Harvoni Side Effects (Page 8) (Top voted first)

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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Well, I am in week 3 and the headaches, the nerve pain down my leg, the pain in my kidney area as well as being so tired it is really annoying and painful. I also am so thirsty I cant get enough water. With all these symptoms add that trying to urinate is also a big worry where there was none before... I can drink a gallon of water and barley a drop comes out. It is so dark yellow, I am really worried about that and all these other symptoms... I dont know if this is going to get worse or not. If it stayed the same, its still bad. All these pains, nerves and kidney as well as really quite severe headaches is really very bad and painful.... This is my last update until next week, if I make it that long..

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I am on a 12 week program. These first 3 weeks have been harder and more painful than I had hoped. Had none of these symptoms before and my liver had no cirrhosis but was told I should have it done by the VA,, so now keeping my fingers crossed this is just temporary because I dont want these issues when I am done.. Good luck

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My treatment is in week 3 of 12 weeks, I have never treated it until now. I have had it since the early 80's. I got it in the Navy, now because my viral count and other minor effects, mainly fatique, The VA said I should do this, my only side effects would be a slight headache and perhaps a little tired. Theyve been wrong on all counts as my earlier post stated... I am praying all these side effects are just temporary but they seem to be getting worse as time goes by. I chose to live with it until I was told all this damning information about what was going to happen if I didnt start Harvoni now,,, now I am sicker then I ever was and getting worse... No turning back now

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Jim, Although I was horribly sick throughout the first 4 months of Harvoni, I did start to feel a bit better around the middle of the 5th month. Your doctors are telling you what we all heard: Tired and headache. They have no idea what the real symptoms are because it's such a new drug and Gilead didn't list all of the side effects on the FDA website. There are many people who are upset and angry about the fact that we didn't receive any emotional support nor were we told the truth about the side effects of Harvoni. One thing that helped me with my nausea was ginger beer; an all natural drink that contain real ginger. Of course you should stay hydrated but water and other fluids are not enough to keep the side effects at bay.

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6 Months out from Harvoni 8 week treatment - Viral load count -0- joint pain has finally gone away, fatigue isn't as bad but still have headaches everyday that I never had before.

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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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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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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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SHERRI: Yes, the Apple Cider Vinegar in water is a good thing. Even though it's acidic, it can actually help heartburn. Another thing to keep up on is the probiotics found in Kefir and Kombucha. Really good for flushing those kidneys and for gut health. I make my own dairy Kefir, water Kefir and Kombucha at home.

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There is a franchise laboratory called Any Lab Test Now that does lab tests for tons of different things. Pretty cool.

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Checking in at week 5 of my Harvoni treatment. My 4 week labs found the virus undetected. I will treat for a total of 8 weeks. Treatment side effects for me have been minimal. I don't know if I'm just lucky or if it's my supplements, exercise, and sauna detoxes.

Here is my regimen: (I have shared this in an earlier reply.) Daily supplements (taken in the morning, 10 hours before taking my Harvoni pill) Multivitamin, Mineral Complex, Omega 3 Fish Oil, Vitamin B Complex (methylated, which is more bioavailable), Alpha Lipoic Acid, Probiotic capsule.

I make a daily morning smoothie with: Apples, frozen blueberries, frozen cranberries, fresh ginger, almonds, pumpkin seeds, ground flax seeds, avocado, banana, kiwi fruit, 10 gm. grass fed whey protein, 1500 gm Vitamin C powder, almond milk.

I drink a lot of purified water all day and try to drink fresh juice with beets and celery as often as possible. Beets are good for the liver and celery helps to stimulate and cleanse the kidneys. I feared a buildup of the medication in my system and/or toxic buildup in my kidneys, hence keeping them cleansed. To take some of the strain off of the kidney's, I sweat in a sauna 3X weekly. I also exercise. Getting sleep is huge. I use cannabis each night as a sleep aid (I'm in California and have a prescription.) I try to remember to drink a glass of water mixed with apple cider vinegar each day, but needs to be at least 4 hours before or after taking the Harvoni pill.

I know that many people have experienced terrible sides and I have tried to pinpoint a common factor of those cases. It's not that obvious. But, one commonality of some is that they are taking at least one other prescription med. It's possible that people with cirrhosis might have more sides. I have noticed that many people have other health problems in addition to (or because of) the hep c. My advice on this would be to take the supplements I listed above for one month prior to beginning treatment. Do not buy low quality ones. If you can find them, buy pharmaceutical grade supplements, often available at compounding pharmacies, or homeopathic pharmacies. Try to improve your overall health prior to starting. Keep moving, no matter how fatigued you feel, it's very important. Drink lots of purified water, not tap water. Eat small meals not overly high in protein. One night I had beef, which is rare for me. I felt sick for two days. I had to reduce the amount of protein powder in my smoothies because too much at one time made me feel badly. I eat very little bread and pasta made from wheat, and very little sugar.

This has taken a lot of effort, but it has been worth it to see that UNDETECTED word on my lab results, with very mild side effects along the way.

Last but not least, join a private support group. The one I joined has helped me sooo much. It's not a place for b**** sessions. They offer emotional support along with very helpful information. Take care and good luck.

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Mags I would suggest trying to print up some of the posts from here and other forums. There is enough to read about if any doctor took at least an interest in this. The problem is they are busy and don't really look to see what is happening. They only know what their own patients are reporting to them. I refuse to take any heavy duty pain meds that is why I said they dont' have much to offer us. BUT.... to at least admit it is from the treatment would be a nice start.

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Would not touch Harvoni under any circumstances thanks to the hundreds of posts I've read detailing severe effects months,year afterwards.

Playing Russian roulette with health if take the big pharma poison.

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Hi Keith I have just finished Harvoni 3mths ago..I tend to agree my expectations were high for feeling good after treatment. .turns out the severe joint pain I developed during treatment has got even worse after finishing the 12wk course of Harvoni .
I have hands elbows feet and knee pain all at the same time it's horrendous. .I have mensioned this to them but have been told it's not a side effect of Harvoni despite the fact I developed it 2wks into treatment!
It's great to be free of Hep C as I had stage 4 with cirrhosis and now things on the liver function side are good but to be left with no explanation as to why this developed during treatment is a bitter pill to swollow. .I'm hoping things will settle in time but convinced that Harvoni was the cause!

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I happened to notice this is all politics. This company gave over $100,000 to a global initiative. Surprised anyone? I am not voting this year this entire country and pay to play is making me sick. We lost Amierica somehow on our backs or in this place liver.

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I am now post treatment 1 month. I just got out of the hospital for swelling of my right foot and leg and facial pain that made me want to end my life, happens everyday now. Combine these two new issues with other swollen joints, nerve pain down legs kidney pain, severe headaches. My feet feel like I am walking on pins and needles and at times like glass, even when I am sitting down, complete exhaustion, total weakness, anxiety, severe ringing in my ears, depression, and now blurred vision. I am really upset that all these side effects were not mentioned. My VA doctor says well these weren't listed as side effects so they just have to be a coincidence. I say B.S..... I have more issues, more severe issues than ever before. I went to the actual Harvoni website, they have a place to share your story and get this, they're giving away a "momento" for taking their product, a key chain... I shared my problems that are all new and to no surprise, they didn't publish my comments about all these side effects. There is also an FOI attempt via a legal suit to get ALL the side effects that took place through 3 clinical trials, neither the FDA or Gilead want to release them all... All I am positive of is I am so much sicker with so many more new health issues than I had prior to starting Harvoni and those that developed and that I reported during treatment and post Harvoni, yet no doctor, FDA or Gilead cares... While I am now supposedly Hep C free, I was NEVER this ill, never had these issues and my life today is much worse from a medical point of view.... All I know for fact is, I was much more active, a lot less pain, no headaches, no weakness, no ringing in my ears and I had so much more energy than I do now, these days I am exhausted to a point I fall asleep sitting up, the nerve and kidney pain are so painful that I am questioning my stupidity in even starting this treatment. I did it because I was told it would extend my life and give me a better, healthier life.. I haven't had a drop of alcohol in at least 15 years. I don't do drugs and I am convinced that I was lied to, not only by my doctor but also the FDA and Gilead. I am convinced that the sales of Harvoni have dropped because of these side effects as well as many more that were kept away on purpose. I have a few more side effects as well as those I have listed but I am finding this all too hard to deal with and accept. Had they stated ALL THE SIDE EFFECTS, I would have never started or taken this treatment. I never did the interferron because of the side effects with that as well. I am just so disgusted that my life as I knew it is over, the dream that they sold me of living a healthier life seems was a bunch of BS. I am positive that these side effects and now new daily medical problems, are, a direct result of taking Harvoni and happened to me as well as many of you because our doctors were sold a bill of goods without knowing the truth.. I am pissed off at the FDA and at Gilead for not being open and transparent.. Its all about the almighty buck, not about the additional harm it caused me and many others.. One last note, these side effects are getting worse daily, I seem to have so many medical issues I never had.. So while active treatment was bad, my post treatment life and side effects are getting worse by the day and my quality of life is terrible.

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What is it going to take to get this cash cow off the market? When is a law firm going to take action? What are they afraid of?
The older I get the more power I see big pharma has in this country. The American people have been exploited and sold out. I am so sorry this is happening to you. Watch they will blame you not the drug. Go back to the doctor and listen to the lies then run don't walk far away from him or her. They are NOT your friend they are in bed with big pharma. I wish you healing and peace.

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I am 15 post treatment and am still virus free, so at least it killed the virus. However I didn't have this many problems before Harvoni. On some days I wish I never heard of it. My wife wanted me to wait before taking Harvoni. She felt I was pretty much stable, Harvoni just came out, was rushed thru the FDA approval process, so just wait a while - I had been filled before. But when I heard 98% cure rate and "low" side effects, I jumped in with both feet. My only advice for you is first, report your side effects to FDA web site, and have your doctor treat side effects one by one. If you try to tell your doctor they all come from one source, Harvoni, they will eventually call you nuts and recommend a shrink. Hold strong and make sure you have people to talk to!

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Hi Jared,

I am also sorry for your loss. That is tragic and thank you for taking the time to warn others. This must be very difficult for your family to deal with.

Oh yes Keith, I already done what you warned me against. I gave a laundry list of symptoms to the doctor, and although he was very polite, he advised me to seek another doctor as I was suffering from another illness! Yeah right. This started 3 days after I started taking it.

I am with you Jim and Keith. I would NEVER have risked it if I knew this scenario was even a possibility. My health is destroyed right now and I am afraid I will not get it back. I too, drank the Kool-aid about the cure rate and the low side effects. It seemed like a simple decision at the time. I quickly changed my mind though and had misgivings on the first week. Before I found anyone else like me, I had a strong feeling I had made a mistake and I wish now I had listened to that voice and got out in week one. It was sold as a miracle cure, and all the hope invested in the fairy tale ending was difficult to let go of.

Yes, I agree with the person (sorry I cant remember the name) who advised me to keep taking it. It sounds contradictory, but I dont want to end up not cured as well as having sides and I have only 2 weeks to go. Its like there is no turning back now, even though I do not trust this drug anymore. Thanks for putting your advice out there though. It was validating to my decision making process.

Every week, the deal changes with this, and I do not know what is coming next. Yesterday I developed hot, raised, itchy, sore scabs (the size of a golf ball) on my buttocks. Sorry, gross, but has anyone else experienced this? It came out of nowhere.
I also have rotation dizziness and ears ringing has just begun. What next with this poison? It just gets more and more weird.

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Jared, Sorry for your loss. I have the FDA reports which show numerous deaths, some from cerebral hemorrhage. This stuff can be lethal to some. I certainly would not be encouraging anybody to continue treatment based on the side effects being reported if someone is already having problems. Google - Petition Harvoni.

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