stuggling with treatment

[oldskool74]

Just wondered if anybody could help me. Iam currently 8 months into treatment for hep c, i have strain 1 (the wost one!) Well iam now 8 months into treatment and iam really strugling with the side effects, i am currently showing negative for the virus in my blood checks but feeling really physicaly and mentaly exhausted and thinking of quiting the treatment. So what i really want to know is does anybody know the percantage of staying negative for the virus if i quit treatment now? The nurse says i have to go through right till april next year to totaly get rid of all traces of the virus but as i said iam now negaive for the virus in my bloods so what are the chances of me beating this if i quit my treatment now? I dont feel like i can go on any further but dont want to quit if it means the virus will come back, so i would like anybody who has any info to help me and let me know the risks if i quit now, or do i hace to see the treatment out right till april next year as im reall struggling now. Wolud reall appreciate some help and advive on this.
many thaks
vicky

[roostermom]

Don't give up now. You are closer to the end than the beginning. Get aggressive with your doc about treating the sides. I was clear after 48 weeks on inf/ribo and relapsed after 2 months. This is my second time treating and was on  the Incevik for the first 12 weeks. I just took my 24th  and last shot of peg this morning.

You can do this, just dig your heals in. Good luck.

[Advocate1955]

Focus on the end goal:  SVR.
Advocate1955

[Aaron57]

In my case .. I added 3 months of P/R (Inf/Riba) ... G1a , no PI's, so I will go 60 weeks Tx instead of 48 .. Tx can be really hard , but, since the virus replicates in the liver , I have some fatty liver + fibrosis .. adding the extra 12 weeks will add some extra odds of beating this virus ..

Hang in there , your close to the finish line ... Day by day and one foot in front of the other .. you'll get there !

Cheers

[hcvJames]

Post what your side effects are. Others may have had similar sides and developed strategies to cope with them. There have been hundreds if not thousands of people through this forum over the years making it a repository of knowledge, some good portion devoted to making it through the next shot, and set of pills. Maybe there is some help here.

[flcyclist]

Rather than focus on researching your chances to SVR if you quit now, you should focus on getting yourself to the finish line and give yourself the best opportunity to clear the virus.  

I'm also a Geno 1a, started mid-April and plan to do 48 weeks (SOC).  Although i relish the thought of stopping early, there's no way I want to do this trt again unless absolutely necessary.  You'll alway wonder if you stop early and relapse, if the extra 3 months would have made the difference.  Taking shortcuts is risky business and going against protocol that was developed over years of trial data is rolling the dice.  If you absolutely must quit, do what you have to do, but I'd suggest you follow the good advise of your nurse and trt team.  Hang in there if you can.  Best of luck.

[crossroadsec]

I needed to hear this. It IS tough. And I haven't hit 8 mos yet. You're so close.. I'd want proof signed in blood on my liver before I'd quit now. Karen :)

[orphanedhawk]

What my hepatologist told me is the viral load being undetected is in our blood. This doesn't mean there aren't still hep C virus in our livers.
This is why we have to keep poisoning ourselves, to kill the virus in our livers.
Otherwise, you could stop, and if they're still there, they will begin replicating like crazy.

Good luck
OH

[willbb]

So what i really want to know is does anybody know the percantage of staying negative for the virus if i quit treatment now?
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Nobody here could give you that percentage .or the percentage if you finish the recommended regime,however I would imagine  it  would be  better with the latter.  Hang in...
Best .
Willl

[oceanblue701]

Eight months into treatment is crash time for sure. I have been off treatment for over a year but remember very well what a struggle the last few months were. I came to the forum here many many times and just tried to read and gain the strength to finish. It worked. I made it. Completed the 48 wks for type 1a and did reach SVR.
Hang on. Just drag yourself through. A day at a time if necessary. I too was mentally and physically exhausted and desperate to be done.
I was negative after 4 weeks on treatment but the treatment protocol was 48 wks with SOC for type 1a so I continued to the end hoping for a cure.

[nygirl7]

I sure didn't want to do 72 weeks but I did not want to ever have to do treatment again. It was tough but it paid off.

[frijole]

Being negative for the virus alone is not enough.  You need to see this through and complete the entire program.  I assume you are on standard of care -- no protease inhibitor?

A lot depends on when you did clear the virus.  Still with genotype 1 on SOC your chances are only aboout 50% as is.  I did 56 weeks of treatment, cleared the virus by week 20 and still relapsed.  NYgirl treated for 72 weeks because she had detectable virus at week 12 and is SVR now.  

The virus can mutate and replicte and you need to continue if you can.
frijole

[nygirl7]

What type of treatment are you on regular intereron and ribavirin or also on a PI? When did you first become Undetectible?