Author Topic: Day 1 of The HepC slaughter~12wk viekira pak/riba (Read 24226 times)

DeathtoHep · « **on:** August 05, 2015, 04:45:14 pm »

Ive been on and off this site prior to starting treatment getting an idea of what to expect from treatment. I see a lot of people tracking their progress so I thought I might as well too.

A little about me: I was diagnosed with Hep C at 19. I had no idea what it was and didnt listen to the doctors about not drinking. Eventually I wised up and have been sober for 11 years now. Im type 1a and dont know how I got it which is frustrating. Ive tried interferon/riba before with no success ( i think it was a 50% chance). Now Im 30 and ready to really kick this things ass.

Today is day 1 of Viekira Pak with Riba (Moderiba). I dont feel much of anything yet besides anxiety. I have been very sensitive to pills in the past and have MVP which is a heart condition but doc says I shouldnt worry. Im just doing what Im told and going with the flow.

I didnt get a copy of my labs but I guess Ill ask for it next time I see my doctor and will post my progress as it comes. Other than that, good luck to everyone. Be strong and fight back.

drummerman · « **Reply #1 on:** August 05, 2015, 09:16:37 pm »

Good luck to you D2H!

I am on week 5 and it has not been near as bad as peg/riba.

Although the 2nd and 3rd week were not real pleasant and either it is getting better or I am getting used to it.

Basically the only thing I am feeling is hyper-ness , like I have drank a ton of coffee plus about 5 red bulls... week 2 and 3 were the worse so far.

Weird thing is... I can sleep... although I wake up frequently some nights.

Anyway, not near as bad as round 1!

Take deep breaths, 20 times ... it helps.

dm

DeathtoHep · « **Reply #2 on:** August 05, 2015, 09:32:12 pm »

Dman
Thanks, Ive done breathing techniques in the past for anxiety and panic attacks. Im surprised to hear you have so much energy. Seems like most people feel more tired. So at week 5 you must be halfway if youre doing the 12 week program. I keep hearing the 2nd and 3rd week are bad but not unbearable. I have felt a little nauseated today but it doesnt last. I forgot to mention I am F1-2. The fibroscan was around 7 something.. which is low I guess. Just glad to be taking care of this.

drummerman · « **Reply #3 on:** August 05, 2015, 09:57:43 pm »

Yeah , I had the queasiness too and still do... but it is slight.

The only time I am tired is like if I walk up a flight of stairs or move heavy equipment.
I get winded.

But otherwise... I am hyped up!

Had to quit caffeine!

ps - I have no idea what liver scores mean. I have had 2 biopsies and only assume I have little damage (see signature) as the doc only put me on 12 weeks tx...and I think if you have cirrhosis you have to go 24 weeks.

dm

DeathtoHep · « **Reply #4 on:** August 05, 2015, 10:16:32 pm »

Thats true. I cant imagine doing 24 weeks of this. Glad youre hyped

Philadelphia · « **Reply #5 on:** August 06, 2015, 04:56:02 pm »

I won the 24 week lottery - it's not so bad. I've done worse things. Probably not for 24 weeks but still ... Lol

I'm somewhere around 19 weeks heading into my 20th week perhaps?

All the best for your onslaught against the virus. Go get 'em!

drummerman · « **Reply #6 on:** August 06, 2015, 06:01:01 pm »

I went back and looked at the success rates for my 1st tx.. It was like 38%! I can't believe I even tried it. People tried to talk me out of it, but I wouldn't listen. Stupid.
dm

sapphire101 · « **Reply #7 on:** August 07, 2015, 11:06:52 pm »

Deathtohep,
I am glad this forum helped to educate you before treatment. I feel the same way and was able to learn about the disease and treatment and even more important, how to advocate for myself through this complicated process.

I had a real hyper buzz for the first half of treatment for sure and did find deep breathing helpful for insomnia and also 25 mg of Benadryl in the evening. Some here said they would take the ribavirin earlier to which can help with sleep. I had to stick with the morning and evening because that was confusing enough.

Drummer man don't waste a minute regretting past treatment, that is all we knew then and we know better now.

DeathtoHep · « **Reply #8 on:** August 08, 2015, 12:42:25 am »

So far I am really amazed at this medication compared to interferon. Besides being tired and a little nausea after eating I have felt fine. Granted this is only my third day, I hope it doesnt get much worse. Yesterday I felt completely normal and actually forgot I was on anything.

DeathtoHep · « **Reply #9 on:** August 09, 2015, 05:31:55 am »

4 days down

I was craving some bbq today so i decided to leave the house for the first time. I figured I would be hermit-like for the first few weeks but starting to think thats not a good idea. Anyway, I was fine until I got home and noticed I was a little winded just from driving to and from Armadillo Willys. Not enough to be worried but I hope its not a precursor for what Im about to experience. Also, some slight tension in my chest but Ive had that before from my heart condition. There is definitely a change happening but hardly noticeable.

***I noticed a lot of people here are on 3/2 or 2/3 Riba per day. My bottle says to take 3 in the morning and 3 at night. Not a big deal but is anyone else on this dosage? Id like to take as little of the stuff as possible. I hear it causes the most side effects.

Philadelphia · « **Reply #10 on:** August 09, 2015, 08:04:33 am »

Riba dosage is determined by your weight. Greater than 75kg, you get 6 tablets. Less than 75 you get 5. Some people have reduced the amount of ribavirin they are taking due to sx. I'm one of them.

drummerman · « **Reply #11 on:** August 09, 2015, 09:56:50 am »

I take 3 in am, and 2 in pm. It is weight based.

I felt nothing for the 1st week,, 2nd and 3rd kindof sucked. things are better now.

Rumor has it that abbvie is working on a new tx that uses one pill and NO ribavirin.

"AbbVie's ongoing HCV pipeline development program focuses on investigating a pan-genotypic, ribavirin (RBV)-free, once-daily treatment that may also allow for treatment durations of as little as eight weeks."

I wondered why I was not seeing any commercials for viekira on tv. They are obviously saving their advertising money to go head to head with Harvoni.

Now if they can get it cheaper than Harvoni they will have a winner.

I predicting cost plummeting as these two battle it out in the future.

dm

DeathtoHep · « **Reply #12 on:** August 10, 2015, 10:08:15 pm »

Day 6 now. Didnt sleep lastnight. Had pressure in my chest. Didnt feel serious but just uncomfortable. I havent been able to find any correlation between these meds and heart problems. Doctor says I have no reason to worry, nurse from Abbvie has never heard of anyone having this problem and my cardiologist is out of town. The feeling is gone for now but I have a feeling it will continue because of my heart condition. This would be noticeable premeds but not this bad. I guess its just something I need to tough out.

KimInTheForest · « **Reply #13 on:** August 11, 2015, 12:22:36 am »

Quote from: DeathtoHep on August 10, 2015, 10:08:15 pm

Day 6 now. Didnt sleep lastnight. Had pressure in my chest. Didnt feel serious but just uncomfortable. I havent been able to find any correlation between these meds and heart problems.

Could the pressure in your chest be heartburn? I have never really experienced heartburn before my Harvoni+Riba treatment. I don't know which one of those 2 drugs was responsible for it, but I had 2-3 episodes of severe heartburn in bed around midnight - so bad I wondered if I was having a heart attack. If the ribavirin was causing that, then maybe it could be affecting you that way too?

I think the only correlation the meds might have to heart problems is the anemia that develops from the ribavirin. If hemoglobin drops too low, there is risk of heart attack. My doctor said if you don't have pre-existing heart issues, then hgb can drop quite low with no worry. But if you go in with heart problem, then your doctor is more likely to reduce your ribavirin dose to prevent hgb from dropping further.

But I would not expect riba-anemia to be manifesting just 6 days in. It takes a while to develop. Still, make sure you get copies of all your lab work so you can track your hemoglobin and red blood cells for yourself.

kim

DeathtoHep · « **Reply #14 on:** August 11, 2015, 03:41:40 am »

This is a more subtle tightness in my chest. Definitely not heart burn. I had it again tonight but it went away after a hot shower which makes me think its stress. MVP isnt linked to heart attack but it is linked to stroke. I will be checking my labs in two weeks and see if I can reduce my Riba doseage. Im at 1200 and weigh 170.

DeathtoHep · « **Reply #15 on:** August 12, 2015, 02:17:04 am »

1st week down. 11 to go

Still expecting things to get worse in the next few weeks but I feel like time is flying. Feeling pretty confident so far. Just started Walking Dead Season 2 ( I know im way behind). As bad as this gets, atleast Im not a zombie...yet.

Philadelphia · « **Reply #16 on:** August 12, 2015, 02:19:16 am »

Everything gets better after Week 3 or 4. Keep the faith!

DeathtoHep · « **Reply #17 on:** August 14, 2015, 11:46:49 am »

Today is day 10 and I didnt sleep lastnight. Its like I cant turn my brain off. Im not tired at all but my body needs to rest right? Also, Im starting to think this chest tightness/pressure is from indigestion. It usually happens after my second dose of the day but also bugs me throughout the day occasionally. Anyone else besides Kim having acid reflux/heartburn stuff like that?

Philadelphia · « **Reply #18 on:** August 14, 2015, 05:16:06 pm »

If you are not sleeping - and trust me, you need to sleep, otherwise you could get really emotional and have a melt down - I've heard of some people using Benadryl and others seeing their dr for a sleep aid.

I was at my absolute worst when I didn't get enough sleep. Everything snowballs.

Philadelphia · « **Reply #19 on:** August 14, 2015, 05:21:01 pm »

You can also try moving your pm riba dose closer to the afternoon. That was my treatment nurses suggestion to me.

DeathtoHep · « **Reply #20 on:** August 14, 2015, 07:19:05 pm »

Thanks, Im actually going to the urgent care tonight. Couldnt get ahold of my GI but him and my primary are close friends. After this morning I finally got some sleep but had to stay awake until my next doseage...rough. Then I wake up in a sweat and rapid heart beat and extremely dehydrated. Fine now but still off from sleep trouble and mainly worried about my heart...maybe over thinking it but just being careful. A few quick tests will ease my mind.

drummerman · « **Reply #21 on:** August 14, 2015, 09:43:33 pm »

Let us know what you find out.

I too , am having intense heart beat at times... my doc called it palpations , but I thought that meant an irregular heart beat. Anyway, my heart just pounds at times... not painful, but super annoying and makes me feel panicky.

Fortunately I sleep pretty good , but also have occasional night sweats.

Please keep us posted.

I sure would like to get a reduction in riba, but am afraid to even ask , since I am not anemic.

dm

drummerman · « **Reply #22 on:** August 14, 2015, 09:45:04 pm »

oh yeah, I too have been having much more acid reflux than in the past... almost daily.

dm

drummerman · « **Reply #23 on:** August 14, 2015, 11:29:42 pm »

Thanks Sapphire... you're correct.

dm

DeathtoHep · « **Reply #24 on:** August 22, 2015, 12:50:20 am »

So im in my third week. So far so good. I get really tired until later in the day. I can go out and do normal stuff but I dont stay out long. It occured to me today that maybe Im not spacing my pills correctly. I know we take them in the morning and evening but thats pretty vague for me. Right now im taking them about 8-9 hours apart. Maybe if I went longer between taking them I would have more energy? I would like to hear from others to see what theyre doing. Thanks.

DeathtoHep · « **Reply #25 on:** August 22, 2015, 04:08:53 am »

Also, got checked up by my doctor. The issues im having with my heart are totally unrelated to this medication. I have a blood test on wednesday. I cant wait to see whats the results are

Philadelphia · « **Reply #26 on:** August 22, 2015, 04:48:53 am »

7:30 am and pm for me with riba

DeathtoHep · « **Reply #27 on:** August 28, 2015, 10:02:20 pm »

My week 3 labs were posted online today. Unfortunately it doesnt list the VL and no one at my doctors office knows how to read a chart EXCEPT my doctor. All they can say is "everything looks good"

So Ill have to wait until tuesday for that information. One thing I noticed was my platelets were high but it only went from 370 to 390. There were a few other things like creatine that went back to normal so I know the medication is working and thats uplifting. It would be nice to start a fancy signature profile but overall im convinced im on the right track. Everyone have a good weekend and good luck!

Rosie13 · « **Reply #28 on:** August 29, 2015, 06:50:45 pm »

Hey Death to Hep! Sounds like you are slaying the dragon & doing well ! One thing I thought I would mention is with the heart burn & possible indigestion you are not to take antacids. A few of the people that are experienced on the forum said that it will mess up your meds. I have hepc 1b & just got approved after a disappointing week with insurance co. They sent a denial & an approval on the same day. I hope the approval is for real!

Bree · « **Reply #29 on:** August 29, 2015, 07:07:11 pm »

Rosie, that is great news on your approval! In my view, an approval trumps a denial! That would be my position. Please let us know how it works out.

DeathtoHep · « **Reply #30 on:** August 29, 2015, 08:20:45 pm »

yes congrats. getting approved is the hardest part I think. I was taking TUMS for the first week until I read that youre not supposed to take them. I wish doctors would take the time to mention this type of stuff instead of rushing people out the door and taking their money. Anyway I think antacids are OK for VP but not Harvoni. There is a specific drug that interracts with VP that youre not supposed to take. There is a link somewhere on this site that goes into detail but I think its safer just to not take anything. The only other thing I take is Ibuprofen if I get a bad headache. I dont know if Im supposed to but my doctor is too busy to be bothered by such a small question.

Rosie13 · « **Reply #31 on:** August 29, 2015, 08:28:04 pm »

After both the nurse & the bcbs pharmacy rep told me absolutely my insurance does not cover name brand drugs...I was offered an outside review that was going to take another 30 days.Mayo Clinic gave me access to a lot of foundations that help with co pays if your insurance covered something so I did not qualify for any of them.A patient advocacy group made an appt. to discuss my case with bcbs on Tuesday .I just knew somehow it would happen but the fear was I was getting worse & how bad would the fibrosis be .I like your take about the approval trumps the denial though!So next week I hope I will be calm & positive that this is my ticket out of hell.you guys are all so incredibly kind!

Rosie13 · « **Reply #32 on:** August 29, 2015, 08:37:35 pm »

There are other natural alternatives to acid reflux but you would have to check with Dr. I hear ya on the " to busy to call back".My doctor didnt talk to me about the bloodwork & my hepatology nurse went on vacation! we used to down a spoon of bakingsoda with water chaser when we ate too much candy as kids.I think licorice works well but I think I'll power through with Harvoni & not take a chance.

DeathtoHep · « **Reply #33 on:** August 29, 2015, 08:46:36 pm »

If you are 1b the cure rate is 100%. Ill take those odds anyday

I think there is still uncertainty about whether fibrosis goes away after treatment but if you have the "C" word I think its forever. I asked my doctor about it and he said "good question". Im starting to think I chose the wrong career. Doctoring seems legit.

slats1056 · « **Reply #34 on:** August 30, 2015, 10:26:52 pm »

Hey Guys, Just thought I would chime in. Most antacids can be taken with harvoni 12 hours after Your pill. Watch out for licorice if You have blood pressure issues as it can raise Your pressure. CHECK WITH YOUR PHARMACIST ON ALL MEDS TAKEN WITH HARVONI!!!!!
I have been getting quick info from My specialty pharmacist when I have questions. Apparently the average pharmacists are not fill in on specialty specific meds.

DeathtoHep · « **Reply #35 on:** September 10, 2015, 03:51:31 am »

Started week 6 today. I cant believe im almost halfway. Im missing out on so much and cant wait to get back to living.

As far as side effects its pretty random with my energy level. Sometimes I feel like going to the gym but as soon as I leave the house I feel drained all the sudden. Mostily I just have cabin fever and am gaining weight. I have had a few headaches that go away with Ibuprofen and insomnia is constant. Some anxiety and more vivid dreams. Some depression and feeling foggy. I will usually watch stand up comedy on Netflix if I get too down.

Hopefully everyone out there is coping well. I keep reminding myself to focus on the end result and that this is worth going through even if my finances, social life and physical condition have taken a blow.

Philadelphia · « **Reply #36 on:** September 10, 2015, 05:48:22 am »

I've just done 24 weeks of VPak + riba, but my riba dose was reduced early due to bilirubin and hg sx. I think once my dose was adjusted it was a lot easier.

DeathtoHep · « **Reply #37 on:** September 10, 2015, 06:23:11 pm »

All of my blood results were normal except for Platelets were a little out of range. This morning I felt so bad even though I slept like 9 hrs. I didnt want to get up or take my pills or eat. I felt like I just took a nap and was rudely awakened. Hopefully its just one of those bad days. The first thing I did was drink a bottle of water but hours later I still feel like crap. My doctor is no help and just says "youre fine" and "you worry too much". They didnt check my BP or viral load which my nurse says is very uncommon so I dont really know what to do. I guess since my blood results are fine I should just tough it out but on days like this I wonder how people can function normally on VP.

Philadelphia · « **Reply #38 on:** September 10, 2015, 06:35:08 pm »

Is there a reason you need to get out of bed? Or off the lounge? Can you take some time to rest? After all, there's a bit of a battle going on inside your body right now and it is taking its toll on you. Treatment sx are different for everyone. Some people sail through. Some people plod through. Some people struggle. It's not a reflection of anything but the fact that we are all gloriously different.

DeathtoHep · « **Reply #39 on:** September 10, 2015, 06:42:13 pm »

I dont need to get out of bed or go to work. Right now im just eating through my savings which is no big deal if I get healthy. I felt like this the first week of treatment, then it got so much easier, now Im going backwards it seems. Im usually a very tough person and its frustrating that Im 30 but I feel like im 90. When I took interferon I was 20 at the time and still went to partys right after I injected. I guess Ill just lay here and take it.

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Author Topic: Day 1 of The HepC slaughter~12wk viekira pak/riba (Read 24226 times)