TAKING RIBA/EATING /NOT HUNGRY

[missy60051]

I'm curious.  I rarely post, but I'd like to know.
I'm just not hungry in my mornings and I take my pills on a empty stomach
I've read often to take riba with high fat.  Now 14/48 wk and have been UND since wk 5.  Does it really matter.  I just hate forcing myself to eat when I don't want to.
Missy

[anafromtexas]

I don't have much of any appetite but do force myself to eat.  I notice the naseau more when I don't eat.  Eat oatmeal walnuts and blueberries in AM and always take my pills with small glass of whole milk.  Try some protein with veggies for lunch or soups ,and homemade smoothie with vanilla soymilk, frozen fruit 1/2 banana probiotic yogurt for dinner.  Also take walnuts 1/2 glass of milk with ribas in evening.  Sometimes just banana and nuts for dinner!

[painterlady13]

Missy, I also can;t eat in the mornings but I started taking my pills with one of those Dannon Frusion"s it's like a yogert smoothie not too heavy but enough so the pills don't make me sick either.  in the evenings if I am not hungry I have started making a milkshake, again it's not heavy but seems like just enough and it goes down pretty good. Hope it helps
Nicki

[desertdreamer]

After battling extra weight most of my adult life, I can hardly believe I now have to force myself to eat. I just couldn't make myself drop the extra weight even though I was trying to lose before tx & my April wedding, but it is magically melting away now. I am on Nexium for GERD which I take 1 hour before my morning riba, although those symptoms were under control before tx they are worse now. If I force myself to eat just a few bites of something, anything, every 2 hours or so (including during the night if needed, I keep a bowl of grapes with my water beside the bed), it helps a lot with the ... I hate to even use the word ... nausea. Then I'm less nauseous when it's time for my fatty riba snack.

Niceguy, thank you for the reminder, it's riba time now for me so I think I'll have some bread & butter.

Cruelworld, you are so right about these robo-humans who are working full time on tx, I know there's no way I could muster the stamina & it's only Week 5. I am incredibly fortunate to have paid leave, disability insurance etc that is allowing me to take a break & focus 100% on my health. Robohumans, congratulate yourselves!

[Marl37]

I've lost 29 lbs so far and dr is not happy. Wants me to drink that Boost ****, so I try to eat something when I take my Riba. In the morning I eat an english muffin with peanut butter which is starting to get old.

[missy60051]

It's 2hrs later, but I'm eating ice cream now.

[Tater_ToT]

Cruel.. I agree... I have to tell you there is NO WAY I could have EVER maintained a job on TX.. my hats off to all those that do!

Missy...
I think spelling is definately a SX... mine was sooo bad, I gave up even tying... much less caring about it...LoL

Hey...Go half way down the stairs & sit down & rest... then go further!
I used to have to do that... I had chairs set up on my walk way & it would take me 4 pit stops to get from my bedroom out to my car to go anywhere... almost passed out in home depot once! Changing the linens on my bed was like an ALL Day affair...

I'd have to strip em... lay down..... get up go throw them in the washer... go laydown... get new ones out of the closet... go lay down... put new ones on... go lay down.... go take em from the wash yo the dryer... go laydown... ect ect.. it was aweful...

When I vacuumed the floor... I would sit on the floor & vacuum 3 ft sections... lay on the floor & rest & scoot over a few feet & do another section..

Not everyday is like that... so try to move around when you can so you won't get atrophy like I did either...

Bless you heart.. having been thru it.. I really FEEL for all of ya'll treating now....
TX SUX....

but just stay focused on your goal & try to take care of yourself as best as you can... I got down to 86 lbs on my FIRST round... & it was NOT a pretty site!

[Sunny85]

It helps to take Riba with food, because it allows for absorption to occur more rapidly.  Fat stimulates the release of bile which intern stimulates the lining of the stomach to allow for greater absorption.  All in all taking on an empty stomach means it will not be absorbed as quickly, generally waiting until the small intestine for absorption.  With food it is immediately absorbed into the blood stream.  Based on my the research I have done you are encouraged to take Riba in the same way each time.  Unfortunately I have yet to find more evidence that gives more in depth information as to why this is.  I provided a link to one of the sites I like to use. http://www.hepcadvocacy.org/factsheets/Ribavirin.pdf

[sunspot]

As George Costanzia

[Tater_ToT]

LoL... but then I went the OTHER Way to extreme post TX....
I've always heard that muscle burns more FAT... & since I don't have any... might be why I can't shake the EXCESS Weight Now!

I can do 8 whole minutes on the stair climber now... Whoo Hoo... I did 2 (8 min) intervals yesterday!
:)

[missy60051]

Thanks I'm just gonna have to stock the cabinets and frige upstairs.
Thank God I'm not with younger children!  There's just no way.  I'd have to hire a live in.  21,18,17,15.  
Missy

[sunspot]

I lived on peanut butter and milk for 6 months. I was too wiped out to cook.

[niceguy2007]

i always took ribavirin with bread on butter, 2 times a day.  nomatter what else i ate, i'd never miss the bread and butter.  

as i found out early in treatment, missing the butter makes your stomach burn with the ribavirin causing severe GERD and indigestion.  a full teaspoon of butter with your meal is usually enough with 400 mg ribavirin in a single dose.

[dperry10]

I have the same issue.. Just not hungry.   When I am, I have to eat then, or forget it.  If I try to force myself to eat.. I get sick, so ..    thats why I have dropped over 65 lbs now.    But I can afford it.     I could lose another 60 and be just right..    LOL    I just hate the hanging skin.  I can tell you that I am geno 1a and I just got my 2nd UND PCR, on week 25 / 48 ..   And sometimes I take my riba only once a day.. all 6 pills..   I used to forget the evening ones..   and still got to UND.  So now I just do all 6 at once.   but for the most part its on an empty stomach.. sometimes I take it with slim fast or ensure.   And that helps alot..

[shastri20032003]

Ditto....donot feel hungry in the mornings while on tx or pretx!
Pretx had never taken breakfast for the past 25 years,only started having breakfast while taking riba on tx
I make it a point to have some fat like cheese and bread or potatoes with the riba....guess there are some protocols on tx which I follow even though I force myself to do so
Strange part is by night I am totally famished!

[missy60051]

I did in the beginning force the morning, but tired of eating so much for pills.
I will plan toast in morn w/butter or just a piece of cheese.  I just bought those peanut butter crackers for medication sake.

Thanks for the advice.
I should have known better, but I've never been a breakfast person for years.
Missy

[bobbyullc]

yes, you stomach needs to have something to digest with the pills.they say that 80% more riba gets into the blood with food. if you are not hungry in the am wait. it IS  important.
good luck,
bobby

[cruelworld]

i made it a point to keep my stomach pretty full before i took my riba.
even to the point of being a few hours late. im afaid it just goes right through you on an empty stomach (i could be wrong about this). i dont have to worry about fat, my diet has plenty(mc Donalds).  i increased my riba about 7 weeks ago and
found that it completely took away my hunger, bad deal! i had to eat 15 20 times a day because i could only take one or two bites, what a b**ch! and still was losing weight. this is a very unsafe mode to be in, and in my opionion the worst thing you can do is starve on treatment. riba is very important, i think you should follow all the guidelines to the letter. you must get a full days calories every day even if you have to force. if you are the one with the younger kids, i want to say to all of you people who manage families and work during tx, you guys and gals
must be be robo humans! how you do it all and still treat and still SVR ill never know, but i look up to you. congrats to the unknown heros.

[missy60051]

OHHH so that's probably why I feel like poop.  I'll try but walking up and down those stairs are killing me.
Thank you
I just want to make sure I'm not jepordizing my tx.
just a note to all my spelling has decreased. I've turned into a dugh head.
the poison.  Hope to get my brain back after all this.  LOL

Missy

[Tater_ToT]

They say it really should be taken with Fat... (helps with the absorption or something) & I am sure more will chime in & explain why... but wanted to tell you I can relate... because when I was on treatment, I was the same way... & most of the time did take it on an empty stomach because sometimes I just couldn't FORCE myself to eat!

I really don't advise doing what I did...you'll wither away to nothing & feel like ****... it's just not good.... try to at least take it with some yogurt or something... or make a smoothie for breakfast & swallow it with that... something, just anything!!!!

You'll be happy you did later!
:)

Humm... Ice Cream for Breakfast maybe... Ummm Yummy!
Chocolate Shake.... Umm... wish I could get away with eating all that fat NOW.. I should have taken advantage of while I could on TX.. Darn It!