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Hep C Discussion Forum -> On Treatment -> EPCLUSA . welting and a horrible itch . my symptoms and how long they took too decrease.
Post Info TOPIC: EPCLUSA . welting and a horrible itch . my symptoms and how long they took too decrease.
nathanW


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RE: EPCLUSA . welting and a horrible itch . my symptoms and how long they took too decrease.
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hi tig , 

really phenergan is prescribed by your doc's in US , there still over the counter here , they just took our strong pain killers off the shelf's here resonantly like neurofen plus , and dolased and all codeine med's. cause ppl are just going silly on them . suppose phenergan and any drug that makes you drowzy will be next  . 

i really dont see the point in poping pills as the amount of chalk n crap in them ruins your liver and kidneys hey . 

anyways on the phenergan train now toot toot . 

ill let ya know how it goes .



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nathanW


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hi canuck, 

            Most of this is done so ill just keep motoring on with it . 

I've had HCV for 24 years , my fibro scan was perfect they said , i never got my test results but all my other results health wise was better than my doctors he said . 

so i suppose it cant have been that bad .

yeah i drink plenty of fluids , and a bit of water lol . 

when i go to get my next bottle ill see if i can get my test results from start too last blood test that said u detectable .

apart from the itchiness im doing very well i have most of my energy back , n being a brickpaver / landscaper i really need it , it was hard before i started the med's and even threw the first bottle but this second bottle has been awesome .



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Canuck


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Hi Nathan, 

Glad to meet you!

Bummer about the skin/itching thing - really unfortunate you had to experience that - good you and your doc were on it, trying to address it with the rx - that is good - you seem to have been experiencing a fair bit of distress, and fair degree of this reaction though (even with the curent rx) so i would explore with your doc what else you can incorporate (meds - OTC and/or rx) as well as just any commonsense sensitive skin measure you could employ.

You are 2/3's done, but when your skin is bothering you, I don't like to think of you continuing to feel this last month long AND itchy. I (personally) would be looking for more relief (with my doc's OK) I would be experimenting with his advice on further remedies, scripted and not-scripted) - possibly improving this last 4 weeks for you!.

If drowsiness is a hinder/concern, then only try certain antihistamines (if you and doc doc do end up deciding to try them), you could try "sleepy" ones only in the safety of your home, in the the night and while sleeping, and ask what you can employ as an antihistamine (or otherwise an anti-itch remedy) in day. There has to be a way to try to get you just a little bit more relief and more comfortable I think. Have you adopted common-sense things to try to help quell your upset skin, allergy type bathing tactics/ultra-gentle cleaning and cleansers, oatmeal tub soaks, no hot water, infrequent bathing, cotton clothes, no harsh laundry detergents, avoiding getting your skin over heated, hot/sweaty. Cool and calm we wish it, if possible! Is your weather hot, maybe you have a physical job, do you have to sweat it outdoors? Contributing factors to consider

You lost me at first for a bit there (about the half-life convo) but i see it now and the other posts you made in other threads.

I said hello and mentioned some things to you over in one of the other threads as well. 

I am glad you got Epclusa, happy to hear of your UND! smile

I think I am missing some of your hx here ... what GT are you?, what were some of your pre-treatment ALT/AST/VL's - what have your Fscores been? How long did you think you had HCV? What kind of shape does your doc think your liver is in? How much water have you been drinking everyday? Have you previously had any known allergies or have you ever had any kind of sensitive skin before? Do you currently have any other health conditions going on? 

Later, C.

 



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HCV/HBV 1973. HBV resolved. HCV undiagnosed to 2015. 64 y.o. F. Canada.

GT3a, Fibroscan F3/12 kPa - F4/12.6 kPa, VL log 7.01 (10,182,417), steatosis, high iron load.

SOF/VEL with/without GS-9857 trial - NCT02639338.

SOT March 10 - EOT May 5, 2016 - SOF/VEL/VOX 8 week trial.

 

(SEE UPDATES IN BIO)
Hoodietree


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nathanW wrote:

i was thinking about taking my meds at night so i dont itch at work but then id have a bad sleep so the way i look at it is 5 left of second bottle and then 28 more days to go .

i am glad that you have informed me of the drugs half life .. i was dreading still being itchy for another month after taking this drug . 

Hi Nathan thank you so much for your post!  I have exactly 25 pills left and I take my pills at night before bed 7:30 PM to be precise Im sleeping 11-12 hours On treatment because of my fatigue issues which are exacerbated when Im riding this beautiful Epclusa Appaloosa (LOL, Appaloosa is my pet name for this wonderful drug because thats what it usually AutoCorrects to on my iPhone ah but I digress! get to the point hoodie!)

This might not help you (unless you want to slowly change the timing of your pill), but it might help someone else in the future:

I sleep right through any weirdness and side effects and I sleep like a rock for 11 to 12 hours.  But maybe thats just me After I take my pill at 7:30 PM Im free to go to sleep if I want to and Im generally zonked out by 8 PM sometimes earlier. 



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F, 51, GT3, HCV since 1989, no alcohol since 1999, Fibrosis score F0-1 (.36), VL 216,000, ALT 23, AST 26, Epclusa SOT 7/26/18 EOT 10/18/18. Thank you God. 
Tig


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Hey Nathan,

I’m sure Phenergan would help, but it’s a prescription here in the US, so not readily available. I took it for some time and I can tell you one thing, it’ll make you very drowsy. Benadryl can do that, too, but not to the same degree. Xyrtec worked well for me when I was on treatment  and it has no drowsy side effects. Run it by your doc, but one or the other might do the trick.



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Tig

67yo 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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nathanW


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 i try not too take pills at all but an antihistamine could possibly do the trick maybe , phenergan might also work , i just havent bothered with asking the hep c clinic if i can take it on epclusa or not 

 



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Tig


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Nathan,

Have you asked your doctor about taking an antihistamine? Something like Benadryl or Xyrtec can work wonders in relieving that response.



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Tig

67yo 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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nathanW


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yes the first few weeks were slightly weird but its all in the getting used to a medication i guess , i work outdoors and its not that bad apart from the itch which drives me insane like 5 hours after the dose . which will last till around dinner . 

i was thinking about taking my meds at night so i dont itch at work but then id have a bad sleep so the way i look at it is 5 left of second bottle and then 28 more days to go .

i am glad that you have informed me of the drugs half life .. i was dreading still being itchy for another month after taking this drug . 



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Tig


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Hi Nathan, 

Welcome to the forum! Glad to hear you’re on treatment with this great drug. It will certainly perform as advertised. Congrats on already being undetected, but sorry you had issues with the itchy rash. There are a few side effects (reactions) that have been noted from these medications, but generally mild and thankfully can be handled quickly and in your case, comfortably.



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Tig

67yo 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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nathanW


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hi guys im nearly on my second bottle of EPCLUSA . 

i've had a dream of a medication streak , i could not complain about this medication at all ... 

only thing i hate is it has given me some kind of skin rash that comes about 5 hours after i take my pill and im scratching like i have flees lol. 

on my 4 week blood test ( end of first bottle ) it came back as hcv undetected . im stoked 

so glad i took this step and got on this medication.

 

I can say though i haven't been as lazy and non motivated as i had been the past 3 years , and i even stay up later and wake same time and feel brilliant.

 

OK my view on this is  medication threw 2 bottles is: 

first bottle 

1: A slight spacey feeling ( fried like symptoms if you must know specifics ) 

     slightly queasy also .

2: I did get welting skin in the softer areas of my skin like side of my neck under my arms 

and on the inner part of my thy where i had skin removed for a skin graft on my other thy .

second bottle 

the spacey feeling and queasy feeling left / but the itch remained but is slowly going away ... now its just an itch for a few hours a day like 5 hrs after i take my pill.

just in case anyone gets a  welting on EPCLUSA and is wondering what the go is , in my case it was just a reaction to the med's that was easily fixed with a steroid cream called cortival 1/2 cream . (betamethasone valerate 500 microgram/g )

after a few days it was gone . 

anyways i hope this helps anyone with this issue i was kinda stressed being a big life changing medication and watching my friends years before go threw interferon i did not know what too expect but hey its a step everyone must or should take too better them selves and there health . 

ANYWAYS I HOPE THIS HELPS SOMEONE . 

have a nice journey for a better life well worth the 3 months , (12 weeks ) .



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