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My Sovaldi-Ribavirin Treatment Log

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Posted 3/22/2014 10:44 PM (GMT 0)
 Here we go!! Time to rid my body of the Hepatitis C Dragon with Sovaldi and Ribavirin!

I'm 53M, HCV genotype 2b from a blood transfusion back in 1982. Current HCV/RNA is 3.8 mill IU/ml.

Stage 1 portal fibrosis, with Grade 1 mild inflammation activity at last liver biopsy.

Considering my past, I am in very good shape overall. BP 122/70, Pulse 70, 175lbs, BMI 26.71kg/m2.

Metabolic panel all normal except slight elevation in AST (over by 1.) and ALT (over by 12.)

Protime-INR normal. Lipid panel all normal. CBC/w diff, all normal. (WBC, RBC, HMG, HCT are all on the lowest number in normal range.) I go for CBC/w diff. after one week of treatment to check for drops. I will be posting more detailed numbers as I progress through the treatment.

 I start every day by drinking 8oz of water before my feet even hit the floor. Since I have no appetite, I use legal medical marijuana so I can eat. After taking a drop of mmj oil under the tongue, I had an appetite within minutes. I took the Sovaldi 400mg and the first 600mg of Riba with a very healthy breakfast. I had a couple of very mild grumblies in the tummy, but they subsided very quickly. I had a great day, full of energy just knowing I'll soon be rid of this HCV. I took my evening Riba about an hour ago. I'm thirstier than usual, as I usually stay very well-hydrated and never get thirsty. I can tell already I will have to increase the water to avoid headaches. I believe my main problems will be keeping the CBC up. Time will tell. Good luck to all!!

 

Posted 3/22/2014 11:36 PM (GMT 0)
I'm right there with you. I just took the sovaldi without the Ribavirin. We shall see how that goes. I will be checking your posts all the time cuz we started the same day with the meds and have the same genotype. I'm trying to relax and actually sitting outside with a beautiful breeze blowing across the river helps a lot. Very peaceful out here. I noticed a slight headache all day and I'm not sure if it's from the meds or lack of sleep. Best of luck to you.
Posted 3/23/2014 12:38 AM (GMT 0)
IPC, Mike isn't taking the Riba...he has the Sovaldi and Olysio. He, like you is very careful about staying hydrated. His kidneys are not in that good shape with the damage done before his transplant. BTW, his CBCs are not being impacted at all. They were not normal before he began and are about the same now. His Crit, actually is a bit better. ML
Posted 3/23/2014 12:11 PM (GMT 0)
Hang in there Steffie! Thanks for the info Mama! After thoroughly researching the genotype 2b trials for Sov/Riba combo, the blood drops were very minimal.  It seems the addition of Interferon really has an impact on CBC. I'm not that worried anymore as my Doc will be checking my CBC by the week for the first month or so. I think some of my lower blood counts, (aside from having HCV) is not eating properly. I've never ate any green veggies. During my decades of alcoholism, I lived on bacon cheeseburgers every other day. I'm very lucky I'm not in much worse shape than I am. I eat much healthier now. I'm all organic, non-GMO, no preservatives, no artificial colors or artificial flavors. 

DAY TWO: Slept like a rock last night!! I woke up feeling very rested, but had the driest mouth ever. I drank my morning glass of water and took my Sovaldi alone before I even got out of the bed. I don't think the Sovaldi has any side effects. I hope to end up taking the Sovaldi at lunchtime, and the Ribavirin doses at breakfast and dinner.

 It's been a couple hours since I took the Sovaldi on an empty stomach. No tummy grumblies or anything. I have not used any medical marijuana yet. I'm going to try and force myself to eat a little something so I can take the Riba. Aside from the severe dry mouth, and the very slight sensation of a pending headache, I feel fine. I'm usually fatigued everyday, but I was full of energy yesterday, and feel today may be the same.

 

Posted 3/24/2014 11:28 AM (GMT 0)
Today is day three of Sovaldi 400mg, and Ribavirin 1200mg. I slept like a rock again last night. I didn't get the tummy grumblies yesterday, but I got bodyslammed with flamethrowing heartburn and chest pains. I never eat fatty foods but had researched fatty foods increased the level of Riba in the blood stream. I have GERD but had it under control without pills by just changing my diet. I thought I may be pushing the door open for my GERD by eating fat again. Researching the Riba some more, I found others had serious issues with GERD as well. I spoke with a physician and they said fat may help increase the level of Riba, but it really depends on your metabolism and BMI as to how your body uptakes the medicine. Everybody is different. I WILL NOT BE EATING ANY MORE FAT WITH MY PILLS! I'm going back to my regular, healthy diet. Other than the flamethrowing belch attacks, I have some sores on the roof of my mouth and tip of my tongue. I do feel more tired than usual and have body aches and nasal stuffiness like I'm trying to catch a cold or flu. Even with my lower CBC counts, I haven't had a cold or flu in well over 25 years!

 My usual itchy rash/hives I have on my back are completely gone. I don't understand that. I thought the Riba would make that worse for sure. Dry mouth is still a constant battle. The headache sensations left yesterday after lunch and never came back. I started taking my PPI for GERD again at 4am this morning. Taking my Sovaldi now as I type. I will take my Riba around 8-8:30am with a bowl of oatmeal and an apple.

GOOD LUCK AND HAVE A GREAT DAY TO ALL!!

 

Posted 3/24/2014 11:40 AM (GMT 0)
IPC. Hoping the new regimen works well for you. Some have more trouble with sides than others. I'm so sorry the GERD haste surfaces so quickly. I hope it settles down quickly. ML
Posted 3/24/2014 2:24 PM (GMT 0)
I am also a MMAR patient in Canada iplaycarvin and I am surprised to here the MMJ oil helps with your appetite and I never bothered to try it yet but I have a couple of plastic syringes with the "Rick Simpson" oil phoenixtears.ca/ that I have from a compassion club so I may have to try putting it under my tongue very soon as I have had it sitting in my safe for a few months now.

I know Rick consumed it daily for his cancer and the video on the site tells a great story many need to hear.

I also use a Volcano Vaporizer during the evening or when I am really sick feeling, I have eliminated all my sleeping problems I used to have by using the Volcano! I also went from having epileptic seizures every 2-3 months to having only one in the past eight years and even that one we believed was caused due to not sleeping properly the night before due to having a work deadline to meet...stress is not good for epilepsy and neither is poor sleep habits.

My family doctor at first was against the MMAR program so I went to another doctor which he was ok with and once I had my license and started using less pain killers and no sleeping meds he wanted to know more about marijuana, apparently our provinces college of physicians had told all doctors NOT to assist with MMAR licenses and for that he apologized but he seems very interested now after seeing the results.

Also, I will likely be the first person in my province or at least my city to take the Sovaldi+Ribavirin treatment while at the same time consuming my MMAR daily all under the direction of my family doctor/specialist and 100% approved by them while doing this treatment and I think its safe to say that already after 4 weeks my treatments results are no different than non MMAR users.

My medical records prove that MMAR does indeed work for my conditions and using it during my hepatitis treatment won't hurt but has actually helped and many nights when my wife sees me feeling sick she will say "Have you used the Volcano today" and when I say I didn't she will tell me that maybe I should and when I do within a couple of minutes I am feeling better and she will cook a small snack.

My wife is not a fan of smoking marijuana but when I explained the volcano and vaporizing to her she was impressed and believes in it after seeing how it has worked for me.

**Good luck with your treatment iplaycarvin and i will try some of Ricks "Phoenix Tears" under my tongue next time I'm hungry.
Posted 3/24/2014 8:21 PM (GMT 0)
Hey Allen! I was shocked when the oil gave me an appetite too. I usually have to vape or puff to get hungry. This oil is very similar to RSO except this is made with an all natural CO2 process. No solvents, or alcohol. It is supposed to be cleaner as there is no residue at all left from the CO2. It is an amber colored oil, not green or black like the other RSO I have seen. I used the oil mainly for my severe neuropathy symptoms, but it treats so many other ailments, it has replaced an entire medicine chest full of liver-zapping, very addictive prescription drugs. I moved to this legal state just to get on the medical marijuana program because I was tired of being a zombie on hundreds of pills. Most of the pills I was taking actually made me feel worse with all the horrible side effects. The only sides I get from mmj are extreme hunger, relaxation, happiness, and the will to live without alcohol in my life. All I know is it works very well and I would never go back to all those awful pills. Moving to this legal state was the best move of my life. I truly hope to be all natural with no pills again after this treatment is over. It is absolutely absurd this miracle plant is not in everyone's life.

BEST WISHES!!

Today is going good. My flu-like symptoms disappeared and except for some mild pains from belching those fireballs of fat yesterday, nothing is happening today. I used an mmj tincture on the bumps forming in my mouth and they are just about gone. My sensation of a pending headache has never returned, and the thrill of this new treatment has defeated the fatigue. I must be staying well hydrated because the dry mouth is gone. I have been busy as heck in the studio today. Playing and recording music really keeps my mind off this treatment. I hope everyone else is well.

Posted 3/25/2014 11:01 AM (GMT 0)
Another great night of sleep. This is day 4 of my Sov/Riba tx. I feel pretty darn good. The constant dry mouth is gone. The "pending headache" sensation is gone. Energy level is staying up. I'm still feeling the gnawing pain in my chest from eating the fat and grease with the first few doses of Riba. I took another PPI at 4:30am this morning. Hopefully I'll only have to take this PPI a couple more days. I liked it better when I could treat my GERD with healthier food choices over more chemicals. I took my Sovaldi at 6:30am this morning. I don't get the tummy grumblies when I take the Sovaldi separate from the Riba. Trying to keep my pill times around the same time. Sovaldi around 6am, and Riba around 8am, and 4pm. I see people trying hard to space the Riba doses 12 hours apart, but after contacting a clinician, 8 hours apart is plenty and still maintain a good level in the blood. I think taking the last dose of Riba around 4pm is why it is not bothering my sleep. My wife say's my iriitability is increasing since I started the tx. I cut down on my medical marijuana use because I did not want to cover up any major issues I may get from this treatment. I may have to increase the mmj so she don't pack up the dog and move out.

BEST WISHES AND HAVE A GREAT DAY EVERYONE!

Posted 3/26/2014 11:20 AM (GMT 0)
Another full night of sleep after another side effect free day. Today is Day 5 of my Sovaldi/Ribavirin. I woke up at 4am took my morning PPI/Prevacid. The gnawing GERD chest pains are gone, but I will continue taking the PPI a few more days to make sure it was the grease/fat, and not the Riba. I also take two 75mg Zantac during the day, and chew a couple Tums if I feel a fire starting. I am not the least bit concerned with reducing any drug plasma amounts.

 I took my Sovaldi alone at 6am and think I will stick to my 6am-8am-4pm pill times as it seems to work very well. I was going to experiment with the Sovaldi at different times of the day, but no sense changing something that works.

GOOD LUCK TO ALL AND HAVE A GREAT DAY!!

Posted 3/26/2014 6:42 PM (GMT 0)
Do you know what the dosage is for the Riba? I thought it went by how much you weigh. Just wondering if I am taking the correct dosage. My bottle says 2 in the morning and 3 in the evening, but, unfortunately, I weigh 200lbs. and was thinking I should be taking more than that. What are your thoughts on that? Not that I want to take more, but I do want the virus gone.
Posted 3/26/2014 7:09 PM (GMT 0)
The docs at the trial Mike didn' take said the dose was wt based, but only 1000 for under 175 and 1200 over 175 if I am remembering correctly. How many mg in one pill. If 200 mg per you are on 1000.

Others actually ON this med should pop in. Mike is NOT taking this now, so my information is hearsay.

Hugs,
MamaLama
Posted 3/26/2014 8:21 PM (GMT 0)
Well, I guess it's a good thing I made some phone calls. Looks like I am going to start taking 3 Riba in the morning and 3 Riba in the evening starting tomorrow. My dr's office had some incorrect information and thought I was taking some weight loss medication and that's why they said 2 in the morning and 3 in the evening. I'm going to try and not freak myself out thinking about this extra pill I now have to take.
Posted 3/26/2014 9:42 PM (GMT 0)
Steph,

I will tell you another thing the study doc told me...he said that the Riba is really just a pinch to grow an inch and if Mike was on it and started to crash with his blood results or other sides, he would reduce the Riba in an apple minute. That is was the NEW drugs doing the heavy lifting! So, that's just one guy.

Carol
Posted 3/27/2014 11:34 AM (GMT 0)
I'm on 1200 mg 2x a day and weigh 180.
Posted 3/27/2014 11:50 AM (GMT 0)
Hey Stef, sorry I missed your Riba question yesterday. I commented on your log this morning. Mama has it nailed. The Sovaldi is doing most of the work, the Riba is just an extra oar in the water to get you there quicker.

DAY SIX!! Had some crazy dreams last night, but that means I'm getting REM sleep which is very good news. Yesterday was great. I still had some very slight discomfort from the severe heartburn attack, but the fire is out. I'm still taking my PPI every morning at 4am. I did not have to take any Zantac or Tums yesterday. I do get a little heartburn after I take the Ribavirin doses, so the daily PPI/Prevacid will now be a part of my treatment. I actually feel better today than I have in decades. HOPE EVERYONE IS HAVING GOOD LUCK AS WELL!!

PLEASE READ: I know some of you out there are thinking, "This carvin guy is just laying up stoned out of his gourd and would never know if he was having any bad side effects or not." Well, that is not true at all. I have limited my medical marijuana use specifically to watch for any issues I may have with the Sov/Riba. I vape just enough for an appetite. (A very small pinch of mmj will give me 3 draws from my vape bag and the appetite of an elephant.) I was hoping to do the same next week, but my neuropathy symptoms are starting to come out of hiding, so I may have to go back to my usual mmj dosing after I get my labs done. I usually vape or smoke for appetitie, but the real medical marijuana benefits are in the oral forms such as medibles, tinctures and oil. BEST WISHES TO ALL!

  

Posted 3/27/2014 1:54 PM (GMT 0)
I got your post this morning. I also have been getting some dry skin and some itchiness. Nothing bad enough to complain, but just thought I would mention it. I bought some coconut oil to use and it seems to help. I can't believe its day 6! 1 week down and 11 to go.
Posted 3/28/2014 10:56 AM (GMT 0)

What a coincidence Stef! I also noticed my skin is a bit dry, and had a couple itchies yesterday as well. DON'T SCRATCH!! I hear that is the worst thing to do. I'm still in shock my usual back rash/hives has cleared from the start of treatment and never came back. I thought for sure that would be a serious issue for me. I did get a little tired yesterday after lunch, but a 20 minute nap I was right back up full of energy. I got a tingle in the temples yesterday to remind me to keep sipping water. I think water is the key to avoiding the headaches.

DAY SEVEN!! Only slept six hours, but still woke up rested and refreshed. More weird dreams. Woke up at 3am took my PPI/Prevacid. My chest pains/heartburn are gone but my HEPA says I may need to continue with the PPI for the entire 12 weeks. I do have a hiatal hernia and shatzki ring in my esophagus along with GERD. Ribavirin can cause heartburn no matter what kind of food you take it with. The food is just to help absorb the Riba better.

So far I have to say the hardest part of this treatment, besides starting it, is swallowing all these pills. I have severe dysphagia from alcoholic neuropathy and it makes it very hard to swallow, especially large pills. I have to do what I call a "Pelican Shake" to kinda get the pills down my throat. It can be quite stressful as I've almost choked to death a few times in the past. The dysphagia and choking were the biggest reasons I quit drinking alcohol. But, the damage is done and cannot be fixed. I had to learn to live with it and chew foods very well and swallow carefully. It's an adventure nobody wants to experience. Well, onward. Already took my Sovaldi at 6am with a cup of milk. Time to fix some oatmeal and get ready to shake down the morning Riba pills. GOOD LUCK TO ALL!!

Posted 3/28/2014 12:51 PM (GMT 0)
I have a hard time with swallowing pills anyway. When I was little I choked on a piece of steak and after that I have a fear of choking so I have the same issue with all these dang pills, especially the big one. Week 1 is down and nothing serious has happened. I am happy about that. Just took my Riba and getting ready for work. Hope it doesn't make me dizzy or tired due to the increased dosage. Have a great day and you are doing great!
Posted 3/28/2014 6:55 PM (GMT 0)
ribavirin is sooo necessary!!!! while interferon is 25% sucessful, adding ribavirin, makes it 50%.
sovaldi as monotherapy is 60% sucessful, adding ribavirin, makes it 90% for geno 2.
Posted 3/29/2014 11:13 AM (GMT 0)
You are correct ppm, Sovaldi will not obtain SVR without the Ribavirin. Sovaldi causes a very fast RVR, but it takes the extra push from Ribavirin to get below 15 IL/ML and stay there. I have some great charts and graphs showing results of Sovaldi alone, and combined with the other drugs. It really puts in perspective how much Sovaldi really improves RVR. Everyone needs to see these. I wish I could enlarge and attach them on here. My Sis is a PCP and she sent me all this info, but she reduced the sizes so she could fit them all on one page. When I try to enlarge it gets blurry and unlegible. I will see if she can send larger images.

DAY 8 and going in this morning for first labs. No side effects except belching and discomfort in the gastric fundus region. (Which I found is very common with the new Sov/Riba tx.) Heartburn is gone. I'm still sleeping like a rock and my energy level is staying up. I hope my bloodwork is as good as I feel.

GOOD LUCK TO ALL!! I will be back on after my labs to check on everyone else.

Posted 3/30/2014 2:00 PM (GMT 0)
Hoping Mike is also successfull with non Riba protocol-- 1a, Interferon Intolerant, Sovaldi and Olysio..so hoping they dont have to add Riba...but he will do what he has to. His new liver is getting messed up quickly! Have a great Sunday! ML
Posted 3/30/2014 6:05 PM (GMT 0)
i should have added, sovaldi + olysio is 92% across the board. adding riba only brings it to 96%. riba is notorious for derm issues.
Posted 3/31/2014 10:19 AM (GMT 0)
FIRST WEEKS LABS JUST POSTED ONLINE! I am literally in tears.

ALT dropped to normal at 44 from 87U/L. AST dropped to normal at 34 from 58U/L. The only two flags are slightly elevated bilirubin up by 0.3MG/DL, and RBC is still a bit low at 4.47, but 0.13MILL/CMM higher than before I started. My HGB improved from 13.9 up to 14.2GM/DL putting me back up into the normal range. I have several other improvements as well. I will be posting all my lab results so everyone can see them. I just wanted to get the main changes listed right away.

DAY 10 and feeling fine. Still have some chest discomfort and belching, but my gosh I wish everybody had it this easy. I really didn't think the treatment was working until I saw my labs. I'm going to stick to my exact routine the whole 12 weeks. Prevacid at 4am. Sovaldi at 6am. First Riba at 8am. Final Riba at 4pm. I take Folate and B12 supplements at lunch as I never eat green veggies. So far things are going much better than I expected. I'm in the bed by 8pm and sleep like a rock until 4am waking up well rested. Some really weird dreams though.

HOPE EVERYONE HAS A GREAT DAY!!

Posted 3/31/2014 11:19 AM (GMT 0)
Great to hear iplaycarvin and I'm very glad to see your results turned out so well! Things will just keep getting better in the weeks to come!
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