Effects of marijuana/xanax while takin epclusa

[pippac]

I'm a 21 year old female... just started epclusa nov 29.... so far I've had headaches, fever, insomnia & SEVERE body aches... have genotype 3A... was wondering how weed & xanax would effect my medication.. my doctor said to stay clean but it's only so I won't slip & go into deeper drugs which are what got me here. I've done some research but I don't think marijuana & xanax could effect my treatment. Just wanted to get feedback from other people & experiences... my side  effects are so bad, I've never felt this sick I feel worse than I did not on  treatment

[elias]

Hi pippac:

I too suffered from very bad insomnia while on Epclusa. Some muscle aches as well.

My gastro did prescribe diazepam (Valium) , which is in the same family as Xanax. It did help some ...I was fearful it might interfere with the Epclusa. So I called the specialty pharmacy which filled the prescription. They said it would not interfere with it. I also called Eplusa's Onward program to double-check:

1‑844‑4‑EPCLUSA (1‑844‑437‑2587)

That might take some time on the phone before they answer your questions..

They confirmed what the specialty pharmacy had said. About the diazepam. I also asked about Aleve (Naproxen) for pain. Same thing. No countraindications.

I cant address your question about marijuana though. Your specialty pharmacy is essentially the best place to ask for that.

Fever is not listed as a side effect of Epclusa. So I'd ask for a consult with the gastro to help sort that out...

My Epclusa experience was not as smooth as most here report...

[sandles]

Hi there  You are definately not alone with having awful side effects from Eplusa. My husband and I started Eplusa on the same day and we are both having some depression - alot of memory loss and confusion - serious joint pain(especially with him cause he is 67 and has a hip replacement and is scheduled for a knee replacement in 5 weeks)-headaches that I wake up with and extreme fatigue. I am 55 yrs old and was in good shape but am so weak now from this Eplusa medication I dont have the strength to open the window or at times even lift up the kettle to poor a cup of tea . I know its not just me because my husband is going through the extreme side effects as well. We were put on this drug with no consultation or say in the matter. I was present when a family member was on Harvoni and there was none of these extreme side effects. I just wish I had of known about the more extreme side effects so we could have been more prepared. I have tried to look up Eplusa and see if anyone else felt the same as us but its so new in Canada that I could not find anything except through the company that makes it ......and they played it down as expected. Dont get me wrong ......I AM GRATEFUL FOR A CURE but I feel like the facts were hidden. I asked liver doctor WHY I had never heard of Epclusa and WHY we were NOT being put on Harvoni ( because I knew of this medication its been out for a 4 or 5 years ) and it would have cured both our geno types. She said Harvoni has gotten more attention and media coverage and did not disclose that Eplusa was only just passed by FDA in summer of 2016. She also had pills ordered and sent out to our house before we had our one and only meeting with her. I had to quit job aand my husband absolutely has to smoke weed for his pain and mood. If some people feel no side effects then thats great and I aam happy they dont have to go through 3 months of being totally screwd up mentally and physically   

[elias]

Thank you Sandles for confirming my fears about Epclusa.

I am much worse off now 8 months after completing Epclusa than I was before having started it. It's not specific to Epclusa because many on Harvoni report the same. Since both Harvoni and Epclusa have Sofosbuvir-- in common- as a major component, it may well be the Sofosbuvir that's causing this. It may also be that-paradoxically-it's the removal of the HCV itself that upsets some adaptive balance in the liver which those who are chronically infected may have attained...

Clinical trials often don't accurately reflect what later emerges in real life situations. The Phase III studies, which were quite robust, do specify that participants must be in general good health or something like that..Not sure what this really means in context of long term infection, and many of the participants in those studies did have   badly damaged livers . But still, they do pick the participants in idealized manner.


I'm suffering from things I had had before the Epclusa but in greater 100 fold degree worse way. Insomnia, depression, panic, body aches..life was so much better for me before this

[Mugwump]

I haven't smoked ganja in 40 years but from what I remember about it is that it might cause liver disease only if you do it very long term and only if you let the munchies get to you!!! Those were my rasta years just after I stopped listening to Desmond Dekker and the Aces and the times turned to the really good stuff from the number one Jamaica man!

Apart from making you head for the fridge or the nearest sieben/elf for a chocolate bar, pot does not seem to effect the metabolism of the stomach or the liver. Not that I am saying go ahead and smoke up till blitzed, but the high that I achieved when I reached SVR and got the final "not detected" report was so much better than any high I ever got from grass.

[St4rgazer4]

Liver disease from ganja seriously?? I haven't heard that one.

My cousin who was on epclusa had some of the same side effects that you have. Mainly insomnia and hallucinations. It was really awful to witness at times to be honest.

[rigacci]

My Gastro doctor told me it would not interact with the Epclusa. He did recommend vaping it and not smoking.

It has actually been seen to retard the growth of certain cancers.

Heck, I can't drink and I never did get into drugs so medical pot is perfect.

[Gaj]

As rigacci’s Dr says, there is no expected interaction between Epclusa and cannabis according to the interaction charts.

But....any form of smoking whether tobacco or pot does result in many toxic chemicals formed during combustion entering your body. The liver is the main ‘filter’ and detoxifier of those chemicals and this means an increased workload for your liver.

Having said that, if you are going to use pot during treatment the safest ways will probably be suitably prepared oral consumption such as cookies/brownies or vaping (which creates far less toxins than smoking it). “Medical” pot would be the best choice as it won’t contain unknown “additives” that street pot may. It will also allow you to avoid the possibility of being tempted by old acquaintances and behaviours.

Xanax also has no expected interaction with Epclusa but as a schedule 4 drug should only be used after consultation with a doctor.

[rigacci]

Funny that you would say that about a schedule 4 drug when pot is a schedule 1 drug!!!

Hopefully that will be corrected at some time in the future. Probably will be later rather than sooner, at least at this time...