Hi, 96...."The Mysterians" 1966. Good keyboard era. Oh....When I started Riba/Vikera I was informed by the Accredo Pharmacy (which was a lengthy riot act) on the phone of which BP medications interact. My medication was cleared. I did have huffin and puffin for at least a week till my body got used to it. I even called my Abbvie nurse and she put me in touch with AbbVie's research dept. They cleared me for my medication. My advce is to get on the phone to Gilead. They must of sent you a fact sheet with your medication also. Do remmeber -everyone is different. Get some answers. Abbvie still calls me for an overview every 3 weeks for a side effect report. Kind of still makes me wonder how effective there studies went. You are probably in just an adjustment phase. Alot of folks on here seem to see all types of fluctuations.
wmlj1960 said
Oct 8, 2015
Hi 96tears.
When I went through 24 weeks Sovaldi / Riba last year I also had some nausea the first couple of weeks but then it went away. My main issue was moodiness caused by the Riba, but I lived through it and those around me did too - barely lol. I have always had good blood pressure and the Sovaldi / Riba had no effect on that. If you do have to take blood pressure medication, be sure the Dr. who prescribes it knows that you are taking Sov / Riba if it is not your liver Dr. He / she or your pharmacist should check for any drug-to-drug interaction just to be safe.
I'd also like to welcome you to the forum. We have very supportive and knowledgeable members here who are glad to help you in any way we can. If you haven't already, you may want to read over some information in the Forum Information and Announcements section to help better familiarize yourself with the forum. A link to definitions for most of the abbreviations you'll be seeing and help with creating a signature for yourself can be found here.
Kick your shoes off, make yourself at home, and join us in our common journey to a Hep C free life. We're glad you're here!
Tig said
Oct 7, 2015
The anemia your doctor will test you for is known as "Hemolytic anemia". It's caused by the Ribavirin primarily and it ca the breakdown of your red blood cells. Your doctor will monitor this through treatment. If you get too anemic, they often adjust the Ribavirin dosage.
Sorry to hear about the rabies injections, ugh! I hope you're doing better now. Did you ever track down the animal that bit you? I have a neighbor now that was bit by a dog and they can't find it. Looks like she's going to have to go through the same thing.
96tears said
Oct 7, 2015
thanks for the encouragement everybody, i know little about the meds and did not know sovaldi was part of the harmonavi make-up. i have been knocking back the h2o and really haven't had severe side effects (as of yet). it's a relief to know that b.p. spikes are common w/sovaldi/ribavirin treatment. being 10 or 11 lb's overweight probably has something to do w/it too. my dr. did want me to start b.p. meds last year but allowed me to try getting a handle on it through diet and activity which was working until (get this) i was exposed to rabies and had to undergo a series of shots, i had horrid reactions to them but had to continue until the treatment
was done. before that although i had hep-c ..my liver functions and enzyme levels and even ultra sound results were almost normal. she thinks that possibly the shots "kick started" the hep and from there in the period of about a year went south quickly. i see her next week for the 1st blood test to check on hepacytic? (sic) anemia and will check back in here after that. thanks again for the encouraging words.. i was excited to start the cure but am finding out it's not a slam dunk and there are tons of problems that can occur.
dharmabum said
Oct 7, 2015
Hi 96,
I cannot speak to the cause of your upwardly creeping blood pressure, but I was able to take my bp meds all through my Harvoni treatment. It is extremely important to get that systolic pressure under control. High blood pressure puts such a stress on your system. Exercise and diet help, but sometimes you just need the meds. Your doc may give you a 24 hour monitor device to get some sort of base line measurement. The meds are easily tolerated...let us know how that goes.
Joann
Tig said
Oct 7, 2015
Hi 96,
I'd like to welcome you to the forum! As Jaded mentioned, there does seem to be a correlation between these new DAA's and high blood pressure. Seems that some do and some don't, but it's not uncommon. Be certain to let your doctor know about this and see what s/he recommends. If it continues to elevate, it's something that needs to be addressed.
It takes two to three weeks for your body to adjust to these medications. As you're aware, they are powerful, but do their job very well. The Ribavirin takes some getting used to, and that may be something we can help you with as you progress. It can cause some itching, sun sensitivity and moodiness, keep your eye on those issues. They generally show up at some point in everyone that takes it. But it works and is a vital part of your protocol! If I may make one important recommendation, you need to hydrate like nobody's business! At least 3 to 4 liters of good quality water daily, WITHOUT FAIL! It helps to lessen the side effects and headache reduction is a big one on any Sovaldi treatment.
I'm glad you're here and should you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. I'm sure there will be several others drop by shortly to welcome you here. Stay in touch and we'll have an opportunity to discuss many items of your treatment. Good luck!
Jaded said
Oct 7, 2015
When I started Harvoni I had a high spike in BP at similar levels to your highest levels. I was on meds before tx for high blood pressure and still am. I have read that many experience this spike from Harvoni...which as I'm sure you know contains Slovadi. In my case it resolved itself after a couple of weeks with the occasional blip. I will wait to see how my BP is when I finish in a few weeks. If you need meds something to consider which I have only recently learned is that prolonged hyper tension has a deteriorating effect on the kidneys so it's best controlling for more than the obvious (cardio) reasons.
96tears said
Oct 7, 2015
hi, i am new to the forum and am learning about my condition. i have type 2 hep-c /fibrosis score is high at 0.98 and necroinflammat grade score a-3 severe activity and f4-stage cirrhosis (high?). i haven't been treated before so don't know what all to expect .. on day 8 of sovaldi/ribavirin treatment and though i feel a bit spacey, jittery, and sick to the stomach in a very small way, my b.p. seems to have sky rocketed. i have been getting it down (before treatment) bit by bit w/diet and exersize in order to avoid b.p. medication and have been averaging 130-135 over 80-85 ... it has gone up to 148/85 and the last couple of day 155/88 w/todays check at 161/91! i have gained about 5 or 6 lb's over the last couple of weeks and about 10 lb's over my target weight so that might have a bit to do w/it but would like to know if the meds are raising my b.p. as well. ribavirin takes so long to exit the body that probably it is starting to build up in my system as well but any shared experience w/this type of thing would maybe put my mind at ease. thanks and hoping we all make it through this!
Hi, 96...."The Mysterians" 1966. Good keyboard era. Oh....When I started Riba/Vikera I was informed by the Accredo Pharmacy (which was a lengthy riot act) on the phone of which BP medications interact. My medication was cleared. I did have huffin and puffin for at least a week till my body got used to it. I even called my Abbvie nurse and she put me in touch with AbbVie's research dept. They cleared me for my medication. My advce is to get on the phone to Gilead. They must of sent you a fact sheet with your medication also. Do remmeber -everyone is different. Get some answers. Abbvie still calls me for an overview every 3 weeks for a side effect report. Kind of still makes me wonder how effective there studies went. You are probably in just an adjustment phase. Alot of folks on here seem to see all types of fluctuations.
Hi 96tears.
When I went through 24 weeks Sovaldi / Riba last year I also had some nausea the first couple of weeks but then it went away. My main issue was moodiness caused by the Riba, but I lived through it and those around me did too - barely lol. I have always had good blood pressure and the Sovaldi / Riba had no effect on that. If you do have to take blood pressure medication, be sure the Dr. who prescribes it knows that you are taking Sov / Riba if it is not your liver Dr. He / she or your pharmacist should check for any drug-to-drug interaction just to be safe.
I'd also like to welcome you to the forum. We have very supportive and knowledgeable members here who are glad to help you in any way we can. If you haven't already, you may want to read over some information in the Forum Information and Announcements section to help better familiarize yourself with the forum. A link to definitions for most of the abbreviations you'll be seeing and help with creating a signature for yourself can be found here.
Kick your shoes off, make yourself at home, and join us in our common journey to a Hep C free life. We're glad you're here!
The anemia your doctor will test you for is known as "Hemolytic anemia". It's caused by the Ribavirin primarily and it ca the breakdown of your red blood cells. Your doctor will monitor this through treatment. If you get too anemic, they often adjust the Ribavirin dosage.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemolytic_anemia
Sorry to hear about the rabies injections, ugh! I hope you're doing better now. Did you ever track down the animal that bit you? I have a neighbor now that was bit by a dog and they can't find it. Looks like she's going to have to go through the same thing.
was done. before that although i had hep-c ..my liver functions and enzyme levels and even ultra sound results were almost normal. she thinks that possibly the shots "kick started" the hep and from there in the period of about a year went south quickly. i see her next week for the 1st blood test to check on hepacytic? (sic) anemia and will check back in here after that. thanks again for the encouraging words.. i was excited to start the cure but am finding out it's not a slam dunk and there are tons of problems that can occur.
Hi 96,
I cannot speak to the cause of your upwardly creeping blood pressure, but I was able to take my bp meds all through my Harvoni treatment. It is extremely important to get that systolic pressure under control. High blood pressure puts such a stress on your system. Exercise and diet help, but sometimes you just need the meds. Your doc may give you a 24 hour monitor device to get some sort of base line measurement. The meds are easily tolerated...let us know how that goes.
Joann
Hi 96,
I'd like to welcome you to the forum! As Jaded mentioned, there does seem to be a correlation between these new DAA's and high blood pressure. Seems that some do and some don't, but it's not uncommon. Be certain to let your doctor know about this and see what s/he recommends. If it continues to elevate, it's something that needs to be addressed.
It takes two to three weeks for your body to adjust to these medications. As you're aware, they are powerful, but do their job very well. The Ribavirin takes some getting used to, and that may be something we can help you with as you progress. It can cause some itching, sun sensitivity and moodiness, keep your eye on those issues. They generally show up at some point in everyone that takes it. But it works and is a vital part of your protocol! If I may make one important recommendation, you need to hydrate like nobody's business! At least 3 to 4 liters of good quality water daily, WITHOUT FAIL! It helps to lessen the side effects and headache reduction is a big one on any Sovaldi treatment.
I'm glad you're here and should you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. I'm sure there will be several others drop by shortly to welcome you here. Stay in touch and we'll have an opportunity to discuss many items of your treatment. Good luck!
hi, i am new to the forum and am learning about my condition. i have type 2 hep-c /fibrosis score is high at 0.98 and necroinflammat grade score a-3 severe activity and f4-stage cirrhosis (high?). i haven't been treated before so don't know what all to expect .. on day 8 of sovaldi/ribavirin treatment and though i feel a bit spacey, jittery, and sick to the stomach in a very small way, my b.p. seems to have sky rocketed. i have been getting it down (before treatment) bit by bit w/diet and exersize in order to avoid b.p. medication and have been averaging 130-135 over 80-85 ... it has gone up to 148/85 and the last couple of day 155/88 w/todays check at 161/91! i have gained about 5 or 6 lb's over the last couple of weeks and about 10 lb's over my target weight so that might have a bit to do w/it but would like to know if the meds are raising my b.p. as well. ribavirin takes so long to exit the body that probably it is starting to build up in my system as well but any shared experience w/this type of thing would maybe put my mind at ease. thanks and hoping we all make it through this!