pegatron vs pegasis

[Sunny37]

Can anyone tell me if there is a difference between taking pegasis or pegatron? I am taking pegasis...will it affect achieving svr...
thanks in advance :)

[Lilla]

I am sure others can answer this question better than I, but my doctor indicated the reason I was prescribed Pegasys and Ribavirin 800 mg was geno type.   Not sure if that was only reason or not.  My geno is 2b.

[GrandmaA]

I'm on pegintron, but Dr. Cecil thinks Pegasus easier to take. He recommends it.

[antman]

i'm on Pegasys/riba 1200. i like the pre filled syringes. some say Pegasys has less sx. so far mine have not been too bad.

[elizabethanncothron10/9/63]

hi there, i was just reading about ur treatment medicines & doses. i'm on the same meds & same doses. i just started my treatments a couple wks. ago. what about you? how long have you been doing ur treatments? if you don't mind me asking? and if ur having any side effects what r they?                                      god bless elizabeth

[illo]

sx...

I'm starting 5th week tomorrow Pegasys/800Riba.  A little blurrier vision, which eyedrops help at times.  Doc said focus didn't change, but it feels like it.  Fatigue most days, Tinnitus comes and goes now. Before it just stayed. Dry cough, winded.

I don't know how you guys do 72 weeks, 48 seems like forever to me.

Hugs to all!

[FlGuy]

I have not read a trial report or study that convinces me that one is more effective than the other.  I've used both, PegIntron (24 weeks) and Pegasys (now on week 30).  I relapsed, but it was not due to the PegIntron.  Although people can react differently to various meds, Interferons too, I have found that the effects of the Pegasys are a little milder.  Not fun, just slightly milder.   Pegasys is a 'one size fites all' dose - basically the same amount for everyone.  PegIntron is weigh-based, which mean the amount of the stuff is determined by your treatment starting weight.  Both have 'prefilled' syringes, so it's a little shot preparation (easy) and then shoot and go.  I think that you will find that doctors usually are 'aligned' with one or the other and usually prescribe what they are used to.

[SJL]

I have done all (3)-Peg-Intron, Pegasys, and Infergen. I really didn't see any difference in Pegasys & Peg-Intron. The sides were about the same. The Infergen was the most difficult. Of course, you must remember that these interferons treat everyone differently, but they are all tough treatments. Some people sail through the therapies while others suffer.Remember that all doses started can be reduced-but I would advise not to, unless you just can't function.
Good Luck,
Sandy

[antman]

hi Elizabeth,
good for you starting tx! as for me, i'm doing shot 18 tomorrow. my sides have really not been too bad. maybe a little more tired and less motivated than normal. feel free to ask any questions. i am a geno 1a, starting vl 3 mil. 6 weeks vl 21,600, 12 week vl 55. bloodwork all within normal range. also, i am on 2 antidepressants which really helps me.drink lots of water and stay positive. post here often, both good and bad. it feels good to just vent or celebrate. we all have our burdens to bear on this stuff.

[geterdone]

Hi sunny37,
I

[Dominic777]

Keep in mind that this study was sponsored by Roche Labs so it may be biased.

The authors concluded that most patients who were nontolerators of PegIntron were able to tolerate Pegasys (23/25). However, a few, but few patients who were nonresponders to PegIntron responded to Pegasys virologically. In tables below you can see side effects experienced by patients on Pegasys/RBV, and the patients who mounted a virologic response.

INTRODUCTION
-- Patients infected with HCV who are treated with peginterferon alfa-2a plus ribavirin have a lower incidence of depression and flu-like symptoms than patients treated with standard interferon plus ribavirin.1
-- In contrast, patients treated with peginterferon alfa-2b plus ribavirin had a similar incidence of these adverse events as patients treated with standard interferon plus ribavirin.2
-- These observations suggested that patients intolerant of peginterferon alfa-2b plus ribavirin, especially those intolerant due to depression or flu-like symptoms, may be more tolerant to treatment with peginterferon alfa-2a plus ribavirin.
-- It is not known if patients nonresponsive to one form of peginterferon plus ribavirin may be more responsive to treatment with the other form of peginterferon plus ribavirin.
-- An open-label, multicenter trial assessed the efficacy and safety of peginterferon alfa-2a plus ribavirin in patients infected with HCV genotype 1 who were treated with peginterferon alfa-2b plus ribavirin for a maximum of 12 weeks but did not achieve early virologic response (EVR) or were intolerant due to depression, fatigue, flu-like symptoms, or injection-site reactions.

Full article:
http://www.natap.org/