Does Ribavirin cause anemia when used with Sovaldi??

[nan535]

My husband just got approved for Sovaldi + Ribavirin for 24 weeks. We are very excited but he needs to get his hemoglobin up before starting his treatment. We already have the  meds in the house but can not start using them. He had a shot of procrit yesterday - labwork in a week to see if his hemoglobin is up from 8.9 (normal range starts at 13.9). His red blood cell count is 2.94 (normal range starts at  4.5).

I am confused. I had been told that when my husband was on triple treatment and had to stop because of severe anemia that ribavirin was the drug that caused the anemia but I just read in some old literature its the interferon shots that cause the anemia.  So which is it? Or, is it both?

Is anyone who is using Ribavirin now with Sovaldi experiencing anemia?  Just want to know what to look out for.

Thanks
Nan

[punkey77]

Just found this site & read your post. Started therapy 4 weeks ago for HepC (Ribasphere & Sovaldi) geno type 3a. Unfortunately Dr I had so bad & dismissing of any complaints of side effects even the one where my meds say call your Dr immediately. Found new Dr, but do not see until 12/4/2014.
Does anyone know someone that has completed therapy & has been clear for 6 months after?

Since one of my side effects is feeling tired & depressed a
lot it is hard to keep my spirits up. Hanging in there though.

[SelahMartin]

Nan:  Thank you for your post.  If I understand your post correctly, relapsing after being undetected on Sovaldi treatment, does happen?  We've been trying to get our doctor to discuss this subject, but he's not really wanting to do that.....probably wanting to "keep us in the positive mode" .... rather than giving us cause to worry.  My husband has one more month left of a six month regime of Sovaldi and Ribavarin.  He became undected after three months. Obviously, the next three months after the end of treatment are going to be rough on us.  The wait to see if he relapses is always difficult.  He has been on two previous rounds of treatment with the different types of interferon and ribavarin.  One session....did not clear at all.  Second session, cleared the virus, but relapsed.  He's type Genotype 3a which is a difficult one to clear.  We're hoping for the best with the Sovaldi/RIBA.  So tired of this battle.  Six months is a long time fighting not only the virus, but the side effects of the treatment drugs.  Lots and lots of prayer to get through it.  :)  Thank you Nan for managing this community site....giving us all a place to share our stories. On a positive note......he's had this virus more than likely since he was 18 years old (bad habits of the hippie days).....and he's 65 now and is in excellent health.  Good clean living since he was 28 (thank you Jesus) made all the difference in the world.  :)  

[nan535]

    You will be undetected soon. My husband was undetected at week 6 and remained UND for the remaining 18 weeks of treatment. He will have his first post treatment HCV RNA test next Thursday (4 weeks post EOT). We are praying he will still be UND but if he is going to relapse I think it's better to know that sooner rather than later.  I can imagine how difficult it is to first find out at 12 weeks post treatment that you have relapsed (as has happened to a couple of members of this community).
    The most important thing for everyone to remember is that it is just a matter of time before everyone here will be cured.  The new treatments in the pipeline have some excellent cure rates.  So whatever happens right now, know that you will be cured in the near future. So, hang in there.
   My husband also definitely experienced some "RIBA rage".  I had to keep reminding myself that it was the meds and it would not be forever. Now that he is three weeks post treatment I am definitely seeing an improvement in his temperament. The encephalopathy he had experienced so much throughout treatment is also greatly improved.  
    You've got a long way to go yet so just take one week at a time . I wish you the best possible outcome.

Nan

[Ekkiemom]

Thx for your feedback. I have stage 3-4 fibrosis w/compensated liver, VL 11 mil, GT1a. Today I went in for my SOT labs, plus TSH test.  I was told by my Gastro that all of his patient that have been treating with the Sovaldi/RIBA  have been UND @ wk 3 so I am very hopeful and a bit nervous. I will come back and share my experiences w/HCV.  At wk 3 I'm short of breath, have very little energy left and have a some of that "RIBA rage". Everything irritates me and all I want to do is sleep. I wish you & your husband has continued good health.
Big Hugs back
Debbie

[longdistance]

Hi. I found this while trying to research the new Rx for my father. I know little about his first Rx years ago as he did not tell me much and I live everywhere but near him (military life). I know he and my cousin referrer to it as a type of Chemo. My father went from 205 to 116, he's 5'9". Lost his hair and his teeth and got cataracts from Rx.  It was an injection in the belly and thighs thing and it was over-nighted to him to administer himself. He went into a type of remission for 3 1/2 - 4 years. His doctors have been trying to get him to do another Rx for awhile now. He has agreed to the Solvaldi + Ribivirin starting next month (Sept).
With me so far away, again, and that he is not keeping me in the dark this time (prayerfully)... I'm looking for some insight to be mindful of when I speak with him and questions to ask him. He just turned 61 this month and all I know is he has chronic Hep C (diagnosed 16-17 years ago), was chronic at that point too.
Thank you in advance for help.  

[nan535]

Thank you "resurrecting" this thread as reading it over again, it gave me an opportunity to see just how difficult his initial weeks were on treatment.  As it turned out his hepatic encephalopathy episodes improved greatly once the procrit shots, Xifaxin and a multivitamin he was taking daily were stopped.  Along with all his other meds,  it was just too much for his poor new liver to handle creating toxins daily  that went to his brain.
     He made it through the 24 weeks of treatment 2 weeks ago and we are now waiting to see it he reaches SVR. His labwork shows great improvement and God willing that will continue.
     My husband lost about 20 lbs on treatment because he too lost his appetite.  Since ending treatment most days his appetite is good though he still has some days when he has no appetite coupled with mild HE. It's going to take a while before these meds finally clear his system.
    My advice is to drink lots of water while on treatment. Your last experience sounds an awful lot like my husband's experience with the triple treatment with Incivik. He lasted only 5 weeks.  
     How advanced is your liver disease? Do you have cirrhosis? If so, any signs of decompensation?  Hopefully not, as that will probably make this treatment a little harder on you.
    This is a wonderful forum where you will get great support. Keep coming back. We all care about you and will be there for you if you need us.  I know I never would have made it through these 24 weeks without the support I got here.
Big hug,

Nan