good grief charlie brown - that's me! who knows what 's causing it. i told my boyfriend i think it's him lol!  like right now it is starting to bother me a bit seems worse at night. i see my GP next week so I'll ask her about it. Or as you suggest call SP (support path).  I

Thanks for the advice!

Good grief BJ! You've got a real winner there, wow. I can offer a suggestion or two if I may. First, don't use any additional medications without specific approval beforehand. If you can't trust your Hepa, contact Gilead's Help line and ask their nurse or pharmacist. I called my specialty pharmacist a couple of times and they were also very helpful.

It's difficult to say what's causing the rash, but it sounds awful enough, even without much itching. That however can change rapidly if you expose it to the wrong stimulus. Specifically stay away from hot water showers and baths while it's a problem. Hot water for many of us on the old protocols inflamed an existing rash. If you scratch it, that can prove problematic. You remember the Riba rashes and while yours sounds a bit different, a rash is a rash! It could be an immune response to the Harvoni or a reaction to something you're eating or putting on your skin. Check with those representatives and see if they can offer you some additional advice. I'm glad you're maintaining a good attitude regarding your treatment, it doesn't help to get frustrated. It seems that you're very aware of what's going on and if we can be any help at all, you know we're here for you!

Tig

I still have the rash. It actually spread I have it on both shoulders, near each armpit, on both sides of my lower back, both front hip areas & 2 fine patches on my back.  It 's not very noticeable and rarely itches. It does look similar to early stages of shingles. However, it doesn't itch or hurt like shingles does and it has not gotten worse (blistering etc). In addition, I never  had chickenpox so I can't get shingles.  The only thing different besides the Harvoni was the addition of some women's rogaine (no I'm not going bald! I have thin hair by my temples & I wanted to see if I could thicken it up a bit).  I have stopped using it for about 4 days now but the rash isn't going away. I put some tea tree oil on it and hit it with hot water in the shower & it seems to be holding steady and not getting worse anyway.

I called my  doctor the genius - Dr. Ben & asked him if any of my medications might cause a rash or any info regarding it. He had his nurse call me back and say "Harvoni doesn't cause a rash". DuHHHH.  Doesn't tell me to come in, doesn't bother to ask me any questions - just Harvoni doesn't cause a rash. He really is an idiot and absolutely proven himself to be the king of idiots.  This of course is the same genius who told me telaprevir had NO side effects. and that treating with interferon & ribavirin would make me feel like I had the flu & I might get a little rash but no big deal (tell that to anyone who got full blown "riba-rash from hell") 

 Oh well! I won't be needing him much longer .  

Hi Roey,

While I can't say anything specific on the addition of Acyclovir to your treatment, I do know that it is also classed as an antiviral. I recommend you contact your Hepatologist and tell him what was prescribed and get authorization. You might also call the Harvoni help line and ask them if your doctor isn't available. Back in the day....I contacted the specialty pharmacy I was getting my meds from and questioned the on duty pharmacist. They were very helpful. I'm sorry to hear about the shingles, they can be painful. My sister in law just came down with a case of that too. But it was caught early and it is resolving without much trouble. Good luck!

Tig

And Dragonfly,  sorry didn't mean too leave you out! Roey

Hey Tig and shadow cat,  just got back from the Dr.  He said that he thinks it's shingles and to go visit my primary.  Well I went online to c what shingles looks like, and mine looks like I caught it in its early stage.  CallEd my primary he called the pharmacy and prescribed Acyclovir generic for Zovirax 400 mg 4x's a day for 7 days.im afraid of it interacting with the Harvoni whatcha think bout that?  Still waiting for the Fed Ex truck to be ringing my bell!  Lata,   Roey

Poor you, it may be an iron deficiency which will also cause you to itch; check out your bloods.  I have found a disabled toilet at work where I go to have a satisfying scratch!  It doesn't help though as the itch comes from the inside - the rash is just a manifestation.  Keep well moisturised and use maybe some Dacort cream (under advisement from your doc).  I also put sport socks on my hands at night to stop myself scratching myself.  Nx 

Hey Roey,

For some odd reason, sometimes the drugs, or sometimes your body's reaction to them will cause things like that to pop up. It has happened to many, if not most of us at some point. You're doing the right thing by asking us and your doctor. You should ask what types or kinds of medication and/or topical ointments you can use. I'm hoping and praying for your next shipment too! Keep the faith sister!! Good luck today....

Tig

Good Morning Shadow10,   Im on my last pill of the first month.  Last week I noticed a small rash right where my liver is.  At first it itched, I put Benadryl cream on it, the itch went away.  I still have the rash, but I'm going to see my hepatologist this afternoon.  I will let you know what he tells me.  Also I am still waiting for my 2nd bottle of Harvoni from the support path from Guilead.  I pray to G D that It comes by UPS today.  You feel better!  Roe

Hey BJ,

Here's a post by our old friend Mike. He was recently involved in. A horrible motor vehicle accident and checks in when his rehab permits. But just before this occurred, he wrote this helpful instructional post. Get well soon Mike, we miss you around the place!

http://hepcfriends.activeboard.com/t58862021/forum-abbreviations-link-and-help-with-creating-your-signatu/

Hope this helps, Tig

ok

Hi BJ, go to your member profile and then click on "signature" and you can enter your tx info...

where do i enter my tx info? 

Hey BJ,

I don't see your Tx description anywhere (put in sig maybe?), so I wondered if you were one of the patients taking Ribavirin with the Harvoni? If you are, then it's likely that. Could be an allergic or immune reaction to the treatment. I would check with your doc soon. My sister in law just developed shingles for the first time and it started that way. Not that yours is shingles but you need to find out. If it's a simple rash, some hydrocortisone cream might help, again with permission. Let us know what it is. Good luck...

Tig

I haven't been visiting the forum much the past week or so. So first of all, hope all is well with everyone & more of you are able to get Harvoni or one of the other "no-sides" drugs.  

It's been one month now & I haven't gotten my blood-work results back yet but everything has been going great with the Harvoni.  I do get some nasty headaches upon getting up but after a cup of coffee, a few ibuprofen, lots of water & and ice pack I feel fine!

However, after getting out of the shower yesterday I caught a glimpse of a rash on my right shoulder. Upon further inspection I also found it on both hips.  The rash itself is a small circle and looks very similar to the shingles rash but it's not itchy or painful at all. I can't imagine what it is but another one  popped up today on the lower left side of my back.   

Has anyone else experienced this?  Any suggestions?  I'll check with my Dr of course but what does he know, right?