First day of Harvoni

[Layla Jean]

Hello,
I took my first Harvoni pill this morning. I was extremely anxious and emotional the weekend leading up to today, not thinking I would even take the medicine, but I did it. I take a lot of other medications as well and no doctor or pharmacist has said a word about stopping anything. I feel hot. Sweating. I am very tired but sleeping seems to be hard. It's just the "idea" of being on hep c treatment. I never in a million years dreamed at 37 I would be going through this. But, I am just going through the motions and paying for the destructive life I once lead. Anyway, hello and now I shall read through some of the experiences you are all facing as well. Thanks.

[sabre]

Hi there.

I personally have not had those side effects that you've mentioned, but I've read others who've had issues with excessive sweating. Although, it could just be anxiety from anticipating side effects and fear of the unknown.

Ah, don't beat yourself up over your previous "destructive life." Yeah, it sucks, but it could be a lot worse. Thank God we've got better treatment choices than the old standard of care poison that people had to endure.

Also, there aren't a lot of medications that interact with Harvoni.

Good luck to you on your treatment and best wishes for SVR!

[KimInTheForest]

Welcome to the journey Layla Jean! Try not to stress about it too much - the treatment that is. Harvoni is curing Hep C in the large majority of people who take it. So you will probably be in that category.

People here seem to experience a range of manageable side effects while on treatment. Many people on Harvoni experience very minimal side effects. I am finishing my 2nd week out of 12 weeks of Harvoni+Ribavirin, and so far I have had no problems worth mentioning. (And my treatment includes Ribavirin, which DOES tend to cause people problems, so feel lucky you don't have that in the mix for your own treatment.)

Staying well-hydrated seems to be very helpful in reducing side effects. I am drinking about 64 oz of water daily.

Good luck, and let us know how you are doing.

best,
kim

[Lee]

Hi Layla Jean,

I've been on Harvoni for a month now, and I have no side effects at all.  My doctor told me this has been true in about 30 percent of her patients, so maybe it will be the case for you, too! 

I think the very first day, I was so anxious I was hyper-focusing on myself and thinking every little thing was some sort of side effect, but once I relaxed, I realized I felt perfectly normal every day.  I actually think I feel a little better than I did before I started, and my doctor told me a lot of her patients tell her that as well.

From all we are being told, you have a tremendous chance of kicking this thing if you take the Harvoni every day for 12 weeks. Just keep going, and pretty soon this will all be a thing of the past!

Good luck and stay in touch!!

Lee