Week 4 Harvoni feel like I am on speed

[Scoutdoy]

I am wondering if anyone else has experienced an explosion of energy while taking Harvoni?  I swear I feel like I am on speed.  Not jittery, but a lot of energy. I used to sleep everyday on my lunch break at work for 40 to 50 minutes and then after work for 30 min and still go to bed on time.  I have yet to take one nap since starting treatment.  A few nights I even had to take a .25 (the lowest available) Xanax at night.  It's kind of strange.  My children like it but I am wondering if this is normal.  .

[gnatcatcher]

Yes! You describe it well. It took me until week 6 to learn how to sleep more than a few hours at a time. Gotta say, it's not a bad problem to have. -Gnatty

[KimInTheForest]

I had exactly the same experience with Harvoni, Scout - huge boost in energy & a "speedy" feeling but not jittery. Just "I can do everything!" Also a real uptick in my mood. Euphoric almost. In my case, since I was also on ribavirin, that energy boost from the Harvoni became eclipsed by the riba-anemia by about week 6. But I think if I had been on Harvoni alone, I would have felt uplifted the entire time.

best,
kim

[Scoutdoy]

My daughter told me that since I have been taking this medicine I seem way less moody and less quick tempered. Probably because I am not absolutely exhausted every waking moment of the day. I am curious if it will last the duration of the treatment or just temporary

[Bree]

Me too.  I told my doctor I felt very alert like I drank a lot of coffee without being shaky.  For me, it's an odd mix as I still have fatigue and super alertness at the same time.  There are some cool phases of energy bursts and sense of well-being and happiness. 

I think part of it is not feeling the virus war in my body. Sometimes I think - so this is what it must feel like not to be dragged down by Hep C. 

[Corey]

Mine kicked in around week 4.  We referred to it as the Harvoni high.  In addition to more energy, I felt generally...happier.  I have had energy ups and downs since then but not the draggin'-my-butt-through-the-day feeling.  Enjoy  the energy boost!
 

[Mugwump]

Yes the "Harvoni High" seems to happen to many. I suspect it is because of the sudden radical improvement in metabolic processes in the liver. The flip side seems to be that if you have more advanced liver disease then you can also experience changes in blood pressure. This makes sense because your renal system needs to exchange the byproducts of cell exchange in the liver as the liver discharges the cell that were killed off by HCV. And sudden changes in renal function can and does effect mean blood pressure status of individuals. Monitoring blood pressure during renal dialysis is crucial for this very reason. And is the reason why individuals who have already experienced kidney failure cannot be treated effectively with Harvoni.

Perhaps Harvoni treatment actually speeds up the  hepatocyte exchange process to a level that our metabolism is not accustomed to even when HCV is attacking the hepatocytes? I theorize that HCV might be replacing several key metabolic processes within the liver cells that causes the immune system to not see them as being dead. Then as Harvoni terminates the the metabolic processes of HCV within the cells they become exposed as being dead and the cells are then cleaved and discharged in huge numbers much faster than they would have been had Harvoni not stopped the essential metabolic processes of HCV RNA. Think of it this way, the cells have become zombie HCV factories that are in truth dead but seem to be still alive to immune system.

But all of this is just speculation the important point is Harvoni works!

So my take is that yes Harvoni can rapidly and radically effect your metabolic processes in ways that could be unexpected. The Harvoni high for me was temporary but here at 14 weeks post treatment I have much better overall renal function, blood pressure control, physical energy and general health than I did pre treatment to say the least. So indeed many who clear the virus can go on to discover a more youthful self, indeed we all deserve a chance at a better life without liver damage slowly bringing us down!

I just wish that someone with more knowledge about the metabolic exchange of hepatocytes during Harvoni treatment could comment on this hypothesis of mine. 

[Scoutdoy]

Wow mug,,, that was quite the response and very enlightening. I absolutely agree with you. Have you ever thought of going into research? The difference for me with the energy level has been dramatic. I just don't know if this is how I am supposed to feel or if this is the medication buzz. I have felt so tired for so many years I hope that this is just how I am supposed to feel at my age...thank you