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Post Info TOPIC: Harvoni and Hot Drinks
Tig


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RE: Harvoni and Hot Drinks
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If taking the medication with a hot beverage was contraindicated, there would be warnings provided in the package insert. There would also be strict guidelines provided by all the trial centers. Their guidelines are far more cautious than "normal". The only temperature warning for Harvoni is the storage temperature. That's 30* C (87* F). Your internal body temperature is 98.6 F. If exposure to temperatures above 87 F was enough to immediately destroy the action of the medication, then the time spent in your stomach and duodenum, as it was being absorbed, would be enough to do so.

We have discussed this several times in the past, but never taking the pill with something hot. Usually the concern is about storage guidelines and even with the 87 F limitation, we heard back from an Abbvie rep that said their medications have similar warnings, but it could tolerate those temperatures and higher for limited amounts of time without any adverse effect on the drug. They are concerned about long term storage of the drugs. I would bet the farm that their answer will be that you need not worry about this. I admire your attention to detail and am confident that you're going to do very well.  Please let us know what you find out. 



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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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nightowl


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Hi guys, just to let you know, I have emailed Gilead over the weekend to ask them about this issue and I'm awaiting their reply. I'll let you know when I hear from them.   The reason I quickly posted about this issue over the weekend before I'd had a chance to fact-check it was that I felt I had a moral obligation to mention it here asap ... just in case.  I also suspect it's not something to worry about, particularly based on the fact that people have achieved SVR after taking their pills with coffee etc ... however, my GE is the top guy in Australia ... and he was most insistent about this issue ... so who knows ... will let you know when I hear back from them.  smile



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Liz 48 yrs

Genotype 1a

DX: 1988

Biopsy 1995 - mild inflammation/piecemeal necrosis

Viral Load: 1.1 mil

Treatment naive ... currently on Harvoni (8 Weeks)

 
JimmyK


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Harvoni 5:55am                 check

Coffee 6:15am                   check

UND at SOT + 4 weeks       check

 



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Harvoni TX 2 12 weeks. UND weeks 4, 12 and now EOT + 4 Weeks. SVR-12 09/29/16. All Glory, Honor and Thanks be to God.

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wendyo


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Well I have to tell you I took mine with coffee and my other vitamins in the morn with my breakfast and I am SVR so not sure how true that is. Like Tig said check with Gilead. 



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Wendy 53 y/o, DX 1994, geno 1A F1

1999 TX 1 - Inter -non responder 2001 TX 2 - Peg + Riba - viral load tripled and taken off

T3:  Harvoni 12 weeks Sept. 19, 2015 ALT 41 AST 30 VL 541800 UND at EOT and SVR 24 ALT 18 AST 26 platelets 223

 
Loopy Lisa


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I saw nothing on my medication not to have list. But something worth considering! It does state about St. John's wort having an interaction, so that is a def. no no...



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Genotype: 3b

VL.�over 15, 000 000

Failed TX 2014: Interferon/Riba.

Cured using Sof/Dak combination.

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Tig


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Hi Liz,

Well, that's the first time I've heard that one. You're right, storage of Harvoni above and below Gilead's recommended temperatures can harm it's effectiveness when kept there for an extended period of time. I think that a call to Gilead would be in order to get that clarified. Just avoid taking it with a hot beverage and you'll be good to go. I think your doctor's recommendation to wait a full hour after taking it, before drinking a hot drink, is just being overly cautious. If it was truly a risk, I think Gilead would have red warnings all over their literature. I think 15 to 20 minutes would be more than adequate if I were the worrying kind. Again, I think checking with Gilead or your specialty pharmacist would be a good place to ask.

Storing it in a dark location in the home, that doesn't reach the temperatures mentioned shouldn't be too difficult to find. We've talked about this several times and it's not hard to find a few places that will work. Don't use the bathroom cabinet though, it's warm and damp, which may be enough to affect it.



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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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nightowl


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Hi just a quick question - and perhaps some helpful info to newcomers regarding Harvoni and body temperature smile. 

When I last saw my liver specialist to begin my Harvoni a few weeks ago, he told me NOT to take my tablet with a hot drink (tea or coffee/soup etc).  He told me that Harvoni is destroyed at temperatures over 30 degrees and a hot cup or tea is 40 or 50 degrees.  I clarified this with him 3 times and wrote it down at the time.  I remember thinking ... how can that be so when a normal body temp is 37 degrees?  But I think what he was saying is this ... the tablet is destroyed at temperatures over 30 degrees when stored OUTSIDE of the body, but it can also be destroyed in those initial first few minutes after you swallow it when it is sitting whole in the stomach before your body has had a chance to metabolize it.  In other words, if you pour a hot drink directly into the stomach where the tablet is sitting, you will destroy your medication.

He told me NO HOT DRINKS FOR AT LEAST AN HOUR after taking Harvoni.

As I have not seen any posts on this topic, I thought it might be a good idea to mention it here for newcomers, as I would certainly not have known about this had my GE not mentioned it.

 

Hope you guys are well! Liz

 



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Liz 48 yrs

Genotype 1a

DX: 1988

Biopsy 1995 - mild inflammation/piecemeal necrosis

Viral Load: 1.1 mil

Treatment naive ... currently on Harvoni (8 Weeks)

 
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