riba dosing

[Myown]

if doing weight dose riba,,,at 145 lbs, how much riba per day would that be 1,000 or 1200? I seem to have gotten 2 differnt answers from to consults who both believe in weight dose. Now i don't know which one to go with.

[Myown]

i did try to post this question on the other side, but it didn't go through, unless it popped up there now, but last time i checked my question didn't go through.

[merlino]

I started tx around 106lbs - 1000mg Riba a day.

[Myown]

oh okay, then i guess the 1200 that was just recommended is right?

[Myown]

i was told 1,000 by a leading guy up north, hummmm
hope i don't fall on my butt with the 1200

[Myown]

do you have to take the procrit from now on or did they say its just for a while? you would think i know all these answers by now, but i can read and read and not until i do something does it sink in,,,but with this stuff and the way it effects the mind, it probably won't sink in...i will have to keep a journal of every shot, and riba pill, I'll over dose for sure if not. I have brain fog before tx, God only knows the mush brain I'll have during

[sfbaygirl/John]

I was 145 and was put on 1000 Riba. Now that I have gained 7lbs, dr. F says he would up my Riba dose to 1200 or more. We are waiting for TMA. Plus since I have had both Aranesp and Neulasta it may not be necessary.

[merlino]

The hematologist wants my HGB at 12. Right now it goes between 10 and 10.5. They just increased my Procrit because I have been at 10 for a while. Once I hit 12 I will still go every week to be tested and as long as I maintain a 12 no need for additional shots. I take my Riba in am w/breakfast and w/my evening meal. makes it easy for me to remember. The brain mush is unavoidable.   I have sticky notes everywhere!! You will be fine. I was and still am a big big baby on tx.

[Myown]

thanks guys, your first shot is first and the next day you start the pills?

these are the stupid little questions that i forget to ask when i'm at the doctors, i'm sure i will be told, but just wondering

[sfbaygirl/John]

I started my Riba the day I began my shots. Flguy started his riba a week before he began the Pegasus. Might get those little mutant makers working faster.

[jmjm530]

Weight based for 145lbs is 1000mg/day. Normally, first dose of riba is taken the morning of the first day with second dose and injection to follow in the evening. Florida Guy and a few others have pre-dosed ribavirin a week or so before the first shot. Something to discuss with your doctor.

All the best,

-- Jim

[Myown]

thanks jim. i will have to call tommorrow. i wasn't told they were raising the dose from what was on the plan i gave them.

also i was told i would be just getting the shot in the afternoon at the office , and the way i understood it, the riba would be taken the next day.

also the pills are 600mg each, huge (to me) blue tablets. does this come in capsule form? capsules have much better absorption. i don't even take tablet vitamins,due to absorption problems it can cause.

this whole thing is ticking me off that the plan i gave wasn't followed. what was the sense of going up to boston then? But, when i mentioned the weight based,there was agreement, but never told me they thought 1,000 was not enough.
possible error too. everyone has a bad day once in a while.

let me know if there is capsules with the riba. the solid pill does scare me as far as not absorbing properly, but if there aren't any capsules, i'm stuck with these.

thanks

[Myown]

just had a thought...maybe the tablet form IS so it breaks down slower and lasts longer in system?

[jmjm530]

Not sure who "they" is. Are you starting treatment then? With Dr. D or a doctor in NJ? Weight-based is 1000 mg/day for your weight of 145lbs. What dose did Dr. A suggest? What dose did your treating doctor suggest? Ribavirin does not come in capsules to my knowledge. It comes in tablets like you have. Again, usual protocol is to take the first riba the morning of the first injection followed by a second dose later that day. I can't tell you not to follow your doctors orders but I can tell you that is what I was told as well as many here.

All the best,

-- Jim

[jmjm530]

My riba was 200 mg per tablet. So I took three in the morning and three in the afternoon for a total of 1200mg/day which was weight-based (actually a tad over) for my weight. Since then, I've read they now have different dose formulations so perhaps that is why your tablet is so big. Just double (better triple) check that indeed your tablets are 600mg each and not 200mg each. You want to make sure you know exactly how many milligrams of ribavirin is in each tablet.

-- Jim

[jmjm530]

maybe this is what your'e taking? It comes in 400 and 600mg tablets. In my case, my brand of ribavirin was called  "Copegus" and manufactured by Roache. Three Rivers is a newer, generic brand I believe.

[jmjm530]

http://www.3riverspharma.com/products_riba.htm

[Myown]

the pills are just 2 a day. came in a packet AM and PM with 600mg each.

I'll call tommorrow and see what the scoop is. I feel better now knowing there isn't capsule form. Not to get gross, but because of going to holistic doctors I have found that when you have to send a stool sample into a lab, you then find out that your body doesn't always break down solid vitamins. True, really, seen it with my own eyes. Spend all the money on vitamins and some come out the other end in almost its original state. So I panicked when I saw the solid pills, but if thats all there is,hopefully its made up of something that breaks down better than solid vitamins. I only take capsule, liguid or powder vitamins now.

My friend is blowing the horn outside, gotta run. I'll let ya know what happens.

[jmjm530]

1200mg/day seems like a lot of ribavirin for a 145lb genotype 2? with very little liver damage. I assume your doctor has his/her reasons, but if it were me I'd want to know what those reasons are.

All the best,

-- Jim

[jmjm530]

You know, rather than second guess the doctors, why don't you put a call into Dr. A's office tomorrow morning and speak to one of his doctors and ask them how much riba they recommend. I'm sure Dr. A will get back to you within a day or so.

[ladybug52]

Sounds like you'll have a lot of questions to ask. I specifically asked if I shoud start the riba in the am and the nurse said "sure most people don't ask that"
I was able to get 2 doses of Riba in before the shot. Felt like a little head start. Good Luck! When is your first shot?
Janice

[friole]

myown -- I think the weight-based cutoff for 1200 mg riba is 165 lbs.  However, it certainly would not hurt to start higher than that.  You can always back off from that if you become too anemic.  It takes weeks for the ribavirin to reach it's ultimate serum level (where the amount stays constant) in the bloodstream.  I don't think it matters if you take the riba the day after or the day of your first injection.  I picked up my rx from the pharmacy after work that first time, and took the riba with dinner and the first injection that night.

Procrit - like Merlino said is based on the CBC results.  I think it is important to get them right away.  I would wait at the hemotologist's office for the results after the draw.  I think all of us hoped it would be a temporary fix and we could stop, but I can't really recall anyone on this board  who started Procrit and then stopped.  Seems like the longer you are on the riba the more you need the Procrit.

[MissMiss]

I was on Procrit.  After a few months my hgb got up to 12 and was told to skip it until it got below 12.  I skipped two weeks.  I don't advice this.

After two weeks I was back down in the 9-10's and it was a real catch up from there.  Once you get close to 12 maybe reduce but don't quit until you know you are going to stay up above 12.  Remember Procrit takes a few weeks to kick in and the same when you reduce or stop.  End of tx after slowly I slowly reduced it.  From 120 to 80 to 40 and my hgb went up to 14.?.  A couple weeks later it dropped to 12.? somewhere around 2 mo post tx.

I am going to ask to have it checked this week and am just over 4 mo post tx.

miss

[merlino]

This scares me. It took so long just to get to 10!!! Did they test you every week?

[MissMiss]

Yes, once a week the vampire poke.

Don't let it scare you.  Understanding how Procrit works is your best weapon and to watch your hgb trends.  Some of us are more sensitive in regards to hgb drops, both in the actual drop and how we handle it.  I'm pretty sure there even some who only needed it for a few months and were able to maintain the balance of tx on their own, although most need it til the end.

My hgb dropped so much the last part of tx because I was put on Neumega for a week.  That's a whole nother story.  Procrit can make the difference in making it to the end, it did for me.  It is a whole other journey back to health after tx that is much more enjoyable with many more good milestones.  

How much are you on and where are you on tx?  I just can't keep up with everyone lately.

miss