexium - one a day) and waa-la!  Relief at last !!  Every now & then I get a slight yucky feeling in my stomach when I have to go a little longer than usual between meals, but a few crackers & milk makes me fine.  I also carry an "emergancy" bagel in my purse.  I'm on 24/48...whew!
Hope you feel better soon!

[new-sojourn]

I could go all zen on you, b/I'm afraid tales of water overflowing tea cups will just want to make you want to pee.  So, I'll just say, its all about the liver now.

You have a liver disease that makes it hard for your liver to work processing toxins so they can be eliminated.  Water helps to flush the toxins away.  Tx is and creates toxins.  The dead dragon die off has to be eliminated.  There are many toxins stashed away that your liver couldn't process.  Water helps flush all these toxins out.

Fluids that contain toxins, (gatoraid, coffee, sodas, etc) kinda defeat the purpose, since they bring their own toxins along w/them.  Just water, or weak herbal or decaf teas w/lemon and honey work well.

Now here's a radical thought.  What if you chose all your foods and drink for the nutriontional and healing properties.  Food and drink as medicine, not just fuel or gradification.  That would make everything you eat or drink, think or do part of the healing process.

B/the goal right now is to make it as easy as possible for the liver to not only function, b/heal.  If things go better w/water, suck it up!

[Ambush]

audreywald ~ gotta make sure you eat with those pills!  And small amounts often throughout the day.  Ginger snaps and ginger tea are helpful to soothe the stomach, too.  If the bad stomach pain keeps up, call the doc.  I was told to watch for black stools (oh, fun) which would indicate any bleeding in the GI tract.  Hang in there!

debbiedo ~ Oh, yeah, potty all night long!  I've gotten so I can actually get up and go and crawl back in bed and hardly have to open my eyes :)  I wouldn't let up on the water too much in the evening.  Doesn't take long to get dehydrated and you're not drinking much during the night already.
A night light in the hall, a night light in the bathroom for safety and it will become second nature.

ambush :)

[DebbieDo]

I do drink most of my water early in the day ....I take Maxzide for blood pressure.  Its a diuretic.....i guess this is the problem...........i drink about 135 oz of water a day......i drink just water all day.....

[slarso]

water water everywhere but never a place to pee

[Oreos]

Here's what's worked for me for sides...

Nausea: eating small amounts through the day. graham crackers and such.  Tums help.

Depression: ADs.  I'm on Zoloft.  Can't get enough of those happy pills.

Feverish allover flames flowing through my body feeling:  Tylenol.  I take 1 every 5-6 hours.  Helps tons.

Massive freakout anxiety: Doc put me on Ativan after I ran out of a restaurant (uh...that was cute).  

WATER, WATER, WATER and light exercise.  All around good stuff.  I like yoga too.  Good for the breathing and calming.

Itching...lotion, hydrocorticone cream and Selsun Blue shampoo.

Spacy, memory stuff?  Laugh it off.  My hubby's finding it pretty entertaining - you know, toothbrush in the fridge, going to work without my shoes...argh.

I could go on, but I've forgotten the original question :o

[audreywald]

So, nobody got a horrendous stomach ache? Pain/burning/feels like you're bleeding from the inside out?


I KNEW something freaksih would happen. Last time I got taken off because I had a hemorraghe (sp) and my doc had never seen that before.

[slarso]

audry,
yea, eat food with the RBV. It helps me, in fact I am gaining weight on TX. I eat yougurt with the AM pills and dinner with the pm. My tummy is fine.

debie. I used to go to sleep at 10 wake at 6 and never have to get out of bed. Now...well there are frequent trips ALL DAY. I drive alot and I now know where all the strategic bathrooms are! I was thinking that if God was so smart, why didn't he have out urthera routed to the end of our finger. Then, while I was driving I would just have to put my finger out the window and let it rip!!

My little wictory was that my WBC held this week, still on thin ice but still at full meds. It will surly be week to week but that in one more in the win column! Finally I had a great idea this morning, when I SVR I am going to go to a toy store and buy a dragon, I will cut off it's head and mount it on a plaque, then inscribe under it...Steve Larson-Dragon Slayer

[Sambone Martian Ambassador To the moon]

if you eat with the rib tabs it will help the stomach pain and upset, at least it did me anyway. If you eat a high fat meal with
the rebetron/copegus it will increase the amount you absorb by up to 80%. that is the idea right, get enough in there to kill the dragons.
  okay how in the heck do you guys get the animations in your posts??????????????

[audreywald]

Thanks,

I will for sure eat from now on.

I wish water were more delicious.

Does anyone/everyone get a totally dry mouth?

[Sambone Martian Ambassador To the moon]

I drank severly diluted fuit juices and it worked miracles. Enough flavor to taste good but not enough sugars to gain a million pounds. Typically I would make a gallon frome one frozen concentrate. i drank about two of those a day. the rest of the day i was in the bathroom peeing.

[audreywald]

I started drinking a lot of water on day 1 and that night I got the shakes so bad I thought I was going to fall off the "throne" and onto the floor.

I am feeling almost normal at the moment; thank heavens for a repreive. Sunday nite is shot nite, perhaps the weekend will be funtional. Haven't worn real clothes all week.

What are they looking at in the first labs? (two weeks after 1st shot?)

[Revenire]

Water, water, water and more water; juices and Gatorade help too. You'll feel like you are swimming in liquid. Someone said it feels like a river running down your throat. It was hard after weeks, months to force down the fluids but I felt much better.

Debbie, yeah, I spend a lot of time in the bathroom too.

Riba: always with food. Like Layla, even a half bowl of cereal and the riba worked for me. My appetite on tx went down to about 0 so it was hard to get down a big meal but small ones, or toast/bagels/muffins (I started to crave breads on tx) all worked. It helps the medicine do its job, fatty foods are the best but it also helps with the stomach ache.

[ringading]

hey deb...'POTTY'......where does that come from honey????....ha ha sorry....it's funny.....maybe try drinking all of your required water before 5 or 6 pm....much like we would do with kids when they were little, to avoid the same thing.....might work, and maybe you'll have an un-interrupted sleep without going to the 'POTTY'......just might be harder to get it all in before then, but worth a try..

CINDEE......DOLL, I RESPONDED TO YOUR VERY FRIGHTENED QUESTION THIS MORNING...SORRY I DIDN'T SEE IT SOONER....HANGIN KID....
YOU KICKED THAT DRAGONS ASS!!!!!!
kimmy

[DebbieDo]

I will be doing my 3 shot on Monday and i have been drinking alot of water, but, at night i get up many time in the night and potty..Does this happen to any on you?? It sort of disrupts a good nights sleep........Deb

[layla]

It does help me when I take my riba with food. Anything works for me, even a banana, 1/2 bowl of cereal, just something in your stomach. I would look to eating something with your pills that normally doesn't bother your acid reflux. I also get nausea from tx but it usually only last a week or so then settled down. Eating small amounts at a time seems to help for some. Sorry your starting with problems hopefully they will mellow out soon. LL

[GreatBird]

I am not on tx but I know you are supposed to take the ribavirin (rebetol, copegus, whatever) with fat. I've heard many people say they take it with toast and butter. I suppose an egg would serve as well. Also you must drink HUGE QUANTITIES of water. At least half your body weight in ounces. Many people drink well over a gallon a day. This seems to help. Good luck.