The Long-Term Side Effects after Tx Thread, for all

[DoubleDose]

I wanted to post a thread that could serve as a main point of communication for all of us who have treated and suffered serious, life altering side effects AFTER finishing therapy.  Hopefully questions, issues, personal experiences, and the feedback each of us has received from doctors can all be a part of this thread.  There seem to be two or three new separate threads each week relating to this subject, and I am not sure anyone gets the benefit of the postings on all of the related threads.  Maybe we can each use THIS thread to deal with this subject, and then all the inputs might be accessible to everyone interested, all on one single thread.  It also would be a good way to get a better idea of the numbers of us affected by this problem.  And specifically this thread pertains only to side effects experienced AFTER completing tx, that were NOT apparent before doing the therapy.  

Feel free to comment, ask questions, or state your own personal experience with this issue.  And lurkers out there, who have not joined in the forum conversations, please do feel free to jump right in.  It would be very helpful for all of the affected group to be able to compare notes, and connect with people who have a similar challenge.

[willbb]

Sorry trish ..did you list your sx here...that is what this post was for....I put mine up...there really was none

[Trish77]

Right...missed that part. Thanks Will. :)

Side effects remaining after treatment - 2 years after SVR, I have painful joint pain that I didn't have before treatment.  It's very painful going down stairs, lifting myself out of a chair and getting up from a kneeling position.  This is a HUGE difference pre and post treatment for me.  This is not a complaint persay however I've read enough posts from people experiencing this kind of post treatment joint pain that I think it should be acknowledged.  Having said that...could be part of the thyroid issues that treatment triggered...hard to say..there is simply joint pain and significant at that.

I have permanent Hashimoto's thyroid that I didn't have before treatment however I allow that I might have developed that eventually only that I believe the  interferon brought it on sooner than it might have otherwise.

Treatment was 34 weeks for me and with a trial drug included.

[willbb]

    " getting up from a kneeling position."   maybe think about stopping or cutting down on this activity :)

[Trish77]

As in...just stay on my knees??   Thanks for the suggestion...I think. :-\

[desrt]

I think that until there are massive studies involving thousands of subjects it's going to be diffucult to pin down exactly what has been caused by tx.

In my own case I am unable to separate the several different factors that may play into my post-tx health problems:

Having carried the virus for probably close to 30 years.
Doing 23 shots of interferon.
Hereditary factors.
Chronic occupational exposure to solvents and heavy metals.
Age.

List of Rx meds started post-tx:
Lisinopril: blood pressure
Simvastatin: Poor HDL/LDL ratio (LDL O.K. - HDL way low)
Metformin ER: Insulin resistant / diabetic
CerefolinNAC: Peripheral neuropathy
Ambien: Insomnia

Each of these problems probably has multiple contributing factors. I take minimum doses of these meds and overall feel O.K. though definitely not as sharp as I was 10 years ago and more inclined to lay aroumd after a hard day's work.

"What a drag it is getting old."
Rolling Stones  'Mother's Little Helper'

[Trish77]

I suppose that's why I'm fairly confident in attributing the joint pain to treatment. I have not taken medication for anything, truly anything, in my life up until treatment except for the odd antibiotic here and there and had virtually no health issues of any kind, rarely went to the doctor, rarely got sick. I'm still in pretty good health considering.  Just have a few souvenirs after treatment.