Anyone know if you can take lactaid with Harvoni?

[AuntieCanuck]

I'm to start Harvoni 8 week treatment plan next week, but am worried about the large amount of lactose in it.  My latest gastro doc was the first one in 18+ years that got me relief from horrid IBD issues (was in diapers at one point) with a pretty strict Low FODMAP diet.( https://ibsfreedom.wordpress.com/2014/03/18/low-fodmaps-diet-chart/ ) 

Now he's on holiday until mid-August, and no one seems to know if I can take a lactase-based med to prevent the agonizing pain, bloody diarhea, etc. from returning. I've waited since 2000 to get treated because my IBD and other body-wide inflammatory issues would have resulted in dropping out of the old INF/R treatment.

Even my pharmacist can't find anything on it!  Any one out there have any info to share?

Thanks!

[Lynn K]

I would speak with your gastroenterologist

Gastrointestinal
HARVONI contains lactose. This medicine is not recommended for patients with rare hereditary problems of galactose intolerance (severe lactase deficiency or glucose-galactose malabsorption).

http://www.gilead.ca/pdf/ca/harvoni_pm_english.pdf

[AuntieCanuck]

That's not helpful. 

My IDB is not from genetic issues, but from damage done by antibiotic/sulpha drug treatment for amoebic dysentery and aggravated by NSAIDs, lactose, gluten, fructose and other food ingredients that ferment in the bowel.  Fresh milk products cause the  worst and longest-lasting problem.

As noted in my post, my Gastro is on holiday for a month, so I can't ask him until mid-August.

I don't want a diagnosis.  I just want to know if one can take lactaid/lactase with Harvoni.

Even Gilead reps don't know!

I must confess I'm getting more concerned about this "cure" every time I see an article or post about Harvoni.

[Lynn K]

As most of us are not medical professionals of any sort but rather fellow patients coming from all walks of life and being as your question is so specific I am afraid you may have to hold out for your doctors response. I would think you could ask his staff and they could forward your question as you need for an answer is time critical.

I have not seen only thing on the Harvoni prescribing information sheet listing lactaid as a concern. Really the experts on Harvoni would be the Gilead people or your doctor. Harvoni is as you know a very new medicine and I am sure that not every possibility of reaction to treatment has been explored at this point. Even though Harvoni is FDA approved we as early treaters are somewhat pioneers developing new data on this medicine going forward.
Harvoni prescribing information sheet:

http://www.gilead.com/~/media/Files/pdfs/medicines/liver-disease/harvoni/harvoni_pi.pdf
see table 4 page 9

When is Harvoni contraindicated?
http://www.hepatitiscentral.com/harvoni-ledipasvir-and-sofosbuvir/contraindications/

Of course if someone does have specific knowledge hopefully they will see this thread and chime in with what they know.

My first thought I assume you are asking about lactaid medicine and not the milk replacement beverage. I guess you could follow the recommendations for taking medicines like Rolaids or Tums that being per table 4 page 9 of the prescribing information to take no closer to harvoni than 4 hours prior to taking Harvoni or no sooner than 4 hours after taking Harvoni in order not to interfere with the absorption of the Ledipasvir component of the combo medicine Harvoni.

I also found this web page Drugs.com they dont list ant known interactions between Harvoni and Lactaid

https://www.drugs.com/drug-interactions/ledipasvir-sofosbuvir,harvoni.html

I hope you find some of this information more helpful than my last post.

Good luck with your treatment

[AuntieCanuck]

Thanks - I'm personally leaning to the "no news is good news" side on this.
I have a call into Gilead - waiting to hear.

Taking lactaid 3 hours away from Harvoni would not be at all helpful, as it has to be taken immediately before having anything with lactose in it (of if someone sneaked some in on you unsuspectingly, as soon as possible).

BTW - how does one upload a pic for an "avatar" or attach one to a post? I can't seem to get to the options noted in the tinyportal instruction, or if I do, the upload doesn't work. 

[Lynn K]

this worked for me

HOW TO TURN A PICTURE ON YOUR COMPUTER INTO YOUR AVATAR


The avatar is the little picture that appears below your name whenever you post to these forums. If no picture appears now, that is because you haven't chosen one. These forums supply some ready-made avatars from which you can select one. But you might prefer to have a "custom avatar."


If you want to turn a favorite photo or graphic into your avatar, here is how:

1. Make a version of your picture that is no larger than 120 pixels wide by 120 pixels high. If you don't own software that can do this, you can let TinyPic do it during step 6.

2. In your browser, go to tinypic.com and look for the orange Upload Images & Videos section heading.

3. Next to the word File: click on the Choose File button. Use the customary navigation techniques on your computer to show TinyPic where your picture is located. The picture's filename will now appear to the right of the Choose File button.

4. You can leave the Tags: field blank. TinyPic makes your picture available to others (that's the price of using the free program), so not entering any tags makes it harder for others to know your picture is stored on TinyPic.

5. File Type: should have a black dot inside the Image circle. If not, click that circle to move the black dot there.

6. If you have already resized your picture to 120x120 pixels or smaller, leave Resize: at Default. Otherwise, put your mouse pointer on the up/down arrows and slide down, releasing your mouse when Avatar (100x75) is selected (has a dark blue background). TinyPic will now make a version of your picture that is small enough to become your hep forums avatar. It will be rectangular, not square (TinyPic does not give you a choice of shape).

7. Click the green UPLOAD NOW! button. TinyPic will make you type something to prove that you are a human being rather than a machine, then it will present you with four versions of computerese gobbledegook. You don't want the one with the word URL in it. You want the gobbledegook in the fourth box -- the one that follows the words Direct Link for Layouts:. Use your mouse to copy the gobbledegook in that box -- it is the magic URL you are going to need. (You may want to paste it into a file in case you need it again in the future.)

8. Now go to the hep forums. On the heading that says Home  Forum  Help  Search  Profile  My Messages  Members  Logout click the word Profile. On the bottom line of the Welcome section put your mouse pointer on Modify Profile and slide down and click Forum Profile.

9. Under Personalized Picture are three circles. Click the one next to the words Specify avatar by URL. A white box will appear on the right. Past the gobbledegook TinyPic gave you into that box. Then scroll down and click on the bottommost Change profile button.

[AuntieCanuck]

Thanks a bushel and a peck!

[Lynn K]

Nice lol