Hep C 2b Sovaldi and Ribavirin

Steffiecakes,

Welcome to the Hepatitis forum. We are patients, caregivers and loved ones affected by the many forms of liver disease.

Hep C is a huge problem world wide...millions of folks are infected and more are getting infected every day.

The fact that you were recently diagnosed and can go on treatment so soon with minimal damage to your liver is THE GOOD LUCK OF THE CENTURY.

As you start on this trail, could you tell us a little more about yourself...are you in the US, Canada, elsewhere? We have members from all over and the protocols vary a bit from place to place. WE would be curious what you viral load is coming into the journey. You might want to guess when you were infected...though you were recently diagnosed, many were infected long ago and it lay quiety in the background eating away at the liver.

My partner is on week 2 of Sovaldi and Olysio treatment. He is 1a, and Interferon intolerant, so he qualified for a different protocol than yours. After 7 days on the meds he went from a viral load of 3 million to 302...just three hundred two. GASP. Woo Hoo.

However, he has been on a difficult journey...Infected in late 60's, he is a 65 year old man who tried the Interferon/Ribavirin in 2003 with no success. He was very ill with the side effects and did not clear. They told him then that he should not do Interferon again and that new meds were right around the corner that would fix him right up. That was 11 years ago, a gradual slide into liver failure, kidney failure, and a lot of other failures. He was transplanted almost 3 years ago in a life saving surgery but the Hep C came right back. Going into this treatment he has Stage 3 fibrosis ALREADY, so that Hep C has been busy! Again! So for him, this treatment finally approved by the FDA and available to doctors to prescribe is a miracle.

And will be a miracle for many, though folks are having a tough time getting insruance coverage such that copays are manageable. The pills Mike takes are $1600 a day and are covered by his Florida Medicaid with Prior Medical Authorization.

Would you disclose your experience with the insurance? Some are able to make the copays and some are deferring treatment until the prices come down.

RE: Sides, there are several here on the same protocol as you will start Thursday. None are complaining of desperate sides.There was one report of headache for which a small dose of tylenol was enough. Some are finding anxiety levels are raised. Talk to your doctor about whether premedication for anxiety is recommended. Others have reported some nausea, again with simple Rx that is used for some chemos hase been effective. Since the course of treatment is short, I say to bear almost anything to get through. Look at the horrible years we have seen. Our lives have been forever changed by the financial burden of his illness, by the mental changes of End State Liver Disease. For some years he was gone from me...just a basket case from the Hepatic Encephalopahy that often accompanies late stage liver disease. He had fluid build up in his legs and feet. Poor balance. And transplant is no picnic. Avoid that, bear up to the sides, share here. We'll talk you through it!

BTW, Mike has had NO sides so far. He is tired, but is always tired...he has Hepatitis, what is new! He was cranky a few days...so what is new, he has Hepatitis.

Best to you and welcome...
Mama Lama

Hi steffiecakes! This is a great forum to review others experiences and get a very supportive lift if needed. I am also type 2b with minimal liver damage and watching the mailbox for my Sovaldi right now. I was also told I had time to wait, but with this much success from Sovaldi, it's absurd not to go ahead and start it. I've done lots and lots of research all over the interweb. Everybody reacts differently. Some people have no sides at all, while some get slammed. But, even the ones with bad sides are thrilled beyond belief when they see "undetected" on their labs in only a few weeks of treatment. Type 2b is the easiest to treat. The clinical trials with 2b patients on Sov/Riba had the furthest drop in HCV/RNA of all the others tested. The chart I have shows a drop of well over 5(log10) in just 2 weeks of treatment. The drops in Hemoglobin were much less as well for 2b patients. The chart I have shows an average drop of 1.5 g/dl during the first few weeks of treatment, and then it levels off. I hope this helps give you positive, happy thoughts towards starting treatment. We may have no sides at all, but it's best to be ready in case. My plan is good food, lots of water, lots of activity, and positive, happy thoughts of getting my life back.

GOOD LUCK AND BEST WISHES!! 

My results for the test called HCV RNA, quantitative real time PCR is 3076472 H and 6.49 H. Is that the viral load? My ALT is 17 and AST is 20. I hope this means something to someone.

Your VL is just over 3 million and your ast and alt look just like we all want ours to look :)

I would make a new one with a title similar to the other treatment logs.
Are you going to start Friday?