Epclusa Ruined My Life (Page 15)
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Has anyone experienced severe anxiety, constant crawling feeling in body after epclusa treatment. Its like my brain and body aren't working right anymore? I had terrible side effects. Finished in January, now it's June and feels like I'm still taking the poison.

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Re: Kathleen (# 18)

I'm suppose to take first day of treatment tomorrow. I'm 65yrs old and dont think my body will handle this treatment. My liver nurse says it has very mild side effects but i have heard different. I'm already struggling with emphasemia and just dont know if i shud start. I feel like im getting pushed into doing it. Hope u are ok.

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Re: skpp930 (# 11)

Why does big pharma not respond to all of our comments? I feel like my life will never be the same. I was deprived if any dangerous side effects. My hair has fallen out. My aches are constant. I wish I could post everywhere how awful it has been. God be with you all.

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Re: Katherine (# 4)

My hair loss was not right away. I started noticing it more post treatment along with the nerve pain in my scalp. The hair loss and scalp nerve pain came together. I think the peak of my symptoms were post treatment. My end treatment date was August 13, 2017 but the symptoms increased after that and peaked from December 2017 through April 2018. They started to subside and then would return. So I would think I was getting better only to be disappointed when the symptoms would return. For the past 2-3 months the nerve/tendon/muscle pain and hair loss has diminished. I'm hoping that this is the end of it. I still have tendonitis in my hand/arms and neck pain with repetitive use but I have been dealing with that since before Epclusa treatment. I can happily say my quality of life this summer in comparison to last summer has improved. I hope the Eplcusa side effects never return again. I have been using guided imagery audio for healing/depression/anxiety etc. I have found that to be very helpful. You can find many guided imagery and meditation videos on youtube. I highly recommend "Belleruth Naperstek". She has guided imagery and affirmation audios on many subjects. Give it some time and try to think positive. Best of luck to all!

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Re: Suzanne (# 2)

Hi Suezanne. I'm 65 yr old geno 3 suppose to start tx next week. I've been diagnosed with copd recently, with breathing problems trying to quit cigs. I dont think my body would handle epclusa. I suffer from anxiety already plus normal aging problems. I dont feel too bad considering my age. I think I may be better just leaving as it is, I dont drink and try and live healthy. Your opinion would be greatly appreciated. I do hope your feeling better. Thanks.

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Hi Barbera , iv been reading about your epclusa episode, how are you feeling now ?reason i ask is iv heard a few negatives about epclusa im suppose to start next week not sure what to do as iv just been diagnosed with moderate copd ( coughing shortness of breath ect )im 65yrs old and dont feel sick from the hep yet just tiredness normal ageing things i guess! Dont know if my body is ready for another powerful drug yet freezing cold in oz atm ,probley got infected back in the 70s .i hope your going ok now looking foreward to hear how your tx went.thanks

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Re: Kathi (# 23)

Great reading your message ,hope you are starting to feel bit better! Why do drs an nurses say tx on this drug is so easy ireally dont know how they can say only very mild side.effects ,i have read so many people having terrible time ,that is why with my age 65 and my new diagnosis of copd emphasemia plus myVL of 8 mill geno 3 ,dont like my chances of not getting sick ,no way is my dr gonna come see me if im sick i feel as if we are guinea pigs .plus im 65 now how much longer can i have anyway with copd ect dont want to feel worse then already do.anyway hope you are ok good luck mate.

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Re: Lou (# 22)

Hi lou. Sorry you are going through this. I will tell you what ive experienced. I started epclusa feb 29th 2018. Within days i was bed bound. I felt like i was being poisioned. I kept telling my n.p. and she made light of it. After 3 weeks i was delirious and going to my appointments without memory of it. My family had to help bathe me. Feed me and make sure i took it. After going on the acoustic Forum I realize I was not alone on that Chris has only been out since 2016. At that point I felt that I was a guinea pig for the company and that they were not going to tell me the truth. I've been off epclusa since May 29th and I'm still very ill my body hurts my memory is shot I have pains in my arms of my hands and my feet and I still can't sleep. I had to go on Ambien the whole time I was on epclusa because sleep would not come. I had nightmares over and over again and we're just a miserable human being. I now have a zero viral load but I also have non-alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver stage 4 which cannot be cured so I don't know what my next step was.. I wish you the best and I hope to hear from you on the Forum and to everybody else out there Scott and Kathleen have a blessed day.

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Hi ,hope you are feeling bit better !its all strange ,hard to get info here in australia ,im supposed to start epclusa next week im 65yr old male prob got infected 70s geno 3 VL into millions fibroscan still f1 ,7.6 score,just been diagnosed with copd (short of breath sometimes ect trying to quit cigs ) also on opiate for pain managment daily so constipation is common already evan before starting tx .what annoys me is the hep nurse is so sure i will handle tx with only very mild side effects like how does she know whats gonna happen as i already feel like crap with my lung problems maybe im paranoid i dont know ,i dont feel hep sick atm and i dont want it to start because people tell me its a wonder drug what if it isnt ?as you seem to be finding out .really hope your feeling better ,if u have time let me know how its all going for you .i feel like maybe im too old to do tx who knows how long life span is when you grew up in the 70s ect.thanks hope your ok.

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Re: Bonnie (# 20)

Hi bonnie. Yes I too went to cannibis store while on epclusa.
It helped a little. I have now been off of epclusa since May 29th 2018 and had to move to Tennessee where cannabis Medicaid medically or otherwise is illegal. I feel like I'm in a fog. I can't remember things I've had to cut my hair almost all the way down to nothing because it keeps falling out. I'm confused I feel alone and I feel like no one really understands what I've been through on epclusa and what it's done to me. I pray for you and I will continue to pray for everybody because God help us we need help

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Re: Skpp930 (# 8)

I took Epclusa for three months last summer and I am still having severe anxiety and insomnia, muscle pain, mental fog, fatigue. Doctors are useless and always have been. I didn't even bother to go back. I was abandoned during treatment and had to ask my naturopath for help. I now take CBD oil (find one with 250mgs in the bottle and take 1/4 dropper on the tongue. Don't swallow right away, roll it around for 90 seconds then swallow), Bach Flower Essence which really works (I use 1/2 dropper full as often as I want and also roll it around on the tongue). I also take L-Theonine 200mgs at night (an amino acid), Melissa 1.5 gms at night (an herb also known as lemon balm, and it comes in capsule form), Taurine 200mgs am and pm, (another amino acid), magnesium 800mgs at night, and I stopped eating meat, dairy, and wheat but still eat lots of eggs, butter, veggies, potatoes fruit, brown rice so i'm not going hungry). I take Turmeric for pain. All of this has helped a lot. You should be able to find everything except CBD at any grocery store or herbal shop. If cannabis is legal in your area, it is here, you can find CBD at any pipe shop. CBD is not available on Amazon so don't confuse hemp oil for CBD oil, it's NOT the same thing. The listing must say "CBD" and give the milligram per bottle to be considered true CBD oil. But there are CBD oils available from private websites and it's not horribly expensive. Cannabis also helps a lot if you use a pure indica strain but go slow. I really hope this helps you find relief. MDs never help with side effects. They are useless in my opinion. The regimen I listed has stopped most of the anxiety and insomnia. Pain is still an issue but all of the supplements I listed helps it from being unbearable. If you can only afford one thing, I would choose the CBD oil. If you can afford to, I would see a naturopath for guidance. But you can do all of this by yourself too.

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I have just finished 12 weeks if epclusa may 28th. I have started losing my hair. I have pain in my knees and shoulders. The joint pain just started. If I would have been told of all the side effects such ad ferling poisoned and totally being unable to stay out if bed I might have looked at other options. My hep c is at zero viral count but my stage 4 chirrous is still with me.
I guess its a death sentence but lost almost three months of my life in a daze. I would warn others to check options. Best of health to all of you.

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Re: Verwon (# 1)

Hi Barbara. I have not experienced nerve sensation. What I have experienced is a restlessness and the inability to sleep longer than four hours at a time. I spent my first eight weeks of epclusa in bed. I would call my n.p. and she would act so surprised when I would say I felt like I was poisoned. I could not function. I felt like i was in a fog. I had no energy. Everything was a chore - i.e bathing/walking. No one prepared me for what was to happen. I have hair loss. I have changed. I am no longer full of life. I have a zero viral load but just completed epclusa may 29th. I wont be tested for viral load or progression of cirrhosis stage four until August. I am going to lobby for physicians to have mandatory sessions with patients to explain what is to come. I wish you the best.

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Re: Skpp930 (# 8)

Hello skipp930. I also have has some hair loss. I just am so beyond belief that my doctor, the pharmacist, nor my nurse practitioner told me anything about epclusa. Other than the fact that it would get rid of my hep C. I feel like they did not explain anything well in the pamphlet provided at the pharmacy concerning all of the devastating side effects it had. I still can't get over the fact that I just found out it's a black box medication. I feel that everyone on a epclusa is a guinea pig. I hope you get some relief feeling better soon. I hope that the people on this forum can inform people and make them have educated decisions about what they need to do for their health. Good luck skip.

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I'm happy to share that my hair loss has stopped and I believe it is growing back. Also my nerve pain in scalp is gone. I still have minimal nerve pain in my shins, and forearms that come on with stress but is much better than before. No more tendonitis or hand pain unless I use my hands repetitively for too long. I am about 10 months post treatment. I am much better than I was six months ago. It's been a slow come back though. Still hoping for more improvement and getting back to normal

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Re: Kathleen (# 13)

My viral load was 0 in the first month! Yeah, it got rid of hep c and killed a lot of other stuff my body needed in the process!

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Re: Kathleen (# 13)

I hope it stays that way for you. God be with you.

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Re: Kathleen (# 10)

I am one of the fortunate ones to receive epclusa treatment. The first eight weeks were brutal. No one told me how devastating the medication was. There were werks at a time where I was not able to function. I am today on ninth week and now feel like Ive made it through to the other side. The internet and forum helped me to become knowledgeable about epclusa. Will not know if my cirrohis has improved from stage 4 for many months but my heo c viral load is now zero. It's a great medication but please read all you can to be totally informed. I could not sleep. Got ambien for that. Don't be shy about calling drs office to tell them what you are experiencing or feeling. Don't miss any doses and drink lots of water.

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Re: Kathleen (# 10)

I pray for your sake you're right. It's been a little over a year, I'm still the same. A lot of people that didn't have any trouble when taking it are now. I'll pray for you. It totally ruined my life, my job, my brain, my body, everything. I wish I knew what feeling normal felt like for 1 day. It never got better when I took it, just worse and worse.

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Re: Verwon (# 1)

All of this was due to epclusa. It's been a little over a year, still haven't got my hair back, and no, I eat healthy. Still have to be medicated, still no memory, still wake up with body parts like they are vibrating. I wouldn't advise anyone to take this poison! If you went through it with no problems, just wait, they will start up. Many have said they didn't feel anything during treatment but they do now. I'll never feel a normal day again. All I can say is, when god is ready to take me, im more than willing to go, to get out of this nightmare!

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Re: Verwon (# 1)

I have been on epclusa for eight weeks and three days. In the first two months I felt like I was poisoned. Had hep c. After three weeks my viral load was zero. I have stage four cirrhosis and will take total of twelve weeks. This is the first week that I have felt (normal). I.e. not feeling like I wanted to die. I hope next four weeks are like now. Stay on course. Dont miss a dosage. There is light ahead.

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