Author Topic: Started Viekira Pak with Ribavirin today (Read 20013 times)

Kruger · « **on:** August 06, 2015, 01:06:36 am »

Hey fellow Hep C slayers!
Contracted Hep C in the early '70s. I believe it was from the vaccination guns used in USMC boot camp.
I'm geno type 1b with compensated cirrhosis. I can't say much about side effects as yet. Only through the first day. I do eat huge meals when I take the meds and drink more water than I ever have so that should help.

Much success to all going through this.

Bree · « **Reply #1 on:** August 06, 2015, 02:46:40 am »

Good luck to you Kruger! I wish you the best on treatment!

Philadelphia · « **Reply #2 on:** August 06, 2015, 04:44:21 am »

Hey Kruger! 1b with Viekira Pak is a great combo. I got a but slammed by the riba and had to dose reduce but now everything has stabilized it's much better. I'm in my 19th week I think - or maybe week 20 - of a 24 week treatment. I need to check my calendar.

ms.nomoreC · « **Reply #3 on:** August 06, 2015, 11:11:17 am »

Hi Kruger,

Good luck! I've been on Viekira and Ribavirin for 7.5 weeks. Only 4.5 left to go. This treatment has been pretty doable. Drink lots of water and stay as active as you can. My RBC count and hemoglobin dropped significantly by week six and I felt pretty tired, but I haven't had to back off riba yet. The big news is that my six week labs show I am undetectable for the virus with a zero viral load. All my liver function tests are in the normal range for the first time in 30 years.

This is a life changing journey. Philadelphia once suggested to me that it was ok to notice what was going on in my body while in treatment, but to try not to amplify. It was helpful to remember that as different small sx emerged.

Wishing you a SVR,
ms.nomoreC

Kruger · « **Reply #4 on:** August 07, 2015, 02:41:18 am »

Thanks for all the encouragements!

sapphire101 · « **Reply #5 on:** August 07, 2015, 10:57:49 pm »

Welcome Kruger.
The is a wonderful forum and you will find support and encouragement here.
Stay in touch.

Kruger · « **Reply #6 on:** August 17, 2015, 04:00:12 pm »

Thanks for the encouragement. I decided to look at my viral loads (only 3 to see since 2010) today as my 2 week check is tomorrow.

Jan 2010 1157401
Jan 2015 936000
July 2015 172000

This is interesting. These loads are all pre-treatment. Does anyone else have strange readings untreated over time ?

Philadelphia · « **Reply #7 on:** August 17, 2015, 05:08:13 pm »

Oh yeah, they zig zag all over the place. Up, down, round and round. Viral loads are very changeable, in my experience.

edman300 · « **Reply #8 on:** August 19, 2015, 06:09:19 pm »

hello fellow dragon slayer, I just started 12 wk viekira w/o riba . I wish you and all on here to be virus free soon. I am looking forward to hearing all the success stories. I never even heard of viekira pak until docs office told me that's what they want me on. heard of harvoni and sovaldi but not viekira. I have been doing quite a bit of research, ( consider myself a decent internet doctor..lol ). Anyways im trying to connect with someone to journey together. May God grant us all success

Kruger · « **Reply #9 on:** August 19, 2015, 10:20:30 pm »

Hey edman, I just started week 3 today. Same regimen as yours. My doctor says the 1st 2 weeks are the worst but I've seen others here whose experiences differed.

Fatigue, tiredness a little dizziness at times. Some days I'm on top of the world and others...there doesn't seem to be much consistency from day to day. Other than the afternoons seem to exhibit a lot fewer side effects than the mornings. I wouldn't call the side effects unbearable for me, more of a nuisance than anything else.

Like all the others say, you better like water...a lot, lol.

I've changed my eating habits to twice a day. As big a breakfast as I can put down with the meds in the middle of the meal and the same for late lunch/early dinner. That has worked for me so no nausea. Rarely I can feel a slight headache trying to make it in but more water takes care of that

I haven't had any problem with insomnia yet. Some here get that in the later weeks so...

Good luck and hang in there. The treatment definitely beats the alternative and it's only 12 weeks. You can do that standing on your head.

Again, don't go far from water.

edman300 · « **Reply #10 on:** August 19, 2015, 10:39:01 pm »

Thx for the encouragement. I definitely got the message loud and clear about the water. I think I'm waterlogged. Lol. But so far hardly no sides at all. Only been two days tho. I wish you the very best and am wondering if you saw my other post about harvoni vs viekira pak and why harvoni seems to be more preferred

sapphire101 · « **Reply #11 on:** August 19, 2015, 11:14:42 pm »

Its all about the pill burden edman. With harvoni one pill a day with viekira five pills to nine pills depending on if you were also prescribed ribavirin. And then there is the ribavirin. Much higher side effects so in a perfect world we all get harvoni. HOWEVER, both regimens have the same efficacy rate! I was grateful to get approved for the viekira and many out there are still waiting...

edman300 · « **Reply #12 on:** August 19, 2015, 11:29:43 pm »

Thx sappire, so it's just the more pills and se? One thing I'm grateful for is I'm not on ribavirin. I take 3 pills in am and 1 in pm. Not that big a deal for me. Congratulations on your svr. I still have 11 weeks and 5 days to go.... Lol, so keep in touch if you so desire and I am confident you'll still be virus free when I'm done with my regimen and forever as is my prayer for us all

sapphire101 · « **Reply #13 on:** August 20, 2015, 12:33:49 am »

edman are you genotype 1b no cirrhosis?
If yes, then that is the sweet spot.
Clinical trials have shown up to 100% success for geno 1b on viekira and without riba the side effects are minimal.
Viekira alone is very tolerable and only has the fatigue, insomnia, and maybe dry skin/itchiness. Piece of cake right?

Tip: Put your stats in your signature and that will help the forum family to see at a glance what your story is.

DeathtoHep · « **Reply #14 on:** August 22, 2015, 04:39:06 am »

Hey edman, Ive also been on VP/riba for over two weeks. So far its really not that bad. Ive experienced all the typical side effects but they dont stay long. I had one really bad night where I didnt sleep at all. I guess it just hits you sometimes. Anyway, good luck and try not to worry that much.

drummerman · « **Reply #15 on:** August 22, 2015, 10:50:32 am »

Welcome Krueger!!!

I've read alot about the vaccination guns used during the 70s.... what a mistake.

anyway, if you are 1b on viekira , you should have no problems. Very do-able.

dm

Kruger · « **Reply #16 on:** August 22, 2015, 01:29:27 pm »

A suggestion that may help with sleepless nights. My Dr has me taking my 2nd dose around 3pm. I haven't missed a night's sleep yet into close to 3 weeks. I'm pretty wide awake around 10pm to 11pm though so if you take your 2nd dose around 6pm, chances are you'll be up till 1am to 2am.

Worked for me.

Good luck!

drummerman · « **Reply #17 on:** August 22, 2015, 03:58:19 pm »

never have any problem with sleep...I even take my 3 riba with the pm dose about 10 and just sleep through it.

When I took my 3 in the am, it really made my heart pound during the day. Still pounds some time at night but I just ignore, use meditation technique , which I shouldn't do laying down... cause when you meditate laying down you fall asleep!!!
At least I do.

dm

Kruger · « **Reply #18 on:** September 09, 2015, 03:32:05 am »

I haven't been on in a while so this is the soonest I can update my progress.

I was under the impression my Dr was doing a viral load at 2 weeks. She said they do it at 4 weeks so...

A week later I get the results and the numbers are in. HEPATITIS C VIRUS RNA not detected. That is 4 weeks of treatment so I hope this gives the new people enough strength to weather the side effects.

I start week 6 today so I'm halfway home with the treatment. I see the Dr in a week so we will have much to discuss then.

My hemoglobin dropped from 15 to 11 during those 4 weeks so naturally I feel like crap most of the time. Maybe the Doc will lighten the Riba a bit. I can only hope.

Good luck to all and hang in there. Believe me, it's worth it.

Jeff

DeathtoHep · « **Reply #19 on:** September 09, 2015, 03:46:26 am »

Looks like we are on the exact same timeline. Im also starting week 6 today. When I saw my doctor last week I expected to here my viral load results. I was surprised to hear he didnt order that part of my test. Apparently, he doesnt find it necessary until the end which I can agree with but it would be nice to hear undetected. Congrats on your results. My hemoglobin went from 16 to 15. I was going to ask him to reduce my riba dose (1200mg) but decided the more the better if I can handle it.

Kruger · « **Reply #20 on:** September 09, 2015, 12:31:58 pm »

Deathtohep, that one test is what I want to see during the treatment. It gives me hope to finish the treatment. Maybe if you ask, your Dr will order the test for you?

Worth a shot,

Jeff

Lish166146 · « **Reply #21 on:** December 08, 2016, 11:59:22 am »

I was born with Hec C 1a. My Mom was an IV user while pregnant with me. After a long hard battle to get harvoni, I had to give up and get the V pack with ribo I am terrified to take it. I had the ribo delivered yesterday now I'm waiting for the Vpack. I need some kind of encouragement. I've been living with hep C now for 41 years and it has caused me to be severely anemic (anemia of chronic disease) - and now I get to take a medication that makes it worse. I am greatful for the opportunity to be treated but I am so angry that I can't get harvoni unless this fails.

Kruger · « **Reply #22 on:** December 08, 2016, 01:09:20 pm »

Hello Lish. I was nervous at first too, but the thought of beating Hep C excited me enough to just do it. Read the forums here. The people who went through the treatment kept me going.
The side effects are a bit different for each person and there are things you can do to lessen the severity.
The fatigue was always a factor for me. Walking upstairs felt like I did a marathon so I rested a lot. A whole lot. Don't exert yourself physically because 30 seconds later you'll be sitting and resting again.
The one main thing besides rest is to drink water. Lots of water. I can't stress this enough. Stock up on bottled water and have a bottle in your hand at all times. If you're away from home, have backup water in the car. Water, water and more water.
Your appetite may take a hit which was good for me. I needed to drop some pounds anyway so that was a plus. It may have had something to do with all the water in me.
Ok so let's get to the pills themselves. I took mine twice a day. I did 7am and 6pm. Break fast and dinner. Others here did theirs at different times. I only ate at those times because I made sure the meals were big. I took the pills in the middle of the meals so there was plenty of food in my stomach.
Hang in there and stick to it. It's only 3 months (was for me anyway). It's worth it, believe me. Don't give up no matter what you do for a couple of reasons. The cost alone is one and if you quit during the treatment, the next go around is 6 months.
As I said, read the forums often and drink more water than you have your whole life and you'll get through this.
After the treatment (and the time for the meds to leave your system) there's a good chance you'll feel like a million bucks. There's nothing like a healthy liver to brighten one's day.

Jeff

Lish166146 · « **Reply #23 on:** December 08, 2016, 02:38:39 pm »

Thank you Jeff for your reply. I forgot to mention I'm a police officer... will I still be able to work or should I ask for modified duty?

Kruger · « **Reply #24 on:** December 08, 2016, 08:17:18 pm »

First and foremost, thank you for your service.
I don't know. If I were the officer going through this treatment, I wouldn't hesitate to go modified assignment. If I had to run after a perp I wouldn't get 10 feet and I'd probably need an oxygen bottle after that. But that's me.
Besides, with all the water you'll be drinking, you better be within eyesight of a rest room. Your call though.

Lish166146 · « **Reply #25 on:** December 08, 2016, 08:26:27 pm »

Thank you Kruger. I guess my new normal for the next few months is to take care of myself... which is completely foreign to me. Even when I had cancer... I still took care of everyone else because all I had was surgery and radiation. I felt terrible but not enough to stop. From what I'm reading...vpak w/ ribo is an antiviral chemo.... and the side effects are just as bad as chemo for cancer. Thank you again!

Philadelphia · « **Reply #26 on:** December 10, 2016, 01:26:49 pm »

Hi Lish I did 24 weeks of VP/riba and worked part time throughout it. I could have worked full time once I sorted out my haemoglobin issues, but I had a huge backlog of sick leave and decided to whittle some of it down.

I did find the riba knocked my haemoglobin levels around but more than that it made my bilirubinlevels skyrocket and for that reason they reduced the amount I took.

I still cleared the virus and here I am 12 months later feeling okay! You will too.

I'd seriously investigate light duties until you know how it will affect you, then you can play it by ear and see how it all goes.

Lish166146 · « **Reply #27 on:** December 10, 2016, 01:43:20 pm »

Thank you Philadelphia. I start this process Monday. I was cleared by my dr to do light duty and my department agreed. So here we go. I'm looking forward to no more headache..rashes...iron infusions... head fog. It's amazing that even with a disease that is not rapidly progressing, it causes so much havoc. Well big girl pants are up

andrew j · « **Reply #28 on:** December 10, 2016, 08:51:41 pm »

Best of luck on your Tx journey, Lish.
Sure - Harvoni would probably be better - but what's best of all is that you are on the road to recovery!

You're right about Hep C.
It really is an unpleasant beast, isn't it?

There are people here who have experience with Riba, as you already know - so keep checking in, esp. if you run into difficulties.
(Many don't).

It's great that your Department has been so understanding!

Best wishes,
A.

Lish166146 · « **Reply #29 on:** December 10, 2016, 10:36:55 pm »

Thank you Andrew. I will definitely keep you posted.

Pete · « **Reply #30 on:** December 11, 2016, 03:05:52 am »

Quote

From what I'm reading...vpak w/ ribo is an antiviral chemo.... and the side effects are just as bad as chemo for cancer

Hello Lish, I wanted to give something contrary to read.

I just finished 24 weeks of VP/riba. In fact my last pill was about 5 hours ago. I too thought I would barely be able to move and would need help getting out of bed. I kept waiting... it never happened. I felt pretty much felt fine the entire 24 weeks. There was a slight drop in my hemoglobin in the first month, but it came back to normal a couple of weeks after that. I did notice my appetite was a bit suppressed on occasion, and maybe a bit of depression at times towards the end, but that's about the extent of it. Certainly doable.

Not everyone has a bad time with these meds. Ditto on the water, eat healthy and get some regular mild exercise like walking, biking or whatever works for you. You might want to skip the 5k marathon this year. I bet you'll be fine, and 12 weeks flies by pretty fast if you don't dwell on it all the time. Good luck, and I too tip my hat for the service to give to others. I hope we may be of service to you if you should need it.

pete

Lish166146 · « **Reply #31 on:** December 11, 2016, 02:05:39 pm »

Thanks Pete. I'm hoping my journey is the same. I have two children to run after and a full time job.... being knocked on my butt for 12 weeks isn't exactly a preferred outcome.... actually it wouldn't be preferred even if I had none of the above .. lol. Well tonight is my last night shift on the road and my journey starts tomorrow morning... one foot in front of the other

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Author Topic: Started Viekira Pak with Ribavirin today (Read 20013 times)