Possible Collateral Damage from Harvoni/Ribavirin?

[Wiglaf]

It has been 13 months since EOT. After SVR24 the Infectious Disease Center sent a letter which stated "You are cured....Congratulations....etc." Hmmmmmm. Mentally I am a shadow of my old self. Ingesting Harvoni/Ribavirin for twelve weeks may have caused cognitive impairment. My brain is functioning at less than usual pretreatment level. I now experience mild anterograde amnesia since EOT. Remembering directions and staying focused is an ongoing active process until a task is completed. It seems my mojo is dormant and needs more time to come out of hibernation. Physically I am fine. I sleep at least 8 hrs every night, weight lift, healthy diet, do not drink alcohol, speed walk (4 mph) my Rottweiler 4-5 miles every day, and recently retired. Maybe as a child I had undiagnosed ADHD, and recently the ADHD was triggered by the Hep C tx, and the ADHD has reared its ugly head. Just a shot in the dark. Anyone else with working memory deficit?

Memento mori,

Wiglaf

[KimInTheForest]

Hi Wiglaf. Welcome to the forums!

I too did 12 weeks of Harvoni+ribavirin last year and was cured. I am now 11 months post-treatment. And, like you, I have been a shadow of my former self until very recently. Yet I entered treatment in good health with no known problems or medical conditions other than having chronic Hep C.

In my case I was very physically ill and debilitated post-treatment, with monthly blood work supporting the notion that something was seriously wrong but no diagnosis could be found. I was often bedridden with high fever and drenching sweats, experiencing extreme fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, endless dry cough, anemia that would not resolve and a variety of other things. I did have some memory problems, but in my case the memory issues were mainly a product of being so physically ill and disabled.

I have no doubt that the treatment was the cause or at least the trigger for the great illness and incapacitation that has marked my life post-treatment.  I have been consulting 2 specialists and a GP, and will be consulting a 3rd specialist next week.

However, the good news for me (and let's hope you too have good news to share soon), is that my health has improved in the last couple of weeks. And I am hoping tomorrow's lab work reflect that. But I don't want to speak too soon for fear of jinxing it.

Many people on these forums have discussed severe and prolonged post-treatment health problems that they did not have pre-treatment. So there is certainly a pattern of this for some people. Yet a far greater number of people complete these treatments with the new drugs and have no post-treatment issues. So it is hard to know what is going on.

I would encourage you to see a doctor (probably more than one) where any kind of recent cognitive impairment is concerned. And I hope that all of us who have declined post-treatment (relative to our pre-treatment health and quality of life) will eventually find our way back to good health in our bodies that are now rid of Hep C.

kim

[Mugwump]

It took me a full year to recover from interferon/ribavirin tx in 2004-5. I experienced brain fog at that time that made me stop driving after I got into one minor traffic accident because of the prolonged fog and lack of the ability to focus.

I was not able to go back to work for over a year and a half post peg interferon/ribavirin treatment. And would have been in a real pickle if I did not have a spouse that supported me all through the ordeal. I have no doubt that taking ribavirin for a full 48 weeks would have put me on the street with a tin cup!

My treatment in 2014-15 with 24 weeks of harvoni and no ribavirin did the complete opposite. My mental faculties are better than they have been in over 15 years. I can now memorize concert masterpieces of classical guitar music for the first time in over 25 years.

I am so glad that treatment in my case did not require the use of riba this time around.

All the best getting over the effects of your treatment asap!

Eric

[Wiglaf]

Kim and Mugwump, It is great to hear the two of you recently made remarkable progress. I hope we hear more good news from you and everyone.

Informed my Primary Care Physician about my working memory deficit. I asked the doctor to prescribe a "smart drug" for me. He quickly responded "There are no smart drugs." I replied, I read the Navy Seals who stormed Bin Laden's compound took Adderall before the mission. I also read some colleges and universities banned "academic doping." Apparently students were taking Adderall or Modafinil before exams to improve their recall. Both drugs are prescribed for ADHD, narcolepsy, and brain fog. The doctor laughed and said you look good and are healthy. A nurse then escorted me to the lobby. Two weeks later a letter arrived that stated I have been reassigned to a different Primary Care Physician. I can only guess the doctor lost his patience with me. No pun intended. The good news is I have noticed a gradual improvement as each month passes. Little by little, a little becomes a lot.

Wiglaf