Harvoni High and Addiction/Recovery

[Uncle Pizza]

I finished treatment about 18 months ago and all is still good.  I was one of the lucky ones who breezed through Harvoni treatment with my only side effect being the "Harvoni High".  I always had a bit of a buzz, lots of energy, and only needed 4-6 hours sleep/night.  Once I was done with treatment that buzz went away, and I began craving it.  I was 5 1/2 years sober and did not want to go back to drinking!  Instead, I ended up using THC/CBD "for pain" and found myself falling into old habits.  I also started taking opiods "for pain", falling into the same old behaviors.  Luckily, I was eventually able to snap out of it.  I've been clean now for almost a year (sober for over seven) but it took me nine months to get over the cravings that the Harvoni High left me with.  I just wanted to share this for any others in recovery who end up with the Harvoni High side effect.  Prepare for when your treatment ends - talk to your sponsor, be honest, work those steps.  Once you get your new lease on life, you don't want to waste it by living those old addictive behaviors again.  Best of luck to you all!

[andrew j]

Hi Uncle,

I've been in recovery for something like 30 years.
Perseverance furthers, as the I Ching would say!

Glitches and set-backs come up - it's just part of it (as they are part of everything, I guess).
It's easy to trigger old, deeply established patterns.

Honestly - I could write a book about this stuff.
I was even an A&D counsellor for a while!

I haven't got much time today - so for now I'll just wish you well.

Recovery is an amazing journey - insofar as it's distinguishable from your life's journey.
Hang in there - and look after yourself.

Life is a precious gift.
YOU are a precious gift!

A.

(P.S. My computer has died - so I'm only getting to use one at the local library once a week).

[Type0Negative]

Oh, please! It can't be that good! I took Mavyrett and among other side effects, the Mavyrett High was one of the most irritating. I hate feeling high. I drink but I don't want or ever crave anything else. While on treatment, it felt like I was getting high at the higher dose than I would want. If I was doing it for fun, I would take less. I felt like the drug was building up in my body and I was not able to clear it in 24 hours. I remember thinking, "What have I got myself in to? My old self is forced to get high daily on some luxurious long acting upper and I can't even enjoy it". Just can't handle any high any more. I crave feeling young and healthy. I like how I feel after good night sleep after having a cup of tea in the morning.

[Lynn K]

One persons fun high could be another persons annoying unwanted high.

Some enjoyed the feeling of extra energy and others felt like they drank way too much coffee.

Myself I like uppers and get where Uncle Puzza was coming from. When I got off Harvoni I missed the extra energy.

[andrew j]

I think a good night's sleep and a cup of tea (as TypeO suggests) - or their equivalent - are about where it's at for me.

Desire for intoxicants has slowly faded over the years  - but only very slowly.
I don't think I can ever turn my back on that stuff, though (as above).

Again - Recovery works well for me.
It's a spiritual thing.

[Mugwump]

I think we need to put the whole thing in perspective here. It seems what is happening is: The normalization of the human liver functions making one have a sudden heightened sense of physical well being that is very much like taking a super duper happy pill.
We must remember that as our liver functions deteriorate slowly over time we forget how sick we really were and then: bingo all of a sudden the liver starts to produce a normal level of toxins from the discharge of dead cells instead of elevated levels of essentially toxic waste in our blood stream. Thus many of us can indeed suddenly feel young again during treatment.
This is the only rational explanation for the DAA high some of us went and are going through.
Taking more Harvoni or any DAA would essentially do nothing for us except perhaps psychologically. It is true that we can take sugar pills and get high if we believe that the pills are doing something, this is just human nature and was and is a great part of the "natural healing" doctoring bag of tricks.
Studies done years ago found that dopamine can be produced in the brain of some  individuals highly prone to addiction if they are given placebos in the place of real drugs.
I was amazed at how well I suddenly felt as my liver functions normalized for the first time in decades. But we must put this all in perspective: knowing that it is foolish to think anything other than extremely effective direct acting anti viral was causing our livers to heal quickly and this and only this is what is at work here.
Taking Harvoni to get the high again is about as sensible as having a "naturapathetic doctor" prescribing powdered rhino horns with bear cub gal bladder and tiger penis with paw meats so the patient can get it up!

[Lynn K]

I dunno Mugwump I did feel energized similar to maybe caffeine a little “up” which stopped when I stopped Harvoni. I think the op is concerned it could cause some to feel the desire to take up old bad habits not to use Harvoni to feed that old hunger.

As for myself I haven’t had any evidence of liver healing just hopefully a stop to any further damage. I still have F4 cirrhosis I still have a low platelet count I still have lower leg edema.

But I don't have hep c woo whooo

[andrew j]

[Once again] - I so hope [and pray] that you can get some improvement, Lynn.

A.

[Lynn K]

Thanks Andrew at this point not holding my breath or losing any sleep over it either

[Mugwump]

I dunno Mugwump I did feel energized similar to maybe caffeine a little “up” which stopped when I stopped Harvoni. I think the op is concerned it could cause some to feel the desire to take up old bad habits not to use Harvoni to feed that old hunger.

As for myself I haven’t had any evidence of liver healing just hopefully a stop to any further damage. I still have F4 cirrhosis I still have a low platelet count I still have lower leg edema.

But I don't have hep c woo whooo

Took some time to think a reply through. Essentially yes.
PS:Just got my platelets back up over 150 for the first time in 5 years! So the last happy pill is still working for me and I have not had to take another one since my last bottle on the 24 week program ran out!!!!I truly hope you have a similar result over time Lynn. Now if I can get my glucose fasting results down again, quit smoking and my bad habits of drinking far too much caffeine with cream 'n sugar once and for all I will apply for early sainthood... But I am not going to give up fishing or having tree sauce and butter on my French toast cooked over an open fire with bacon when I go fishing. Or frying the fresh rainbow in the left over bacon fat with lots of smoke from the fire old school camp cooking style!!!! These sins are beyond my control.

Cheers
Eric