Hepatitis C rash length!

[kat379]

I have been on the triple treatment for Hep C for over 16 weeks. Have been off of the Incivek for over a month and still have the rash and itch terribly!!!   Has anyone else had this rash from Hell last for so long?  It is all over my body.  I really can't stand it much longer!!!  Help!!!

[eagledance]

My husband came home from work covered with the rash from head to toe on his 5th day of treatment.  It got worse each day until he was able to see the Dermatologist 5 days later.  By that time it was moderate to severe.  She prescribed Triamcinolone Acetonide cream, 0.1%., Claritin in the morning (so he wouldn't be too drowsy at work) & 50mg Hydroxyzine before bed.  That cleared it up in 7 days.
Gold Bond in the green bottle helped the itching a bit.  Good luck to you.

[ceanothus]

I'm agreeing with all that you've heard here. Your doctor is one of the many who are now administering Hepatitis C treatment without adequately informing themselves first. Ribavirin is notorious for causing a rash itself, and in fact my hepatologist uses previous rashes from ribavirin as one factor in deciding whether to prescribe Incivek or Victrelis. I got the incivek because I never got a rash from ribavirin during previous tx, but lucky me, after being sensitized by the incivek rash during this tx I did indeed get the ribavirin rash once the incivek was completed. I had one blotch of Incivek rash that never cleared up and still itches like crazy, but I've been lucky that the ribavirin rash has mostly just involved lots of red spots that look like early stage zits and they only itch a tiny bit – unless I get into the sun, and then they spread more and itch more. I'm now 6 days post-EOT, and my ribavirin rash is beginning to improve very slightly – though its still so early that I don't quite trust it.

Anyway, at the very LEAST, you need a strong topical steroid cream. If you have another doctor you trust maybe they can get you in to a dermatologist sooner, or maybe they will call in a Rx for you. Triamcinolone Acetonide cream, 0.1% has worked well for me. Good luck!

[kat379]

I stay out of the sun as it makes the rash burn terribly.  I'm glad it works for some, but I think I will steer clear of that one for now.  But, thanks Mark.  I'm glad it worked for you!  Pooh, I am so happy that you are doing so well.  I will keep you in my prayers for full recovery.  

[kat379]

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!!!  I'm not alone out here!  I'm going to call my Dr. right now!  You try to believe a Hep C "specialist" knows their business, but obviously this one needs to study up on the side effects of these drugs.  Thanks!

[pooh55811]

Just a word of caution about the sun. It obviously helped maybe368 but for most of us the sun and heat are our enemies and they make the rash a lot worse. So be careful.

I was Hep C Undetectable at 48 weekswhen I finished treatment and that was with a very, very sensitive test. I am hopeful. I have another VL in 7 weeks (my 3 month post end of treatment VL). Then another at 24 weeks post end of treatment. The 3 month VL will be 99.7% accurate and the 24 month VL will tell me for sure if I am cured or if I relapsed.

[kat379]

Dear pooh, I am glad to hear that you have finished the treatment.  Are you Hep C free?  I pray that you are healed!  I am sorry to hear that you still have the rash problem after all this time.  I hope that it soon goes away.  Thank you for all of your information.  After hearing from you and others, I am going to call my Dr. and tell him about the prescriptions you told me about, hopefully he will be more aggressive with the treatment of the rash.  Best of luck to you as well!!!

[maybe368]

My rash did not go away until I started exposing it to the sun, then it went away and has not returned. That is my experience. I started for about 2 to 3 minutes and worked up to 20 to 30 minutes...Mark

[kat379]

Dear Dee, Thank you for responding.  It's nice to hear from people who know what I am going through.  Can't really get good answers from my Dr.  I feel that his only concern is blood work results.  Of course that is so important, but it would be nice if he would consider that the patient in the room is a human being, not a number!!!  Best of luck to you!

[kat379]

Dear Idylic, Thank you so much for your response.  I checked out the link you forwarded and I believe I have the moderate version.  I can not imagine the torture that the severe version must cause for these people.  The first time I talked to my Dr. about the rash, he said to use cortisone cream and Benadryl.  Neither was effective.  I called the pharmacy and they said to ask the Dr. about Hydroxyzine.  So on my next visit he said no to the Hydroxyzine as it would cause me to sleep all the time.  He said the rash would go away as soon as I stop the Incivek.  The next month  the rash still in full bloom he is sending me to a dermatologist, but I can't get in there until the 15th.  He says the rash should be gone and thinks it is not caused by the Hep C drugs.  I don't believe he knows what he is talking about.  I think you are right about the Riba.  The rash has improved, as far as the welts go, now it looks more like a sunburn and smaller welting, still itches awful.  The Incivek may be finally wearing off and now the Riba is causing the problem.  I am kind of afraid to call the Dr. again, he may stop treatment, and I surely don't want to have gone through all of this for nothing.  OH also, I had gone to my G.P. for my final Hep A and B injections and when she saw the rash she wouldn't give them to me.  She put me on prescription steroid pills, Medrol...Pretty useless and only took them for a week.  Thank you so much for your info.  It is much appreciated.  I pray that you are doing well!!!    

[Dee1956]

Hi I am so sorry, Id and Pooh have given you great advice.,  I had to take the Hydroxine and use creams and lotions.  It did get better as time went on
I hope the same for you
Have you shown it to your doctor or PA?
Vertex has some pictures of mild moderate and severe on their website.  They posted that to help patients know when to go to the hospital

Best of luck
Dee

[pooh55811]

I was on Incivek. I got the rash at about week 10. I still have the rash and have had it for the past 44 weeks. I have off Tx since Aug. 25th. Mine was/is due to Riba, not Incivek. I was on Tx for 48 weeks.

I agree with Idyllic, get on top of it now. It will snow ball. It is a reaction to the drug so it is a systemic reaction.

I was prescribed Hydroxyzine 50 mg every 6 hours, Fluocinonide ointment (steroid) twice a day on the rash, Clobetsol solution (steroid) on the scalp. All are prescriptions. The over the counter meds were totally useless. They are not strong enough. Ask your doctor for some prescriptions, like Hydroxyzine orally and some topical steroid ointments or creams.

My rash and itching never got under control until I was on both oral Hydroxyzine and the topical prescription steroid ointments. For me, the Hydroxyzine is the key. Without it, I am itching and the rash goes wild.

I I were you, I would call your doctor and/or get an urgent appt. for tomorrow and get some prescriptions for the rash and itching. You may need to be assertive (depending on your doc), but get some prescriptions. If it snowballs  out of control and you have to stop Tx, then you risk Tx failure.

You may also need to get an appointment with a dermatologist at some point.

Best of luck.

[Idyllic]

How did you treat the rash when you had it? From what I read on here the rash rarely resolves on its own. Most people who get the rash have to treat it with a topical steroid creme and take an antihistamine.

Here, check out this link:
http://www.incivek.com/hcp/assess-and-manage-rash

I am not sure how long it would last with no special treatment. In fact if your rash is still in full swing and it does not sound like the one in the above link it is possible the Riba could be causing it.

Either way you might want to contact your doctor or have someone look at it to be on the safe side. Trust me you do not want this to snowball.
Best of luck