I did the V-Pack and Ribavirin and can relate to the side effects. I was doing the 1200 RV a day and for me it was rather tough. To add insult to injury I also failed and stopped treatment at 11 weeks. Brushed myself off and retreated with Harvoni and that was a winner.
Reading yours it appears the hair loss was ongoing prior to treatment so it may not be related to the Ribavirin. It happens.
Right now the main point to concentrate on is winning and you are on a winning protocol albeit a bit rough.
While I treated I compared anything I was feeling with the other side of the scale. Treating you have a better than 90% chance of a cure. Not treating is far more daunting.
I was asked to remove life support from my Brother In Law. I had to fly out to Colorado to do that and it was horrible. When I was feeling lousy due to treatment I considered myself EXTREMELY Blessed to have the opportunity that my Brother In Law never had.
Water is the key and you must stay hydrated. A Gallon a day is hard to drink but it is required. Coconut Water, Watermelon and of course good ole H2O will help alleviate some of the symptoms.
Avoid the Sun as if you were a Vampire.
Check in here often and if you want to blow off some steam, feel free to yell at me. I get it I understand and We are all here for you.
This will be behind you before you know it and you will be cured.
God Bless and again Welcome!
JimmyK
bbomb said
Jul 24, 2017
It just keeps getting better huh? lol Well I have to say its nice to know its not my imagination!! and yes I've been hat shopping already! ha
Tig said
Jul 24, 2017
Brenda,
Yes, hair loss is another one of those pesky possible side effects from Ribavirin. Add that to the current stress you may be experiencing and waalaa, hair thinning. When we were taking Interferon with Riba, we lost fistfuls of hair. You shouldn't go bald or anything close, but you may see it continue for awhile.
I suggest using a very mild body soap and shampoo. Your skin is going to be dry, itchy and harsh soaps will only make it worse. Buy yourself some Calamine or Caladryl lotion for itching. Get the okay from your doctor/nurse to take either Benadryl or Xyrtec (antihistamine). You can also pick up some lotion, like Gold Bond for itchy skin or similar. Keep yourself lathered up and you should have some relief from the skin maladies. You should also pick up some sunscreen for sensitive skin and use it on exposed skin when outside. You'll thank me for that! You really don't want a sunburn right now!
bbomb said
Jul 24, 2017
I am losing my hair more than normal. Like to the point I even tried rogaine but stopped once I started this treatment in fear of all the drug interactions. It seems to be growing back but it keeps on coming out all over the bathroom floor and my hairbrush and everywhere. I actually have to cut it our of the vacuum cleaner beater belt. Do you think it is at all related here or could it be another issue? :/ Dr. say's its stress related after LOTS of labs but I don't believe that otherwise we would all be bald! just saying
bbomb said
Jul 24, 2017
<3 Thank you so very much!!! So glad I found you all too!
Tig said
Jul 24, 2017
Miss Brenda,
Welcome to the forum! You're experiencing all the side effects of Ribavirin. It's a nasty drug, I lived on 1200 mg/day for 7 months, ughh... If it wasn't such a good addition to some protocols, it would be my choice for drug from Hell. Probably should be categorized as such anyway! V Pak itself isn't so bad, but when you add Riba to it, treatment becomes a real struggle for some. We can offer some advice on how to tolerate it better, but you're going to experience some highs and lows because of the combination. Do me a favor and set up your signature line with all the information we like to have available for replies. There's some instructions in the same New Members Area index. We don't like to assume you have genotype 1a, but it's likely from my experience with this stuff.
Ribavirin causes hemolytic anemia. It messes with your red blood cells and it reduces your hemoglobin, the oxygen carrier in the blood. That's why you're so tired and probably easily out of breath. I'm so familiar with how you're feeling. You should avoid scratching at all costs! Riba will cause rashes that itch like hell. Don't shower daily! Try every other day and use as cool a water as possible. Heat makes the rash worse. Wear light clothing, and stay out of the sun. It will cause you to be photo sensitive and you can burn really easy. Then you'll be beyond miserable. I don't want to scare you, because this is simply part of the program with that stuff. It works, but it has some side effects that aren't pleasant at all. Another side effect and a big one, is moodiness. We all can relate to that. It can cause what we fondly call "Riba Rage". You'll find yourself going along smoothly and all of a sudden you'll get angry at the littlest thing. Crying, yelling, pissed off, you name it. When you find yourself in an environment or situation that may upset you, walk away! I'm not kidding, walk away. If you're prone to road rage, do your driving when nobody else is on the road. I felt like killing people some days. Ribavirin is so well known for causing anger problems, it should be explained well in advance. But these nurses and doctors haven't tried it, so many are unaware of it's impact on our mental status. Plan to lay low for the number of weeks you're on treatment. You mentioned working out, you might want to scale that back as much as possible. Stay active, but with the certain anemia to follow, you don't want to overstress yourself. The recovery time is too much to handle and it can affect you adversely.
I want you to start a hydration program of one gallon of water per day. Do NOT fail to do that. Water is your biggest ally right now. These drugs demand it and dehydrate you like no workout has ever done to you before! If you're suffering from undue fatigue, getting headaches, muscle aches, etc., it's likely due to low water intake. Keep some Gatorade around and drink that during the day, too. You need electrolytes as well. Cut out the junk food, your liver fights to process sugars and carbs. Give it all the help you can afford to give it.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. I'm sure you'll have some, so fire away. Use our search function at the top and look around. I'll be here to help. You're not alone. Don't forget to share some information on your genotype, liver function tests, anything you feel like sharing will help us reply. Hang in there, it goes by fast, you just don't realize it yet!! I'm glad you found us
bbomb said
Jul 24, 2017
Hi Everyone/friends!!! So happy to find you al to talk too that is going through the same treatment!!! omgoodness!
Does this weakness and fatigue get better or worse into it, or does it just depend on the day? I'm one month into the Viekira pak w Ribavirin treatment and this last weekend I felt so horrible. I feel like I need fluids in hand everywhere I go and my legs feel super heavy and tired. So weird and frustrating as I need to workout everyday to keep me in a good state of mind already.....So when I go to boot camp and can't do what I know I am capable of on a normal day I burst into tears lol I am already a menopausal mess so it doesn't take much to get me that way haha. I get mad and sad all at the same time Lord help me!
Thank you Jimmy!!! big hugs!!
Greetings and Welcome.
I did the V-Pack and Ribavirin and can relate to the side effects. I was doing the 1200 RV a day and for me it was rather tough. To add insult to injury I also failed and stopped treatment at 11 weeks. Brushed myself off and retreated with Harvoni and that was a winner.
Reading yours it appears the hair loss was ongoing prior to treatment so it may not be related to the Ribavirin. It happens.
Right now the main point to concentrate on is winning and you are on a winning protocol albeit a bit rough.
While I treated I compared anything I was feeling with the other side of the scale. Treating you have a better than 90% chance of a cure. Not treating is far more daunting.
I was asked to remove life support from my Brother In Law. I had to fly out to Colorado to do that and it was horrible. When I was feeling lousy due to treatment I considered myself EXTREMELY Blessed to have the opportunity that my Brother In Law never had.
Water is the key and you must stay hydrated. A Gallon a day is hard to drink but it is required. Coconut Water, Watermelon and of course good ole H2O will help alleviate some of the symptoms.
Avoid the Sun as if you were a Vampire.
Check in here often and if you want to blow off some steam, feel free to yell at me. I get it I understand and We are all here for you.
This will be behind you before you know it and you will be cured.
God Bless and again Welcome!
JimmyK
It just keeps getting better huh? lol Well I have to say its nice to know its not my imagination!! and yes I've been hat shopping already! ha
Brenda,
Yes, hair loss is another one of those pesky possible side effects from Ribavirin. Add that to the current stress you may be experiencing and waalaa, hair thinning. When we were taking Interferon with Riba, we lost fistfuls of hair. You shouldn't go bald or anything close, but you may see it continue for awhile.
I suggest using a very mild body soap and shampoo. Your skin is going to be dry, itchy and harsh soaps will only make it worse. Buy yourself some Calamine or Caladryl lotion for itching. Get the okay from your doctor/nurse to take either Benadryl or Xyrtec (antihistamine). You can also pick up some lotion, like Gold Bond for itchy skin or similar. Keep yourself lathered up and you should have some relief from the skin maladies. You should also pick up some sunscreen for sensitive skin and use it on exposed skin when outside. You'll thank me for that! You really don't want a sunburn right now!
I am losing my hair more than normal. Like to the point I even tried rogaine but stopped once I started this treatment in fear of all the drug interactions. It seems to be growing back but it keeps on coming out all over the bathroom floor and my hairbrush and everywhere. I actually have to cut it our of the vacuum cleaner beater belt. Do you think it is at all related here or could it be another issue? :/ Dr. say's its stress related after LOTS of labs but I don't believe that otherwise we would all be bald! just saying
Miss Brenda,
Welcome to the forum! You're experiencing all the side effects of Ribavirin. It's a nasty drug, I lived on 1200 mg/day for 7 months, ughh... If it wasn't such a good addition to some protocols, it would be my choice for drug from Hell. Probably should be categorized as such anyway! V Pak itself isn't so bad, but when you add Riba to it, treatment becomes a real struggle for some. We can offer some advice on how to tolerate it better, but you're going to experience some highs and lows because of the combination. Do me a favor and set up your signature line with all the information we like to have available for replies. There's some instructions in the same New Members Area index. We don't like to assume you have genotype 1a, but it's likely from my experience with this stuff.
Ribavirin causes hemolytic anemia. It messes with your red blood cells and it reduces your hemoglobin, the oxygen carrier in the blood. That's why you're so tired and probably easily out of breath. I'm so familiar with how you're feeling. You should avoid scratching at all costs! Riba will cause rashes that itch like hell. Don't shower daily! Try every other day and use as cool a water as possible. Heat makes the rash worse. Wear light clothing, and stay out of the sun. It will cause you to be photo sensitive and you can burn really easy. Then you'll be beyond miserable. I don't want to scare you, because this is simply part of the program with that stuff. It works, but it has some side effects that aren't pleasant at all. Another side effect and a big one, is moodiness. We all can relate to that. It can cause what we fondly call "Riba Rage". You'll find yourself going along smoothly and all of a sudden you'll get angry at the littlest thing. Crying, yelling, pissed off, you name it. When you find yourself in an environment or situation that may upset you, walk away! I'm not kidding, walk away. If you're prone to road rage, do your driving when nobody else is on the road. I felt like killing people some days. Ribavirin is so well known for causing anger problems, it should be explained well in advance. But these nurses and doctors haven't tried it, so many are unaware of it's impact on our mental status. Plan to lay low for the number of weeks you're on treatment. You mentioned working out, you might want to scale that back as much as possible. Stay active, but with the certain anemia to follow, you don't want to overstress yourself. The recovery time is too much to handle and it can affect you adversely.
I want you to start a hydration program of one gallon of water per day. Do NOT fail to do that. Water is your biggest ally right now. These drugs demand it and dehydrate you like no workout has ever done to you before! If you're suffering from undue fatigue, getting headaches, muscle aches, etc., it's likely due to low water intake. Keep some Gatorade around and drink that during the day, too. You need electrolytes as well. Cut out the junk food, your liver fights to process sugars and carbs. Give it all the help you can afford to give it.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. I'm sure you'll have some, so fire away. Use our search function at the top and look around. I'll be here to help. You're not alone. Don't forget to share some information on your genotype, liver function tests, anything you feel like sharing will help us reply. Hang in there, it goes by fast, you just don't realize it yet!! I'm glad you found us
Hi Everyone/friends!!! So happy to find you al to talk too that is going through the same treatment!!! omgoodness!
Does this weakness and fatigue get better or worse into it, or does it just depend on the day? I'm one month into the Viekira pak w Ribavirin treatment and this last weekend I felt so horrible. I feel like I need fluids in hand everywhere I go and my legs feel super heavy and tired. So weird and frustrating as I need to workout everyday to keep me in a good state of mind already.....So when I go to boot camp and can't do what I know I am capable of on a normal day I burst into tears lol I am already a menopausal mess so it doesn't take much to get me that way haha. I get mad and sad all at the same time Lord help me!
So frustrating, I just keep trying to push thru
Hope I'm doing this right....please bare with me