morphea (cutaneous scleroderma) and hcv

[pigeonca]

I was just definitively diagnosed with hcv last week.  About a year ago I got a strange rash on my chest and abdomen.  Dermatologist diagnosed it as morphea, a mild form of scleroderma limited to the skin.  It's an autoimmune disorder.  Here are my questions:  1)  I've read that hcv can trigger autoimmune conditions.  Does anybody here have that? -- and 2) I've read that tx can also trigger or worsen autoimmune conditions.  Will my morphea make treatment a problem or even preclude treatment?  Thanks,
Pigeonca

[susan400]

Thanks for the info.  I did look that drug up on the internet and from what I read it's available in Canada, but is NOT commercially available in the U.S.  In addition, my insurance company doesn't want to pay for any more sleep medications for me.  That's the dispute that my doctor's office and I are trying to work on with getting the appeal to work.
Take care,  Susan

[Morgaina]

My sister is a night nurse in ER and a couple times a year just cant get a sleep routine to work. She uses occassional Imovane and swaers by it. Just another idea for SOME kind of break!

[susan400]

I'm glad that it works for you, that's great. The Remeron that is. But, for me, I had too many side effects (tried it several years back) and I don't want to try it again just to try to get some sleep because I can't deal with the other side effects.  Take care.

Susan

[Morgaina]

My doctor never even tried Ambien or Lunesta but first tried seroquil (an atypical anti-psychotic.....I know, sounds bad) but it's also used for the treatment of insomnia. I couldn't use it as it gave me RLS and I still couldn't sleep. Now I'm using Remeron, a type of AD (notSSRI) and it works like a hot darn, even makes a difference in my daytimes. HAVE to take it at night though, makes you sleepy..........D

[susan400]

I know one thing, NO MORE INTERFERON OR RIBAVIRIN for me!  I'm tired of the sleep problems that it's given me.  Not only do I not sleep at night, I'm unable to nap either.  I went through this for 5 mon. last time I went off of treatment.  I've only gone 5 weeks since stopping treatment so far and still have another 3-1/2 mon. to go before enough of these drugs will be cleared out and finally/maybe, I'll be able to sleep again.  Even Ambien, Ambien CR and Lunesta stopped working for me, besides the insurance company has refused to pay for them anymore for me.  The doctor's office is trying to appeal it for me.  When you have to deal with all this stuff, side effects and post treatment stuff and you've never cleared, over and over and over again, you start to question your own sanity at ever treating again for a 2nd round and then doing the same dumb thing over and over again.  I'm happy for others who have had clearance please don't miss understand.  I'm just SOooo tired and it's making me nuts.

Susan

[painterlady13]

Geeze You  mean I  could go thru a year of this? I just started treatment friday and I'll bet I have only gotten 6 or 7 hours of sleep all weekend, tried the tylenol pm, then sat xanex which usually knocks me out annd last night my roommates ambien none of it did much at all and I have to work today.  also I do  have minor rosacea and in the winter psoriasis on my face,  caan  I  just startt moisturizing my face in the areas I  get it with the cortizone cream? it seems too be the only thing that works.

[bobbyullc]

I AM 6 WEEKS AND STILL HAVE IMMUNE PROBLEMS I NEVER HAD BEFORE TX
I AM REAL CONCERNED THEY WILL BE PERMENANT?

STAY INFORMED,

BOBBY

[pigeonca]

Thank you all.  I am very, very glad I found this forum.  To new-found friends.
Love,
Pigeonca
(that means Pigeon from California)

[jmjm530]

I should add that newer, shorter treatments are now in the trial stage and should be available in 3-4 years if the trials go well. Opportunties to enter trials are expanding and are available to some right now and hopefully will be available to many more in the next few years. Eventually, the hope is that therapies will be developed without the use of interferon and ribavirn but this is still longer off. Still, a potentially shorter exposure to the treatment drugs will be a vast improvement. In my case, for example, my skin problems didn't really start  until around week 12 of treatment which is about the length of treatment proposed in some of the trial arms. Personal opinion is that anyone with moderate or no liver damage should wait at least a year and see how these trials pan out before treating -- especially someone with a pre-existing autoimmune condition. I can only talk in generalities because whether to treat or not to treat involves so many variables and is a very personal decision, with reasonable people (and doctors) looking at the same patient criteria and often coming to different conclusions. Good luck going forward and do see a good dermatologist in any event.

-- Jim

[jmjm530]

It is the rare person that does not have some kind of skin problem during conventional treatment. I had a major flare of mild pre-existing psoriais, seb dermatitis, and rosacea during treatment -- psoriasis being an autoimmune disorder and rosacea possibly have autoimmune properties. 20 weeks post treatment the rosacea still persists and has significantly affected quality of life. I would suggest anyone with a pre-existing autoimmune skin problem to take it seriously.  This is not to say you shouldn't treat, but just that you should give it serious weight when looking at the risk versus reward equation of treating versus taking a watch and wait approach. I don't know anything about morphea and none of us here are doctors.

-- Jim