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As I read the side effects I find myself getting more and more annoyed at big pharma. If you google Gilead and litigation you will see that this drug was pushed though trials and sort of held back side effects. In addition that's not really safe because the people that participated in the trials were very ill. My hepatitis was fortunately stable, as i posted on another thread 2 wks into this and i am going to the doc tomorrow and saying OFF! Of course they cover their arse and do the labs to see if its not anything else. My face is pasty white, i discussed the mood swings i am like a black box warning but alive. its taking every bit of energy to keep my emotions in tact. I DRINK a Gal easy of water, its not the water, its the freaking drug! I think they are either dismissive or don...
109 REPLIES UpdatedI have genotype 1a and will begin treatment with harvoni next week. Any advice, information on.1a, my Dr. Said it was a tougher one to get rid of. All enzymes are good, no cirrhosis detected, advice on what to expect would be GREATLY APPRECIATED!! :-) :-) :-) ## That is the geno type I had and my viral load was thirty six million seven hundred twenty thousand and it still worked I was clear after 4 weeks and still after 12 weeks I get a final blood test in September because it can hide in the body so they recheck after 6 months then you know for sure if you are clear or not. ## The FDA lists the typical side effects of Harvoni as possibly including nausea, fatigue, headache, trouble sleeping, and muscle pain. Ref: Harvoni Information Most of the comments from those who've taken it s...
2 REPLIES UpdatedMy feet and legs have always had a swelling problem, but it worsened when I got on Harvoni, and though there never was evidence of a heart problem before, now the doctor wants to discuss heart surgery. Will the symptoms go away when I am through the treatment, or has it caused a permanent problem I need to have surgically corrected? ## If your doctor thinks your condition is severe enough to require surgery, then it is likely not something that's going to go away, even after you finish Harvoni treatment. However, you should get a second opinion, to be sure, and for your own peace of mind, before undergoing surgery. Ref: Harvoni Information What has led your doctor to conclude you have a blockage?
1 REPLY UpdatedI stopped the first interferon based meds for hep c1 because of severe rotational dizziness on the slightest movement; this made me vomit and I went to the hospital. I am severely traumatized by this experience and now my doctor tried to insist I try harvoni. I was hopeful at first because I generally read good reports. But, now, looking further into it, I see dizziness is again quite common. I have always been prone to dizziness even as a child I never spun around in games, so I just know there is some inner ear problem and this is likely to happen again. I'm going to ask for another doctor as this one never listens to what I say. I have very low viral load and have been taking ayurvedic medicine: hcv compound. The doctor is well known and holds awards in india and has been nominat...
5 REPLIES UpdatedI had Harvoni treatment last spring. I am not the same. My nervous system is a wreck. My anxiety problems have increased, depression and lack of motivation. My eyes changed drastically. My thoughts are not focused, I am nervous all the time, can focus or sleep. I had a 2 month migraine. Ringing in the ears is intense. I also was on pigalated interferon and ribivirn, I was pulled off mid treatment because I got so sick. After that treatment, I also had long term side effects. There isn't any back support for post harvoni people, nor are their anyone specializing in the after effect of long term HCV infection, it is NOT just a liver disease, it effects the nervous system and all else. I am at a loss for support with the doctors in my area, none seem to want to do any research and they...
263 REPLIES UpdatedI 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 ## Hi Tony, From what I've researched, "lower back pain" is specifically listed as one of the more common side effects of Sofosbuvir (the second active ingredient in Harvoni); so I'd imagine that "leg pain" may be attributed to this drug as well. If you'd like a more concrete reference, "back pain" is also listed as a side effect of Sofosbuvir on Pubmed at: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25422576 That said, you may want to contact your doctor if the pain becomes too bothersome or severe. This way you and your doctor can determine if Harvoni is sti...
717 REPLIES UpdatedDid 10 weeks of harvoni and ribasphere had to quit ribasphere at 9.5 weeks of 12 due to possible stroke symptoms and now 2 weeks off the meds experienced heart attack symptoms. Tired still and neausea off and on pellet like stools with heavy mucous all the while drinking tons of water mmy ribasphere was upped from 3a day to 5 a day at week 4 why? They say cause it was to keep the hemocrit v levels even I say it caused all these symptom s 3 weeks after stoppingall medicines. My eyes so blurry I cant concentrate on tv or the internet or read the paper the ## There is a warning that if you experience vision problems while taking Ribasphere, you should inform your doctor immediately. Ref: Ribasphere Information Typical side effects may include nausea, chills, headache, and feeling weak, and...
1 REPLY UpdatedI have take Harvoni for 6 months. Along with xanax and sometimes ambein to help sleep. I have been off two days and my fatigue is worse. I can not sleep. My mind is overtime. I was really looking forward to stopping all drugs after 6 months. Now I am in a depression not sure why. I cry for no reason. And I work in Public Relations, Event planning. Can't focus to do job. My mind knows what need to say. But does not come out right. I have taken to my bedroom. For comfort and prayer. Anyone else feel like this? Thanks ## Hi I have similar problems headache wide awake constipation fatigue, good news is viral free,I was told it could be upwards to 6 months to clear drug so a slow detox is in play with exercise a key to this a hard but a must for many reasons being tissue is a storage pla...
3 REPLIES UpdatedI am on 24 weeks treatment I did 1 month and a half with harvoni and ribavirin stop the ribavirin and my liver enzymes Alt and Ast were up in my blood works then on my next blood works 14 weeks into treatment my enzymes went down again. I don't know if it was the virus resistance. ## Ribavirin has been known to affect the liver, and to cause side effects, including elevated liver enzymes on blood work, so it may have just been due to taking it. Ref: Medline Plus Ribavirin Other side effects may include nausea, insomnia, memory loss, diarrhea, and cough, according to FDA reports. Did your doctor feel there was any reason to be concerned? Harvoni can also cause side effects, such as nausea, muscle pain, dizziness, irritability, headache, and tiredness. Ref: Medline Plus Harvoni
1 REPLY UpdatedHi my wife has just started harvoni - about 9 days or so now - and she is getting swelling in left leg and also feels like there is pressure in her head. Anyone else have anything similar? Thanks ## Hello, Chris! How is your wife doing? Has there been any change? It has been known to cause headaches, according to the FDA, but the edema is unusual. Other typical side effects may include nausea, diarrhea and insomnia. Is the only medication that she is on? She should likely have this checked out by her doctor. ## Hello. I took Harvoni for 12 weeks, 6 months ago. I had the weird pressure in my head also. It continued on and off thru treatment. It was a pressureb headache. It went away soon as I finished the meds. I also have swelling in both my feet and ankles. Its related to me being a 55...
59 REPLIES UpdatedIn need of an answer asap. Start" harvoni treatment this Tuesday." Doctor is( taking away Digoxin for heart and changing it to Metoprolol Succinate ER-did take metoprolol tartrate for B/P.) He also wants me to take (liquid Gabapentin in place of my xanax that I have taken for 16 years. Was taking 3-4, 2mg tablets of xanax daily, then I cut back to 1 mg tablets 3-4 tabs daily, which I cut back myself and feel I am ok, and do not want withdrawals, and have to go to work-no choice but also need the Harvoni. Why all of the changes? I don't mind the Metoprolol Succ ER change, but the xanax, yes. ## I checked several databases, and didn't find any interactions listed between Harvoni, and Xanax, however, it is always possible that your doctor is aware of some issue that has not...
1 REPLY UpdatedI started Harvoni about two weeks ago. I must admit I am very tired and get slight headaches- nothing I can't handle.. I am starting to feel better already - not sure if it's a placebo affect, but I feel blessed my Insurance approved me for the Harvoni treatment..I must be one of the lucky ones and not the experiencing the major side effects like what I've been reading in this forum. I hope when I am done with the Harvoni treatment - I will be cured of this horrible disease of the liver...Oh and my viral load was over 2 million with a stage 0-1 fibrosis. So, my Hep C disease was caught early on..If you have the opportunity to get treatment- it's one of the risks versus reward type thing and well worth the try and get cured. ## Hello, Sarah! Are you still doing well on Ha...
1 REPLY UpdatedHaving a big problem with weight gain, post Olysio/Solvaldi 12-wk. tx, and 26-wk Harvoni tx. Clear for two years. Is anyone else experiencing this? I'm getting so tired of my doctors telling me to diet, exercise, and drink water. I'm doing that. Exercise is hard because of the edema in my legs, ankles, and feet. Suggestions? Will be seeing my liver specialist May 18th. Thanks. ## Have you tried seeing your specialist sooner? It is hard to say what might be causing such an issue, if you're done taking the medication. How long ago did you finish your course of treatment with it? The FDA and most patients list the typical side effects as possibly including nausea, dizziness, headache, and joint pain. Are you currently on any other medications? How much have you gained? How bad ...
8 REPLIES UpdatedI'm done now and finished 12 week tx 4/14/15 and I can say back pain, neck pain and pain in the legs is now a part of it for me. I was dealing with the head aches and sick feeling. Still feel sick and fatigued with joint ache. Hoping all of this stops soon. I'm tired of being sick ## Hello, Mike! How are you? Those are all typical side effects of Harvoni, as reported by the FDA and other users. They should improve with time, now that you've finished your course of treatment with it. Other side effects may also include diarrhea and insomnia. How well did it work for you? It seems that many have had good results with it. ## I was wondering if your joint pain has gone away . I am 55 in good shape and all my labs are normal except viral loan shows 1mm and slightly elevated enzym...
4 REPLIES UpdatedI have cirrosis and hep c. My doctor has put me on a 12 week course of Harvoni. I finish my treatment in 3 days and then am off for my blood test. The results of my first blood test show significant improvement. I read a lot of other people's experiences who have been on this treatment. A lot I've read say after there 1st blood test (4 weeks on treatment ) that they have already been cured. I'm feeling quite down that my results don't show this for me. While deciding my treatment, my doctor kept changing his mind of the length of time to be on treatment (12 weeks or 24 weeks).he decided on 12 weeks in the end. He's accidentally given me 1 extra repeat. My 12 weeks is up in a few days and I'm thinking of getting it, so I'll be on it for 16 weeks and not tell h...
11 REPLIES UpdatedI finished 8 weeks of Harvoni on April 8 and labs said HCV is undetected. My question is has anyone heard of "post-Harvoni reduced immunity" I came down with a bad case of the flu and doc thinks Harvoni may have caused reduced immunity. Any insights? ## Hi Sam, I have yet to come across any specific details on post-Harvoni immunity. However, in order to reach an accurate conclusion one must also take into consideration some other things that can impact one's level of immune function, such as: environmental factors, diet, mental/emotional health, etc, during and after the time frame of treatment. Not sure if Harvoni is available in inj. form like similar medications are, but just as a side note - there was a study done by Rockefeller University, suggesting that the act of adm...
30 REPLIES UpdatedI get fatigue and brain fog but not nearly as severe as with hep and less frequent also itching all over continues intermittently. Anyone got a clue re; these issues, the Dr, just kinda says 'duh'. ## @Blipette, Sorry to hear that you're still experiencing symptoms 2 months after stopping Harvoni. I hear about this sort of thing happening with other types of medications as well, so personally, I don't think it's very unusual. Probably quite frustrating more than anything, being that it's taking so long to leave your body. I really feel for you. From what I've researched, the half life of ledipasvir (one of the primary active ingredients in Harvoni) is right around 47 hours. It's hard to know how much of this medication might've accumulated (overlappin...
15 REPLIES UpdatedCurious, I've started my 5th week of treatment and am wondering if anyone has experienced similar side effects as me: Confusion, depression, crazy acid reflux, and mood swings...3 weeks left to go. ## Hello, Joe! How are you? Yes, those can be typical side effects of this medication, along with headache, nausea and dry mouth, as reported by the U.S. FDA. However, such side effects are usually transient and should go away, within a week or two of finishing our course of treatment. Is there anything else I can help with? ## Hi Joe I would finish your treatment! Your in the home stretch. I know the sides are bad...and I live with them still but I am virus free and that is important to hang on to in your battle to get well. I also did the 8 week plan and it worked. ## Joe you are doing ...
52 REPLIES Updatedanyone having problems after stopping harvoni? ## Hello, Kat! How are you? What type of symptoms are you experiencing? I'm not seeing anything about it causing withdrawal symptoms, but it is a relatively new drug. Its typical side effects, as listed by the FDA, may include nausea, diarrhea, headache and weakness. Withdrawal effects would usually be virtually opposite, so may include constipation, dizziness and drowsiness. How long were you on it? ## Hello, I also am having withdrawel feelings, I am constantly tired, I feel fatiqued, slight head ache, have a sick feeling in my stomach I completed the the Harvoni treatment, I pretty much had these same feelings on the Harvoni. I saw my doctor 2 weeks ago, he had me do some blood work, I go back this morning to see him, I hope he has s...
52 REPLIES UpdatedI want to know if harvoni can cause a false positive urine drug test for amphetamine? ## The first thing I said to my doc AND the FDA and Gikead, " there is definitely amphetamine in this drug!" I was told no. I think somehow they snuck some in. Why the insomnia? It felt to me like a bad acid tip on steroids. I don't trust this medication I was in it for 2 very long wks of hell. Now I see people with more muscle mass counter the sides better, women less. It raises the creation Ketosis levels ( misspelled) google that and most of you will find the route cause of CNS issues and heart problems. I hope you all come back on and tell us how you are doing post treatment. Nothing feels worse then to have experienced bad sides and people don't validate your experience. It's n...
8 REPLIES Updated