Aa
treatmant of hep.C
How long does it take to start feel at least OK after start taking INCIVEK?
How to manage all that fat you have to eat?
How to manage all that fat you have to eat?
I second pooh's concern about you stopping Incivek. I thought once Incivek was stopped it should not be restarted because the virus quickly becomes resistant to Incivek when the concentration in the body drops off. In fact, I believe you should not even be more than an hour late taking your Incivek. Recommend you immediately discuss this with your doctor.
If the virus became resistant to the Incivek while you were off of the med then you may be wasting your time retaking it (and putting up with the side effects unnecessarily). Not trying to scare you. Just trying to possibly save you from spending unnecessary $$$ (Incivek costs ~$600 a day) and misery.
When I first became nauseous my doc prescribed Phenergan. It was not strong enough to mitigate the nausea. Then my doc prescribed Zofran/Odansetron (same as pooh) -- it was effective. Zofran is often used for chemo patients. Your doc may want to first try a less powerful med like Phenergan and then go to a stronger med if necessary.
I believe my fatigue is caused by the anemia and toxicity of the drugs. The anemia is being treated with Epogen (Procrit), The fatigue may not improve much until you finish treatment.
If the virus became resistant to the Incivek while you were off of the med then you may be wasting your time retaking it (and putting up with the side effects unnecessarily). Not trying to scare you. Just trying to possibly save you from spending unnecessary $$$ (Incivek costs ~$600 a day) and misery.
When I first became nauseous my doc prescribed Phenergan. It was not strong enough to mitigate the nausea. Then my doc prescribed Zofran/Odansetron (same as pooh) -- it was effective. Zofran is often used for chemo patients. Your doc may want to first try a less powerful med like Phenergan and then go to a stronger med if necessary.
I believe my fatigue is caused by the anemia and toxicity of the drugs. The anemia is being treated with Epogen (Procrit), The fatigue may not improve much until you finish treatment.
I did not get any message from you, but I think some don't go through. I have had some that did not go through.
I have no remedy for the fatigue. It is just there although the severity does change day to day. A little bit of walking may help, not miles, but just a few blocks. Many say that helps. The interferon is probably causing some of your fatigue and also your symptoms. The Riba too.
I got a prescription for Zofran (Ondansetron) 8 mg. every 8 hours. I ususally took it about an hour or 2 before the Incivek. (I was always awke to got to the bathroom so this was no problem.)
Here is an explanation of how it works (rather detailed):
"Ondansetron is a selective 5-HT3 receptor antagonist. While its mechanism of action has not been fully characterized, ondansetron is not a dopamine-receptor antagonist. Serotonin receptors of the 5-HT3 type are present both peripherally on vagal nerve terminals and centrally in the chemoreceptor trigger zone of the area postrema. It is not certain whether ondansetron’s antiemetic action is mediated centrally, peripherally, or in both sites. However, cytotoxic chemotherapy appears to be associated with release of serotonin from the enterochromaffin cells of the small intestine. In humans, urinary 5-HIAA (5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid) excretion increases after cisplatin administration in parallel with the onset of emesis. The released serotonin may stimulate the vagal afferents through the 5-HT3 receptors and initiate the vomiting reflex."
Basically it blocks the release of chemicals that cause the nausea. The interferon is most like causing the nausea but the other drugs could be adding to it.
http://www.drugs.com/pro/zofran.html
http://www.drugs.com/zofran.html
If the Zofran does not work for you there are other prescription drugs your doctor can prescribe for the nausea.
You said you stopped treatment when you felt bad. How many doses of Incivek (and the other drugs) did you miss? Did you tell the doctor how many doses you missed (if you missed any)? This is very important and if you missed doses you need to discuss it with your doctor (who I hope is a gastroenterologist or a hepatologist familiar with treating Hepatitis C).
Let us know how things work out. Best of luck.
I have no remedy for the fatigue. It is just there although the severity does change day to day. A little bit of walking may help, not miles, but just a few blocks. Many say that helps. The interferon is probably causing some of your fatigue and also your symptoms. The Riba too.
I got a prescription for Zofran (Ondansetron) 8 mg. every 8 hours. I ususally took it about an hour or 2 before the Incivek. (I was always awke to got to the bathroom so this was no problem.)
Here is an explanation of how it works (rather detailed):
"Ondansetron is a selective 5-HT3 receptor antagonist. While its mechanism of action has not been fully characterized, ondansetron is not a dopamine-receptor antagonist. Serotonin receptors of the 5-HT3 type are present both peripherally on vagal nerve terminals and centrally in the chemoreceptor trigger zone of the area postrema. It is not certain whether ondansetron’s antiemetic action is mediated centrally, peripherally, or in both sites. However, cytotoxic chemotherapy appears to be associated with release of serotonin from the enterochromaffin cells of the small intestine. In humans, urinary 5-HIAA (5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid) excretion increases after cisplatin administration in parallel with the onset of emesis. The released serotonin may stimulate the vagal afferents through the 5-HT3 receptors and initiate the vomiting reflex."
Basically it blocks the release of chemicals that cause the nausea. The interferon is most like causing the nausea but the other drugs could be adding to it.
http://www.drugs.com/pro/zofran.html
http://www.drugs.com/zofran.html
If the Zofran does not work for you there are other prescription drugs your doctor can prescribe for the nausea.
You said you stopped treatment when you felt bad. How many doses of Incivek (and the other drugs) did you miss? Did you tell the doctor how many doses you missed (if you missed any)? This is very important and if you missed doses you need to discuss it with your doctor (who I hope is a gastroenterologist or a hepatologist familiar with treating Hepatitis C).
Let us know how things work out. Best of luck.
Being in this community helped me greatly answering my side effect questions and a lot of support.I never gave up on my tx.It is rough and we all feel it.We have some great fat choices.I love ice cream before bed.All my stomach would allow at that time.Hard to take 20 grams of fatty food 30 min before Incevek.W e have some great recipes also for fatty foods also.Eat what your stomach can handle.You will get through this.Wishing you well and svr.
Hello. I've sent message,but not that you get it.I asked aobout anti-nausea med. I did start Inciv.,but felt soo bad,so I must stoped treat. After I read all messages on forum, I desided to restart and keep going.
My nausea was so severe, fatigue so knocking me down. May I ask you to give me advice how to get trough it?
My nausea was so severe, fatigue so knocking me down. May I ask you to give me advice how to get trough it?
Follow the links for tips on getting the fat grams
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Hepatitis-C/diet-on-incivek/show/1547942
http://www.medhelp.org/user_journals/show/333000/Incivek-Take-with-20-grams-of-fat
There is lots of good info on incivek if you follow this link and read through advocates journals, if you have any specific side effects please post them and people will let you know how we have dealt with them, it is best to catch them as soon as they start, makes it easier to control them.
http://www.medhelp.org/user_journals/index/1739543?page=1&personal_page_id=2242526&sort_by=date
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Hepatitis-C/diet-on-incivek/show/1547942
http://www.medhelp.org/user_journals/show/333000/Incivek-Take-with-20-grams-of-fat
There is lots of good info on incivek if you follow this link and read through advocates journals, if you have any specific side effects please post them and people will let you know how we have dealt with them, it is best to catch them as soon as they start, makes it easier to control them.
http://www.medhelp.org/user_journals/index/1739543?page=1&personal_page_id=2242526&sort_by=date
Did you mean to say - "How long does it take to start feeling OK after you FINISH taking Incivek?" I'm on SOC, but most don't feel better until after they are done. This are all tough meds with challenging side that come and go. Hope you do well with trt with minimal sides. Best of luck.
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Everyone is different. People may get very mild side effects or none at all. Others may get some more problematic side effects.
Each day may be different. Some side effects come and go. I found that the longer I was on Incivek, the worse I felt. But, I was also on Interferon and Ribavirin. My problem was not getting a prescription anti-nausea med soon enough and also not getting prescription ointment for the rash soon enough. I would have done a lot better and felt a lot better if I would have been on these meds sooner. However, the treatment was doable and I finished Incivek on Dec. 19th. (Still on the Interferon and Riba)
The fat can be annoying to say the least. I always kept a lot of Greek yogurt on hand (the high fat kind, not the lo fat). I also had eggnog (it was near the holidays). 2 ounces of chedder cheese or Havarti cheese will do the trick. Ice cream (not low fat) is also good. Brautwurst has a lot of fat in it. One avacado contains enough fat for an Incivek dose. I think cream cheese is another high fat food. You need to read the labels. The food labels will tell you how much fat is in it and how much you ave to eat for a certain amount of fat. For other foods like avacados, you can find the fat content on the internet. I also kept heavy whipping cream on hand and if I ate something not high enough in fat, I took a few tablespoons of whipping cream to make up the rest of the fat.
Have you started treatment yet and are you on Incivek? If you take Incivek please post if you have any side effects and we can help you with remedies.