for me i wanted victrelis because how many people do you see getting taken off tx due to severe rash  on incivek ?  Allot,now that really makes tx time less now doesnt it? Also if your not completely Und at week 4 you still have to do longer tx than w/ vic. Last but not least the 4 week lead that you do will show you how the body reacts to interferon without a 3rd drug because god forbid someone doesnt respond to interferon well why add a 3rd drug and possibly build imunity to them for future tx? Just my 2cents

There are a couple of links on the forum that might help, too

http://hepcfriends.activeboard.com/t45886318/victrelis-or-incivek/

http://hepcfriends.activeboard.com/t44032963/incivek-vs-victrelis/

Love Steff xx

Thanks krowdog for advice on iching.

I completed 8 wks and 4 more to go on Incivek. I wonder why the iching only at bed time and last for 3 hrs. I go to bed at 10PM and stay up until 2 AM just scraching myself. I had bought 2 differrent types of medine from doctor's RX but it didn't help including  lotion. I'll try Zyrtec and drink a lot of water. I hope the iching will go away when I stop the Incivek, I count everyday.

One more thing.

Since you're cirrhotic, Incivek reccomends continuing the peg and riba for the full 48 months.

Therefore, you will not see a shortening of the Incivek Tx.

That being the case, you may want to consider the Vic, due to the (possibly) less side effects.

I only chose Incivek because I had a chance at the shorter Tx as my biopsy was grade 2, stage 2, and I was treatment naive.  If I had to go the 48 months, I would have chosen Victrellis.

Just my opinion...talk to your provider.

Brad

Hi JoAnneh.

Kinda scary, but very exciting being just about to start...I remember it well.

But once you start, the fear goes away.  Things will come up, but you'll find somehow you just deal with them. (Although with the riba-rage, you may be pissed off about it ;)  I didn't get much riba rage though.

I also had a little rash pre-tx.  And, like you, I think it could be hep c related.  Any google search will show rash as a possible effect of Hep C.  But if you get rid of the virus, who cares?

Here's some of my experiences with rash and itchiness:

*Drinking water helped me  a  lot -skin is hydrated from the inside out.

*Tight clothing really irritated my skin.  Even when I had no itch or rash, my skin felt "weird"

*I avoided sun.

*Scratching really made things worse.  The itch got worse.  The rash got worse. My skin took way longer to heal.

* I took 1-a-day Cetirizine (generic for Zyrtec) from the beginning.  As I developed a tolerance, I upped it to 2 times a day (at about week 14)

* Itch was ALWAYS worse at night.  I didn't use sleep meds, but I sure wouldn't have minded sometimes.  You might want to set that up with your Doc.  I worked a full time job, days, and it really helped keep my mind off my SX's.

*I tried the best lotions, aveno oatmeal bath, cera-ve, etc, and didn't get much result from anything.  But Gold Bond Maximum relief helped for "spot treatment". It's kinda pricey for a small tube, but it has a very strong menthol- tingle feel that lasts for about 1/2 an hour.  Good for hitting the worst spots when trying to get to sleep.

My incivek rash never got too bad, and was the worst on my shins, with a little on my arm.

It's just my opinion, but since the incivek half life is less than half a day, but the rash/itch can last much longer, it is the incivek metabolites, deposited in the skin, that cause the rash.  Much like bilirubin, in uncompensated liver disease, deposits in the skin can cause pruritis (intense itching.)  These can take a while to be flushed out, hence LOTS OF WATER is good.

Good luck, Joanneh, I KNOW you can do this.  So many of us have.

If you're like me, the infamous "butt burn" will be your next "concern" :0

And, of course, your first shot.  Don't plan anything for about 48 hours after that first one.

I'll be waiting to see your V/L numbers drop out the bottom ;))

Brad

Thanks wilson, that helps.  Yeah I have been reading that also, i think this getd worse as times goes on.  I will get my blood work done on Monday so I will see how its working next week sometimes..... 

I'm under the impression that Victrelis is a bit milder than Incivek and is the more desirabble of the two, but I think that only because my Dr. wanted me on the first and my insurance would only approve the Insivek.  

Having just come off Insivek 4 days early, due to a severe rash, I can say I am so happy to be done!  It is a wonder drug as I am undetectable and will be finished in 12 weeks, but it literally kicked my ass there for a while.  I was vigilent about water intake, my blood work was great, and I followed all advice as dilegently as possible but I still ended up in a bad way which I'm beginning to understand is common during weeks 8-12.  If you can plan to cut yourself some slack around work and life expectations during that period, I would suggest that.  You may be better off than I was 'cause we're all different...Hope this is helpful and not anxiety provoking 

Hi Lock.

One other thing.  If you are UND from 4 weeks on, the tx can be shorter with Incivek.

My total Tx time, even with genotype 1a was 24 wks total.  It does appear the side effects are worse with Incivek, mostly rash and "butt burn".  With Victrellis, severe anemia is the big thing to watch out for.

My doctor had suggested Vic, because he thought the sides were easier to handle (with procrit or aranesp, etc)  But the shorter tx duration made me choose Incivek.  My doc was actually ok with both drugs.

Kate, congrats on finishing the incivek... your over the top, and on the downhill run!

Happy SVR to both of you!

Brad

Hi all,

I have been reading how some of us are on Incivek, others on Victrelis.  Whats the difference?  Is one more effective than the other?  My doctor picked my treatment, I didn't know there are two kinds.  Anyway I am just wondering.....