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Hep C Discussion Forum -> On Treatment -> viral load after 4 weeks of treatment is detectable but < 20
Post Info TOPIC: viral load after 4 weeks of treatment is detectable but < 20
Tig


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RE: viral load after 4 weeks of treatment is detectable but < 20
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Good to know and glad it worked out. Now on to victory! smile

Tig



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Tig

68yo GT1A - 5 Mil - A2/F3 - (1996) Intron A - Non Responder, (2013) Peg/Riba/Vic SOT:05/23/13 EOT:12/04/13 SVR 9+ years!

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FeelingGood


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Tig - The discussion about malekula man with the insurance issue was actually merged into my original post on this threat about being detected <20 unquantifiable after 4 weeks.



-- Edited by FeelingGood on Tuesday 31st of March 2015 01:43:29 PM



-- Edited by FeelingGood on Tuesday 31st of March 2015 01:44:20 PM

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Tig


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I agree that everything looks good. You are presenting a similar course as many others here. All numbers drop to normal ranges with a slight elevation in the bilirubin. It will turn around, I wouldn't be concerned. 

Sounds like your insurance woke up and realized the <20 was a good indicator of treatment effectiveness. It was, it is, hooray!

Continue what you're doing, stay compliant, eat well, stay active,  keep hydrated and the good things will keep coming your way! Good luck....

Tig

 



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Tig

68yo GT1A - 5 Mil - A2/F3 - (1996) Intron A - Non Responder, (2013) Peg/Riba/Vic SOT:05/23/13 EOT:12/04/13 SVR 9+ years!

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Cinnamon Girl


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Hi Alan, I agree with MM, I don`t think you have anything to worry about there.  Your liver enzymes are holding steady which shows the treatment is continuing to do its job, it all looks good to me. 

I`d be very surprised if your next viral load at 8 weeks doesn`t come back UND, you`re heading in the right direction! 

Keep going, best of luck! 






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Jill 

(71 yo, lives in UK)

Was Gen 3a, 

24wks Peg Ifn/Riba, Sep 2010 - Mch 2011

UND @ Wk.4, UND @ EOT, 

SVR Nov 2011 --> Still UND @ EOT + 4 yrs.

 

 
malekula man


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Nice ALT...

Bilirubin can increase during therapy. The main 2 parameters you need to monitor with bilirubin level are ALT and GGT. If they are abnormally increasing there is the problem, but in your case no worries.

Have a nice day
MM

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PrevTx : relapser, Sovaldi +Peg+Riba for 12 wks, Jun-Sep 2014

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FeelingGood


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Will not have viral load test again until week 8 which is two weeks away.  I got my other bloodwork done yesterday and my ALT was 12 and AST 18 which is what they were at week 2 and 4.  ALT was 8 times as high pre tx and AST was 4x.  My bilirubin had been 1-1.4  pre tx and after two weeks it went down to .7 but last two tests 1.0 and 1.1.  Any advice ?  I am hoping it is non indicative of my viral load which was detected at 4 weeks <20 unquantifiable.

thanks

Alan



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malekula man


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I think you will do < 25UI/ml at week 4. No worries, it's sofosbuvir. It does the work fast. But your insurance surprise me...

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clhndluke


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Thanks Malekula for responding: I probably misunderstood from my first conversation with my insurance person, I have the original letter from the

insurance company and it says HCV RNA level less than 25 IU/ml at 4 weeks of treatment for final renewal approval to complete 12 weeks of therapy.. I am not sure if that is good or bad, the side affects I have had are not to bad, especially after reading about some of the older treatments, I am on day 13.... 

 



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malekula man


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clhndluke,

sorry for the words but this will be a stupid move from your insurance . All patient are different, with dufferent VLs, liver damage and etc, they just can't achieve the same result in 4 wks. Honestly, I hear it for the first time that insurance stops pay on Sovaldi or Harvoni. This practice was applicable for old-school therapies with Peg+Riba week (20 or 24) or Peg+Riba+Incivek (week 16) because of virus mutation or drug resistance.
The sofosbuvir and ledispasvir (Harvoni combo) are not officially known for the resistance.

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G1b, stage 4, cirrhosis

Harvoni Tx: Jan-Jun 2015 for 24 wks, SVR12, SVR24

PrevTx : relapser, Sovaldi +Peg+Riba for 12 wks, Jun-Sep 2014

My thread
malekula man


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FeelingGood, it's a gray zone. Your viral load reached the test sensibility limit. "Detectable" can be virus or only disassembled particles of the virions. In the reality nobody cant confirm you: are you positive or negative now. That's normal.
In all the cases Harvoni needs 8-9 week (or less without cirrhosis) to fill up all the cells in your body with the good concentration and destroy the virus. So, that's why 12wks test is more important.

Keep calm, you will do great at EOT

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G1b, stage 4, cirrhosis

Harvoni Tx: Jan-Jun 2015 for 24 wks, SVR12, SVR24

PrevTx : relapser, Sovaldi +Peg+Riba for 12 wks, Jun-Sep 2014

My thread
clhndluke


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Hello All, It was my understanding that if I was not at "0" at week 4 my insurance would not pay and I could not continue, but I have not talked to my Doctors since we applied for the Harvoni, I have a 6.9 log at biopsy, I think that is right, my pharmacy has guided me thru this so far...LOL I am in the dark..

 



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FeelingGood


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Malekula - <12 but detectable?

thx



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malekula man


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It's ok! I had < 12.
Honestly, even first Tx I had < 12 after 4 weeks. It's a very good predictor.

Good luck.

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G1b, stage 4, cirrhosis

Harvoni Tx: Jan-Jun 2015 for 24 wks, SVR12, SVR24

PrevTx : relapser, Sovaldi +Peg+Riba for 12 wks, Jun-Sep 2014

My thread
FeelingGood


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Thank you for the encouragement Tig!

Alan



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Tig


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Congratulations Alan! Looks like you've got this under control. These are very effective treatments with very high rates of success. Keep up the good fight and you will prevail!! Good luck...

Tig



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Tig

68yo GT1A - 5 Mil - A2/F3 - (1996) Intron A - Non Responder, (2013) Peg/Riba/Vic SOT:05/23/13 EOT:12/04/13 SVR 9+ years!

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FeelingGood


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Much Thanks Gigi!



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beingsassy


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Alan, I was quite worried because my viral load was 20 after 4 weeks. My doctor was not very understanding and kept insisting I had missed doses which wasn't true. But at 6 weeks it was UND and I am SVR. We all react differently and sometimes it just takes a bit longer. Yours is very low and you have a good chance of being cured. Stay on your meds and take care of yourself. Not all of us have UND at week 4 so don't judge your progress by others. It is way down which means it's working. Try not to worry about it at this point. Gigi



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Matt Chris


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Hello Alan

Yes that test result is a very good indicator that the treatment is working, stay with it and get the correct amounts of Sleep, exercise, water, fresh air & sunshine.

Your body will benefit from the extra care and the meds will do there thing easier.

matt



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"And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make"

61 year old Geno type A1, F4 Cirrhotic, started 24 weeks on Harvoni 12-17-14 ,EOT-5 week = UND, 8-31-15 =UND , SVR-24 Baby YES! 
FeelingGood


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From my doc - Your viral load after 4 weeks of treatment is detectable but < 20.It means the medication is working to suppress the viral production.

When I responded I was told:The test is much more sensitive than other places. Our detectable <20 is what the drug company used to define treatment success.

Not to worry, as long as you have not miss any doses, your chance of cure remains >90%

 

Of course I was hoping for a negative after 4 weeks - 8 weeks left.



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