What side effets from ribavirin> LAst night first peginterferon shot! :)

[mauka]

2 questions:



I did my first shot of peginterferon last nite

and got the chills and shaking for a bit...is it normal? A littel fever too.



Today I'm taking my first Ribavirin...should I expect to get flu like

symptoms too?



Thanks so much!

[mauka]

Thanks revenire____

So you didn't get chills from Ribavirin like with peginterferon then?



That sounds goog....thank you

[rifleman]

Chills eh?  I take my first shot next Friday night (6/17), so I guess I can expect those. Looks like I'll take the last shot the day after thanksgiving, so I'll have something to be thankful for.  After christmas I'm gonna buy myself a new Honda CRV, my first brand-new car.  Gotta get yourself a present for fighting the good fight, after all.

So, after your shot, did you say "hey hep viruses. . . how ya like me NOW!" ?

My understanding is that the riba will dry you out like tumbleweed and make you scratch like a dog who's spent the day hugging the wood stove.

Sucks to do tx in the summer, but I suppose that makes us Lyme  and West Nile disease resistant.

DJL

[stc1993]

Not everybody gets ribarash I'm on week 41 & haven't had it yet.

Thank god.  Not to repeat, but drink all the water you can stand then drink some more. (you'll get tired of waking up going to bathroom.  I haven't had a full nite sleep in about 9 1/2 months)



Monte

[rifleman]

Did you have any skin issues before tx?  I have never had any skin conditions or dry skin etc.  I think that may make a big difference.

As for the water, I generally chug down at least a half-gallon a day anyway, so drinking more is not a problem. I always likes the idea of the "internal shower." I am curious as to whether grapefruit juice and white grape juice counts as "water."  I like to have a couple glasses of that as well.

I also started taking a multi-vitamin and a fish oil pill every day.  I also broke out my juice machine.  Used to juice years back while curing myself of osteoarthritis.  My karate instructor was big on juicing. It didn;t "cure" the arthritis per se, but it made it negligible to the point of not bothering me anymore.

My favorite juice was 2 or 3 carrots, a couple celery stalks, and half a cucumber.  These juices are said to be good for the liver.

BTW, what is a "full-night's sleep?"  I can't remember a time over the past 30 years where I haven't woken up at least 2 times at night.  It runs in the family.

DJL

[artgal]

Mauka -- Just to add a bit to rev's post -- I felt the effects of the riba immediately in terms of nausea, funny taste in my mouth and lack of appetite. Also, contrary to what Rev wrote, my anemia set in by week 4 so don't wait until week 8 to check out how your RBC is doing. I began getting out of breath within two and half weeks (and I am in good shape having been a runner most of my life).



Rifleman -- I can't believe you are almost ready to begin your tx. Are you working with the Virology Center in Portland?

[Califia]

Wonder if any of you will develop extreme sensitivity to light and sound? These drugs can be a bit, well, psychotropic, so get ready for a whole range of weird symptoms.   There are definite advantages, though:  I remember being able to eavesdrop on conversations from thirty feet  in the first few weeks of treatment.   Alas,  a year later it seems I have lost my superpowers, although being not quite so responsive to smell is probably a good thing.  It's all very interesting, though.  It's sort of like being your own science experiment.

[AK - Hepper]

Itching, itching, itching! Grrr! Make sure you have a couple of backscratchers handy.

[rifleman]

Bingo.  I am w/ the treatment ctr in Portland.  Very nice people there.

DJL

[jaroman]

Congrats on doing the first shot!  I hope it gets a bit better from here.

[mauka]

whats the deal with sun exposure??



I don't undestand if its a major deal if you get out in the sun or you just

get more sunburned??



I love to be outside...please explain



Thanks

[Califia]

You become more prone to sunburn and rash, so be sure to wear strong sun screen.   My first few months I also found that I just couldn't tolerate heat at all, and the usually pleasant feel of sun on my skin became very uncomfortable, like my skin was on fire.   (Of course, I'm also fair-skinned; you may not be quite so melanin-challenged.)     Heat and sun can also make us nauseous, so monitor carefully.

[artgal]

I guess the thinking is that one's skin is more sensitive to the sun as a result of the treatment. Early on in my treatment (week 2 -4) I had the nasty riba rash. Lots of oatmeal baths for me! So I was careful about the sun then because my skin in general was irritated. Now the rash is completely gone, I'm outside lots -- walking my 3-4 miles, gardening, washing the windows (we have close to 50...) and playing croquet with the kids -- in other words I'm in the sun a lot. I only wear sunscreen on my face (vanity, I admit) but the rest of my body soaks up the rays and gives me vitamin D.... And I'm just fine. So you just have to play it as it goes for you.

[artgal]

Sorry! Don't know why that went to rifleman -- guess if you've done it once before the computer does it automatically....

[mauka]

thanks I'll do that!

[snook_man]

What I was told by two different Dr's, is that the RIBA causes the skin to become photosensitive.. When I asked what they meant, they told me that I would burn extremly easy, and blister. A few weeks ago, I went out on the boat early in the afternoon. I got about two hours or so of sun, and the back of my neck got a little blister.

Other than that, I have stayed out of the sun. Heard to many stories on the net about sun blisters to play around with it. I guess if you do head out, no tanning!! Just make sure you waer sunscreen.

I live in Miami, so its hard to stay outta the sun. I'm probably the whitest person in the whole damn city right now!! LOL





Califia,

My dear, super