Post Interferon Long Term Side Effects on other sites

[DoubleDose]

Here is a site that I stumbled across today while Googling long term interferon after effects.  I also found several other sites as well, also 'chocked' full of people detailing their horrible experiences after using interferon.  This sure supports what many of us have been saying and experiencing!!  It is quite disturbing to read additional accounts, some even worse than the experiences documented here on our forum.  Here is the link:  (you will have to copy and paste)

http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10


I will bet that sometime soon we will be hearing about these issues in the media.  The sheer volume and severity of the problems will cause this to become an issue that will provoke national media attention....and with very good cause!!!  I just don't think we were really warned of these kinds of long term outcomes.  I know I wasn't.

DoubleDose

[fretboard]

No my theory does not apply to all people and definitely does not apply in your case at all.  I do believe it applies to some people tho' and you see it quite a bit with the flash in the pan types who post on this forum only to vent and they're out of here never to be seen or heard of again.  At least not on this forum.  I welcome people who can tell the truth about tx and defend what they say.  This is good for all of us and I've always said that it is imperative that big pharma study the amount of drugs given as a one size fits all approach is not the answer and that in and of itself could be the answer to many questions.  Maybe they should study giving a weight based drug regime.  idk, but I do know that some people get horrendous sx's and other's not so much.  Sure, some of that would go to how the individual metabolizes various drugs but surely a 250 pound man would need more drug than a 95 pound girl.  I've said that before too.  In closing all I can say is that if someone goes thru tx and ends up worst off than before they started, then by all means speak up.  In fact, it may be a good idea if everyone who goes thru tx makes a list of the issues they have or don't have and when they're done it will be easier to see if the drugs created health issues for them or not.  Kind of like a before and after diary, just a thought.  I will be doing that myself when I tx because I have alot of issues and I certainly don't need anymore.  One last thing, it may be a good idea for people who are new and reading this to be very prepared before tx because some have no idea what they are up against.  I know I didn't.  Sure the black box warnings list alot of stuff and they cover every area but I don't think they cover pre-existing conditions good enough.  And I don't think they cover telltale signs of conditions to come either.  Maybe they feel if they give too much information they will scare people off.  idk  

[DoubleDose]

Sandalwood...Thanks for the study...its a unique thing to have ANYBODY doing studies on post-tx sx!!! We need much more.

Fretboard.....Well I guess if depression is characterized by a pattern of symptoms like: reactive arthritis, peripheral neuropathy, rosacea, increased blood pressure, severe eye problems, gland swelling, mouth sores, sun sensitivity, severe brain fog and cognitive impairment, tendonitis, and balance issues, gait disturbances, extreme fatigue, and on and on.......then I guess we must ALL be depressed.  Funny thing though, I get an entirely different set of symptoms when I google depression symptoms on medical sites........  And funny thing that the pattern seems to be consistent across a wide ranging group of treaters, who generally are hit with the sx about two to four weeks after terminating tx.  And its also interesting how several top rheumatologists have been observing the same set of symptoms in post-tx patients, and call it post interferon syndrome.  

Of course, I appreciate your conjecture on the subject, but I do not think your conclusion fits in any way.  

DoubleDose

[desrt]

I think Peg-Intron is 2b and Pegasys 2a.

[desrt]

Lest you come to the conclusion that DD's sx are a result of long term IFN use, I'm one of those whose post-tx sides followed a similar pattern, though nowhere near as extreme. 23 shots and 22 weeks riba. Sustained responder.

[desrt]

After 8.5+ years of sustained response, I stll find it diffucult to determine which post-tx problems are:

IFN related
Long-term exposure to HCV related
Age related
or
The result of long term exposure to toxins both on and off the job

I think it is proably some combination of some or all of the above and the answer is different for each patient and probably also dependent partially on each patients genetic make up.

[desrt]

Thank you for the study. I guess examining the subjective feelings of 25 post-tx patients is something - but I guess I'd hoped this would be more of an examination of the actual physical causation of the problems. Still,a step in the right direction. Thank you Univ. of New S. Wales, Hepatitis Council of NSW, et al.