Completed treatment of Epclusa and Ribavirin and have SVR at 12 weeks
Canuck said
Nov 14, 2017
Mary,
I'm glad all is well in the cardiac dept as well. Without knowing much about these things, I side on the belief that Plavix (longer term) is a good thing - I have heard stories of docs wanting people off Plavix sooner than others and I don't know exactly why!, especially as it is the patient who has to pay the big bucks for the drugs, and pay the price of not preventing platelets from clumping up where we don't want them! I am just going by the theory of the potential benefits of Plavix creating more "slippery" (sorta) blood as being a good thing when you are packing man-made stents that platelets "might" stick to! I hear there are other, newer, designer anti-platelet clumping/anti-clotting drugs out there now. My Dad was on Plavix for-ev-er! -a really, really long time. When he had to have some oral surgery they stopped it for a while. Many, many years later after that, he had a hard to stop nose-bleed, shortly thereafter, they just took him off Plavix, basically (as he was in his 90's now!) they figure his clotting will just be left to his own devices, unless anything changes their minds. He has had the works, bouts of multiple stent work (he was beyond stents), so ultimately had open heart for a five-druple (as opposed to quadruple) bypass, then later a pacemaker. And he just keeps ticking right along! He is amazed! This a guy who never thought he'd make it past 50 (age his dad dropped dead from massive coronary)! My, my, modern medicine! - it IS amazing - I just wished while they were wheeling him in there for his open heart they would have asked him "and would you like a personality transplant with that"? The plan, that it doesn't matter if you are a bit of an a-hole if you aren't going to live very long anyway, hasn't worked out so well for him.
Ya, we were very interested in Merck's new drugs, their new 5A, AND, that was kinda "big" news as well, their brand new 5B! But ... not to be I guess.
Glad you're feeling OK, good riddance to that riba! And, that Cat will be re-assurring.
I too am so glad you got your epclusa. Forever 3-less now! Welcome to that exclusive (epclusa) club ... "Club Zero". Enjoy. C.
Mary said
Nov 14, 2017
Hey Canuck!!
Thank you for the information on the Merck trial I was on! That's interesting! I'm just grateful my insurance finally approved my treatment and for the good people at Gilead!!
I am over the fatigue from the Ribavirin! And feeling great thank you! My cardiologist said I'll have to continue on the Plavix for another 15 months since I had 3 stents placed in a row in one artery. So he wants to be cautious. But I haven't had any problems with the stents themselves thank goodness. I have to go in February to have a Ct scan with contrast to check potency on them.
But I'm doing well! Thank you so much for your well wishes !! You're a sweetheart!
I'll keep you updated after my 24 week follow up lab in January.
My best to everyone! Thanks for the support!
Mary
Mary said
Nov 14, 2017
Hey Canuck!!
Thank you for the information on the Merck trial I was on! That's interesting! I'm just grateful my insurance finally approved my treatment and for the good people at Gilead!!
I am over the fatigue from the Ribavirin! And feeling great thank you! My cardiologist said I'll have to continue on the Plavix for another 15 months since I had 3 stents placed in a row in one artery. So he wants to be cautious. But I haven't had any problems with the stents themselves thank goodness. I have to go in February to have a Ct scan with contrast to check potency on them.
But I'm doing well! Thank you so much for your well wishes !! You're a sweetheart!
I'll keep you updated after my 24 week follow up lab in January.
My best to everyone! Thanks for the support!
Mary
Canuck said
Nov 12, 2017
Hey Mary!!!
So glad to hear back from you again! A HUGE congrats my lady on your stellar win - nothing better than those UND's (all of them), including your last one, Oct 23 SVR 12!!
I remember you well, but had to go through some of your other older posts/threads to remind myself where we left off. I do remember we were very curious about what exact (prior) trial you had been on (that did not cure you the first time around). On another dif. "Epclusa" thread we had been guessing (pretty close) that you had perhaps been on a Zep trial or likely in one of Merck's "new-er" drug trials - Turns out you WERE on one of Mercks "new-er" drug trials.
According to the "numbers" you posted today ...
MK-3682 = uprifosbuvir (uprif) - an NS5B - Merck's new NS5B - (similar NS5B to Gilead's NS5B "sof")
I am not sure (in your particular trial) whether you ONLY did these two drugs alone (with no third or 4th drug added) it is possible you did only these two drugs alone, the "double" uprif and ruz.
During your trial or shortly thereafter they combined these two drugs into just one pill and (confusingly) called that one pill, with the 2 drugs in it, MK-3682B.
I cannot identify your "exact" trial (right this very minute), but it was right there in midst of the era(s) of a series of Merck's trials called "C-Crest and C-Surge", where they explored and morphed away from their (sole) Zep ingredients grazo/elba (a NS3/4A and their NS5A) and started using their newer NS5A ruz instead of their NS5A elba, they also tried adding their new NS5B uprif, also doing trials with or without using their NS3/4A grazo, and, as well, doing some of these trials with and without riba, over longer and shorter time periods!!
I'll link you back to our previous "guessing" and pondering about which trial you might have been on here (some of your old posts) ... RE: EPCLUSA Hep C drug
As well, here is another link - where we have been noting Merck is no longer going to be doing further trials with their uprif/ruz drugs it seems ... Merck Drops Out
How are you feeling?? How long did it take you to feel un-riba-tized?? Are you still on Plavix and how is the stent thing working out for you? Hope you are feeling as good as your VERY good news!
Another wonderfully cured X-GT3a, walking the face of the earth with me - all thanks to Gilead - i could not be happier for you! C.
Mary said
Nov 12, 2017
Hi everyone,
Tig you had asked me awhile back what meds I was on in the clinical trial I was in last year. And I didn't know. Well I found my card that they gave me with the information on it!! The product numbers are MK3682 and MK8408. It also says protocol number MK3682-035. If that means anything. Do you know what these meds are? It was a 12 week trial done by Merck.
I finished my 12 weeks of Epclusa and Ribavirin on August 3 and I have SVR at 12 weeks on October 23!! Thank you everyone for your advice and encouragement! I really appreciate it! I have appt for lab at end of January 2018. My dr said that will be the final sigh of relief if at SVR. I thought I posted this earlier but I'm not sure if it went through
Mary,
I'm glad all is well in the cardiac dept as well. Without knowing much about these things, I side on the belief that Plavix (longer term) is a good thing - I have heard stories of docs wanting people off Plavix sooner than others and I don't know exactly why!, especially as it is the patient who has to pay the big bucks for the drugs, and pay the price of not preventing platelets from clumping up where we don't want them! I am just going by the theory of the potential benefits of Plavix creating more "slippery" (sorta) blood as being a good thing when you are packing man-made stents that platelets "might" stick to! I hear there are other, newer, designer anti-platelet clumping/anti-clotting drugs out there now. My Dad was on Plavix for-ev-er! -a really, really long time. When he had to have some oral surgery they stopped it for a while. Many, many years later after that, he had a hard to stop nose-bleed, shortly thereafter, they just took him off Plavix, basically (as he was in his 90's now!) they figure his clotting will just be left to his own devices, unless anything changes their minds. He has had the works, bouts of multiple stent work (he was beyond stents), so ultimately had open heart for a five-druple (as opposed to quadruple) bypass, then later a pacemaker. And he just keeps ticking right along! He is amazed! This a guy who never thought he'd make it past 50 (age his dad dropped dead from massive coronary)! My, my, modern medicine! - it IS amazing - I just wished while they were wheeling him in there for his open heart they would have asked him "and would you like a personality transplant with that"? The plan, that it doesn't matter if you are a bit of an a-hole if you aren't going to live very long anyway, hasn't worked out so well for him.
Ya, we were very interested in Merck's new drugs, their new 5A, AND, that was kinda "big" news as well, their brand new 5B! But ... not to be I guess.
Glad you're feeling OK, good riddance to that riba! And, that Cat will be re-assurring.
I too am so glad you got your epclusa. Forever 3-less now! Welcome to that exclusive (epclusa) club ... "Club Zero". Enjoy.
C.
Hey Mary!!!
So glad to hear back from you again! A HUGE congrats my lady on your stellar win - nothing better than those UND's (all of them), including your last one, Oct 23 SVR 12!!
I remember you well, but had to go through some of your other older posts/threads to remind myself where we left off. I do remember we were very curious about what exact (prior) trial you had been on (that did not cure you the first time around). On another dif. "Epclusa" thread we had been guessing (pretty close) that you had perhaps been on a Zep trial or likely in one of Merck's "new-er" drug trials - Turns out you WERE on one of Mercks "new-er" drug trials.
According to the "numbers" you posted today ...
MK-3682 = uprifosbuvir (uprif) - an NS5B - Merck's new NS5B - (similar NS5B to Gilead's NS5B "sof")
MK-8408 = ruzasvir (ruz) - an NS5A - Merck's newest NS5A - (after Merck's elba)
I am not sure (in your particular trial) whether you ONLY did these two drugs alone (with no third or 4th drug added) it is possible you did only these two drugs alone, the "double" uprif and ruz.
During your trial or shortly thereafter they combined these two drugs into just one pill and (confusingly) called that one pill, with the 2 drugs in it, MK-3682B.
I cannot identify your "exact" trial (right this very minute), but it was right there in midst of the era(s) of a series of Merck's trials called "C-Crest and C-Surge", where they explored and morphed away from their (sole) Zep ingredients grazo/elba (a NS3/4A and their NS5A) and started using their newer NS5A ruz instead of their NS5A elba, they also tried adding their new NS5B uprif, also doing trials with or without using their NS3/4A grazo, and, as well, doing some of these trials with and without riba, over longer and shorter time periods!!
I'll link you back to our previous "guessing" and pondering about which trial you might have been on here (some of your old posts) ... RE: EPCLUSA Hep C drug
As well, here is another link - where we have been noting Merck is no longer going to be doing further trials with their uprif/ruz drugs it seems ... Merck Drops Out
How are you feeling?? How long did it take you to feel un-riba-tized?? Are you still on Plavix and how is the stent thing working out for you? Hope you are feeling as good as your VERY good news!
Another wonderfully cured X-GT3a, walking the face of the earth with me - all thanks to Gilead - i could not be happier for you!
C.
Hi everyone,
Tig you had asked me awhile back what meds I was on in the clinical trial I was in last year. And I didn't know. Well I found my card that they gave me with the information on it!! The product numbers are MK3682 and MK8408. It also says protocol number MK3682-035. If that means anything. Do you know what these meds are? It was a 12 week trial done by Merck.
I finished my 12 weeks of Epclusa and Ribavirin on August 3 and I have SVR at 12 weeks on October 23!! Thank you everyone for your advice and encouragement! I really appreciate it! I have appt for lab at end of January 2018. My dr said that will be the final sigh of relief if at SVR. I thought I posted this earlier but I'm not sure if it went through