Harvoni Side Effects (Page 18)
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I have been taking Harvoni for 3 months now and am having nerve pain in my legs and lower back pain. Is anyone else taking Harvoni having any of these same side effects as me? Please help if you are able. Thank you

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may be suffering acidosis. Look it up - Harvoni will destroy the mitochondrial dna with too much acid built up. Wish I'd known this. I took some baking soda to neutralize the excess acid.

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I forgot to talk about lactic acidosis. This might be the most common problem with Harvoni. Even more so for those with a cirrhotic liver. Symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, headache, some nervous disorders, drowsiness. It can lead to kidney inflammation, rheumatism, atericlerosis, high blood pressure, and skin disorders.

I suggest drinking apple cider vinegar with water daily. Keeping your kidneys flushed seems to be an imperative. Drink celery juice, can be mixed with other juices. You MUST drink a lot of water, and it should not be tap water. Spending a little more to buy purified water is worth the investment. I also put cranberries in my daily smoothie for the kidneys. For those with cirrhosis, include pectin in your daily diet. What you put into your body right now is of utmost importance. Food is medicine. Get on Google and look up anything I've talked about in my posts. There are tons of research and studies, it's not snake oil.

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Yes I am, I've been on harvoni for 18days felt good so I started running around catching up on yard work, had grankids over the next day I could not walk my legs felt like cement. I stayed off my feet for a day but within an hour or so same thing. It took 3 days off my feet resting to be able to walk again soles of feet r super sensitive and I walk bent over like a 100 yr old lady. So I have been just taking it easy so far. If I push it, it seems to push me back. I'm at 28 days now. Plus I'm hungry all the time

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You're eating a lot better than i did i wish i had also ate better and taken some baking soda at night I'm greatly improved stamina wise and energy but i still don't feel right yet. Still hoping I will be normal soon, I'm thinking my liver is still not used to living with out the virus and with all the damage probably still healing for 6 months post. God bless you on your journey

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Go to you tube harvoni day 50 stage 4 liver cirrohsis reversal, watch the vid

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I am wondering if anyone with these joint and muscle pains have gone to see a licensed naturopath or an MD who practices integrative medicine. Most regular doctors will only give you pain meds, but the ones I mentioned will try to find and treat the problem. Unfortunately, it can be a bit pricey, but if you can swing it, it might be well worth it. John, I can only throw some thoughts out there based on some side effects that I know of. Don't eat anything that raises Uric acid levels, like beef and organ meats. You can. Look up seafoods that should be avoided, also.

Harvoni can cause an increase in creatine kinase levels, resulting in toxic myopathy, so you might want to have labs done to check that. Foods known to lower creatine kinase levels are garlic, walnuts, almonds, artichokes, sweet potatoes,and foods high in soluble fiber. Try taking magnesium if you don't already. If you were previously on statins, the Harvoni may have increased an existing inflammatory myopathy you were not aware of. Anyway, I suggest you look up these things since I can't share links on here. I know they tell us not to take anything while treating, but there was no way in hell I wasn't going to protect myself from damage. I will have my 4 week labs done next week. If I am clearing the virus, then I will know that the supplements I'm taking did not interfere. If you want to know more on my regimen, you can email me at {edited for privacy}

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Search at change.org for the page on harvoni side effects and sign it please.

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Well that figures >.<
1 day last week my forearm muscles for each finger felt like they were cramping at different rates and different weaknesses which was weird because a cramp is usually 1 thing not like this.

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I just completed four weeks of Harvoni today. The side effects of been brutal. I am having extreme nerve pain in my lower back and down my legs, I am having excruciating kidney pain, I am having so much pain in my joints and muscles it's to a point where I don't even want to get out of bed because it's so hard to do. I'm also still getting the headaches and the real scary part is I'm suffering some memory loss issues which scares me a great deal. I drink about a gallon and a half of water every day and when I go to the bathroom can barely squeeze out a little more than a few drops of urine and the minimal drops of urine that I do get out is dark, dark yellow. Today, I tried explaining all of these issues including how tired I am, its like I havent slept in a few days. My VA doctor said that my oxygen levels were fine so I shouldnt be tired. Well, I am... When I told him about all the pain, the severe nerve pain, the severe joint and mucsle pain as well as the kidney pain, he acted like I wasnt being truthful, saying again that the only side effects are slight headache and perhaps a little tired... He told me that none of these issues are associated with Harvoni, that no one else has complained about having these pains, aches or swollen joints.. As I said earlier (as I am typing this my hands and fingers feel like pins and needles are beig forced from the inside of my fingers and hands, its really killing me. I have a high threshold of pain, all of these have me in tears at least a couple of times a day.. When I combine all this pain, muscle, nerve and joint and combine this with my memory loss,,, I am really upset.. . I have never had memory loss, I do now and it is getting worse, I have never had kidney pain, I do now and its getting worse, I never had mucsle and joint pain like I do now, if I had done some hard work one day in the past sure I would get some aches, but it was just sore, not painful it was never like the pain I am getting today, which is getting worse by the day, the pins, needles and razor blades in my feet if I were to stub a toe or a finger it felt like I was hit with a bat that has nails coming out of it. Two days ago, I stubbed my pinky toe on my right foot,,, the pain shot up my foot, through my leg and into my hip putting me down on the floor crying like a baby... I just cant describe the joint pains like in my elbows or ankles, if I lift my arm up my muscles feel like theyre being torn apart.. I have, or at least I thought I had a high tolerence of pain,, well not this kind of pain, my neck is always killing me now... As I said, my memory loss, my little and very dark urine combined with all the pain is so bad I wish I had never listened to the doctor and put this off until more was known... I also want to add that I am extremely short of breath at times, finding it hard to breathe, even getting occassional bursts of chest pains, it could be anxiety, not sure but I do know this, my doctor said it was the body cleansing itself, that most of what I am feeling is in my imagination,, well if this is imaginary,, its very vivid, very real and very scary, getting scarier daily.... Yesterday, I couldnt get out of bed yet I couldnt lay down with any comfort because if the sheet were to say go over my toes and foot,,, it felt like a razor blade cutting me... I still have 8 weeks left. Prior to starting this I was a little tired, no cirrhosis, I never felt like I had Hep C, I had it since 1979, in the Navy when detected, I had alwaya felt a little tired but honestly cant say that I had any other symptoms but the VA Doctor said my viral count was high and that I should do this. Today, after speaking with the Dr. I am even more worried because if he doesnt believe me now and with all that I am reading where these issues, these pains all get worse as well post treatment.... All I know is there is not one thing that I have said that isnt true about all these side effects. What really sucks is that I am on Suboxone due to a 20 year pain medication use from a doctor due to a fall off a telephone pole. I have always had disc pain and sciatic nerve pain, controlled pain in my right leg but the pain is now 10x worse. So I take a motrin every now and then but was told to try to stay off them and leaving the Dr's office at the VA today, I was told to suck it up, grin and bear it, afterall I will no longer have Hep C and I should be happy about that. Well yes I am happy about eradicating the Hep C but I am so much worse in everyway, as I finish typing this, my hands and fingers are feeling like theyve been cut by razors. My whole body feels like s*** and I have had to reread this 7 or 8 times because I forgot if I had said this or that.. I feel like crying the pain is so bad, but I have to say, my memory and lack of urine output is also weighing heavily,, really feel extremely depressed,, I hope that all I have mentioned goes away, I hope it doesnt contiually get worse anymore but as each day goes by, I am feeling so bad, I dont know why I did it... Hopefully this all makes sense, my eyes are so heavy, they kept closing while I was typing this,, its very depressing on top of all this pain and memory loss, let alone not being able to pee after drinking tons of water, I even tried coffee, used to pee like a race horse, now I pee like an ant, a dark yellow ant.. Scared in Vero Beach,, thats what I am... Too bad the Dr didnt believe me, also very frustrating... Will update around the end of week 5.
Jim

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John I hate to be the bummer here but I had the same issues with my joints during treatment and I am 18 months post treatment and in pain still. My hands and feet are off the charts pain wise. Feels swollen everyday and I have this crackling of the joints upon waking. It's like a cramping sort of thing. I have been to specialists and they ruled out RA but really didn't give me much of anything to go on here. Nothing about pain relief (which I wouldn't take anyway). No one will admit it's from Harvoni but it started during week three of treatment. I am learning to live this way.

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I've been having post side affects back and legs and my neck are killing me .i finished my Harvoni in sep 2015 never hurt like this before.

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I would like to have a copy of the FDA side effects that you have; I have read Canada's site and am wondering if you have more than what's listed there. Thank you, I've spent months researching this as I now have glaucoma after taking Harvoni.

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About to finish week 8 of 12
I'm on harvoni only stopped other meds month before taking treatment.
It seems like immune system attacking joints making them swell and tendons tender after slight injury or usage. Also muscle weakness or a feeling like calfs going to sleep have to move em around.
Joint swelling with pain happens worse if I bump a toe then next day pain in joint bad for a week then levels off to ache. I popped a bunch of bubble wrap to make it smaller and toss it . Next day ( today) tendon pain and swelling in pointer finger can't close it all the way now. If I play guitar then the motion of moving fingers seems to loosen it up left hand doing better than right. Or run hands under warm hot water. Get the lower back ache but not bad just constant.
Headache ( spaced out head) got mild after 3 weeks.
Gained gut weight about 5 lbs very unusual for me.
The fatigue, yeah get tired really easily.
Weakness that's an understatement my hands were my strongest body part like Popeye. From chainsaw, guitar, shoveling, now I have to be careful picking up a gallon of milk or opening up a gallon of juice or a bag of chips ( get a knife) with out messing up my hands.
Seems like immune system on overload, symptoms hopefully will calm down when I'm done with this stuff.
I have had my joints swell before on occasion not like this tho it's defiantly the harvoni interacting with my body. Which is not a big deal if it dosnt become chronic.
Becoming very carful to not bump my hands and feet into stuff.
Wonder if I should see a doctor but my anxiety is so high it's like climbing Mount Everest.

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Yes, you sent me the files recently. I know this and chose to treat anyway. I am very informed and have done my own independent research. There needs to be analysis by the scientific community to determine who can safely take this drug. It is NOT a broad spectrum drug, as they claim. Too many factors to consider. Graphs and scatter plots would certainly give them a starting point. Very elementary, yet it isn't being done.

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Sherrie, I have FDA reports that show so many side effects to include many deaths we have not heard about. Unless we get the FDA to release this, everybody is walking around totally uninformed. There is a petition on charge.org requesting them to release the info. Just search Harvoni.

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New Day: I forgot to say more about your water and lead comment (my first response hasn't posted yet). I should say to you, Are you kidding? Tap water contains chlorine and flouride, which do affect the body. Now they are finding detectable levels of antidepressants in it, too, because water treatment plants don't yet have the ability to filter them out. There are minerals and metals leaching into public water due to aging water line systems in cities. As far as my asking him about alkaline water, that can help if a person suffers with acidosis, a fairly common side effect of Harvoni. I don't have that problem at this time, but excuse me for doing what I can to avoid it. Please open your mind and learn more about how the human body works. I can't tell you how many prescriptions I've chosen not to fill over the years because of what I find in my research. Haven't touched an antibiotic in probably 20 years. With that said, I looked hard and long at everything I could find before my decision to take Harvoni. I never jump on a bandwagon just because a doctor tells me too. And if I end up sick from it, I can only blame myself since I was educated and informed before I started taking it. I know that earlier people did not have this opportunity and were rushed into it by their doctors. It is their (your) stories that are helping us, the next generation of people going into treatment.

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@Jane and Jamie, I thank YOU! I have made many enemies at the hospital I was treated at and you know what? its ok, if they couldn't be honest with me, then who needs them.

My health is a wreck now, as I didn't finish treatment. Hep C is back with vengeance with RA, all kinds of other issues. If only they where honest. One day I will get the nerve to write that doc if I don't lose my apt and wind up homeless. I need this battle along with everything else. I am so angry I could scream. There is more to the story of course, just every red flag told me I was being exploited. The greed is amazing. One day at a time, and yes I agree no matter how long you have been in recovery the docs tell themselves well its only a drug addict. God don't like ugly one day addiction will hit the home of these docs kids, I wish them luck.

Till then be strong and trust your instinct, big pharma is in it for the money.

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New Day: There was no need for you to attack my question about water to the person who calls himself Harvoni. I watched his videos and read all the comments he and others posted there. I got blasted on a hep c forum a while back for my extreme concerns about Harvoni. They didn't want any truthful discussion, so I quit the forum. Now I'm in a private group that is so open and supportive. I spent months educating myself and receiving advice from health professionals who practice integrative medicine. You act like there's something wrong with wanting to know about the healthiest option regarding water while on this drug. It's my body, my health, so please don't criticize. I accept and believe that people have terrible neurological and metabolic side effects from Harvoni, which is why I have educated myself on how to possibly avoid all of that. I am grateful to those who have taken the chance before me and have shared all of their trials and tribulations. Without them, I wouldn't have a clue. So far, I'm on day 21 and feeling good. I spent 5 days camping and volunteering at a music festival with no problem. I am now noticing just how tired and depressed I had become during the past few years, and just keep my fingers crossed that my diet, supplements, and other regimens will limit any side effects. I do have my theory on who should and should not be given this drug, based on some common health characteristics I keep seeing. I don't believe Harvoni was evaluated long enough and shouldn't have been fast tracked by the FDA for approval. You need to keep your anger directed at Gilead and the FDA, not at fellow infected people like me. We're all worried and afraid for our lives just like you are.

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I didn't have much pain while on Harvoni. The nausea was severe, the depression and anxiety were nearly unbearable. Lots of other sides but, luckily, no pain. One thing I know for sure is that it has become nearly impossible to obtain a prescription for pain since the new laws regarding opioids (about 2 years old). Not to mention the stigma of Hep C which is sometimes transmitted via needles. I wouldn't have been able to sleep on Harvoni if it weren't for my wonderful primary doctor who prescribed me Xanax. She has known me for over 12 years and doesn't pass judgements, etc.

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i made sure that my Dr at the VA knew that i was in great pain. When he treated the pain , everything else feel into place. I am alive and thngs are on hold hep c wise. But u have to treat any extra side effects with this drug, then thy have to take care of what they brought it on. now they should take care of it. get ride of the pain and your world will get better. good luck

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