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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Hepatitis / May 2008Ribavirin
Hi Everybody, Hey, I ran out of my riba tablets, and my ins. express script sent me capsules instead of tabs. Should I expect any difference in effect? I'm now into week 8 of tx. and for a while I seemed to be getting used to it with minimal discomfort, but that didn't last long, The fatigue of course is constant, but I started getting bad body aches, especially my lower back and legs. When the ibuprufen doesn't work I switch to 1/4 tab vicodin, some days I take that about 3x's a day, then I need tamazepam to sleep. anyway, I am afraid I'm getting hooked on the vicodin cuz it seems it's the only thing that gives me some relief from the pain for awhile and makes life worth living for a little bit. sh.t, sh.t and more sh.t, I'm trying to keep a good attitude, but it's like, I feel like I don't have anything to look forward to, just trying to get thru each day without going crazy. I think I need more brocolli, that does seem to help! Crazy One, TC > Hi Everybody, > Hey, I ran out of my riba tablets, and my ins. express script sent me [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > think I need more brocolli, that does seem to help! > Crazy One, TC I don't know your attitude is towards or what your specific situation is, but I have to say, again, that I don't think I would have made it through tx without reefer. I'm totally sympathetic to what ever reasons you have for or against this option but I believe it worked miracles for many of the ailments I incurred during treatment. > > Hi Everybody, > > Hey, I ran out of my riba tablets, and my ins. express script sent me [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > > - Show quoted text - Hey tom, nice to hear from you. Don't think I should try that route, I'm afraid I'd want to start drinking again too, and after 22 years of being straight, it seems unwise. I don't think the data supports it as a safe pain management tool, but I know there are those who disagree. Each to his own. Take Care, TC I really empathize with this problem Me too while on Tx - my heating pad was my Best Friend for months and months because I refused to take the IBU - I was taking so many drugs, I was afraid to take any more! I ended up on Ativan or something towards the end.....all I could do was sleep for months, then I reached the point where I couldn't sleep at all without help (and I was already on anti-D's) It got worse when they put me on Epogen - I felt like my bones were melting. Hot baths if available were helpful as well. It didn't make it go away but it helped while I was in there - a short reprieve from all the aches and pain. Brocolli huh? New one on me. I eat a lot of it - except, of course, while on Tx when I reached the point where everything I put in my mouth burned and I was down to pretty much living on Gatorade and those damned nutritional drinks! Yuck! Hang in there TC, when it is over it will have been worth it hopefully. Watch out for the Vicodan. What are you doing to keep busy and pass the time? Are you working or just "suffering silently day by day"? I managed to work thru almost 10 months, thank god, it was sure worse once I was forced out of work by pneumonia and left with nothing but hours to fill and no energy. I read alot. Good escapism. Tho I seem to remember by the time I ended tx I had this book I'd been "reading" for months because it was too hard to read, and suddenly picked it up and finished it in a couple of days :) I guess thats a perfect example of how Brain Fog clears once Tx ends...! Kill, Kill, Kill that Dragon! > I really empathize with this problem Me too while on Tx - my heating > pad was my Best Friend for months and months because I refused to take > > hopefully. Watch out for the Vicodan. What are you doing to keep busy > and pass the time? Are you working or just "suffering silently day by > day"? > > Kill, Kill, Kill that Dragon! Hi Dbo!!! Yea, I'm still working, if you can call it that, I am putting in less and less hours and my productivity is super low, I sleep a lot, seems I am getting weaker all of a sudden. but it's nice to hear from you again. You take care too!! TC I am afraid I'm getting > hooked on the vicodin cuz it seems it's the only thing that gives me > some relief from the pain for awhile and makes life worth living for a > little bit. You will get hooked on the hydrocodone, but so what? Stay on it for the duration, increase the dosage as needed, get off it after tx ends, go through a week or two of withdrawal, and get on with your life. My only suggestion is that you switch to generic Norco 10/325s; these have 10mgs of hydrocodone and 325 mgs of acetaminophen per tab, which is about the best ratio of hydrocodone to acetaminophen you are likely to find. As you know, it's important to limit your intake of acetaminophen. Exactly what the safe upper limit is is sketchy, but under 2000 mgs/ day should be safe. I'd also suggest you try taking 100-300 mgs/day of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tramadol This should allow you to take less hydrocodone, and, IMHO, this drug has benefits which make it well suited to hep c tx---it's long lasting, it has, for many people, mild stimulant and antidepressant effects, and it is not a controlled substance in the US. > I am afraid I'm getting > > hooked on the vicodin cuz it seems it's the only thing that gives me [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > the duration, increase the dosage as needed, get off it after tx ends, > go through a week or two of withdrawal, and get on with your life. Hi Tx-012: you may be right, as long as the side effects aren't bad and the vicodin doesn't screw up my tx, I will have to use it when I need it. It really seems the only way I can go to work some days, and despite the flexibility I have on my job, I still have to show up occassionally:) At least on pay day:) TC Hey TC re: the riba -- the only riba I ever took was in capsule form, I think it was the generic (rebetol?) but it worked :) Very plain, white horse capsules, many many of them! Sorry to hear you are feeling so lousy :( Interesting that you can take the vicodin, but not tolerate the ultram. It was the opposite for me, the vicodin was nasty, made me angry and hungover feeling. I like the ultram a lot, it really helps with my back issues, and with general aches and pains (I take it with tylenol, usually 1 50 mg tab with 2 regular strength tylenols.) does motrin help you at all? I can't help but think that maybe motrin would be better than vicodin if it helps with the pain... and (sorry, I can't help myself...) how you doing with the water intake? (remember, 1/2 of your body weight in ounces of water every day!) are you taking multi-vitamins? maybe some flaxseed oil and/or fish oil capsules would help some with the joint pain (I have been told that the flaxseed oil is great for that), maybe some other ASH-C'ers can offer some ideas about supplements that really are helpful and not harmful for you. Other than that, try to rest as much as you can. Sleep is your friend, and if you have any problems sleeping, get something from your dr. I found that xanax worked great when I needed something to help me sleep, but sleeping pills were yucky (again with the hungover feeling)... xanax might help with some of your pain issues too, might be worth a try! Also, are you taking an antidepressant? Seems to me that they help with pain too? Hang in there with treatment, you can do this. Remember, take it one day at a time -- you can do anything for one day, right? :) Talk to your doctor, and if he's not there for you think about finding another doctor... it's his job to make you as comfortable as possible. take care, and if you need someone to talk to email me at this addy and I will send you my phone number. Sara > Interesting that you> can take the vicodin, but not tolerate the ultram. Well, I only take 1/4 tab usually, I just realized tho that it has acetomenophen in it, and too much of that is not good, I'm think about asking for oxycotin, but I doubt if that is a good idea either. Yea, the ibu helps, but not as much as the vicodin. how you doing with the water some days, I'm good at the water, but I get sick of it and back off it even tho I shouldn't > antidepressant? Seems to me that they help with pain too? I was taking Celexa but I never noticed any difference and I stopped taking it a few days ago, that might be a bad idea, don't know yet. Well, thanks Sarah, I will stay in touch, Hope you are well, you sound good:) TC > Interesting that you> can take the vicodin, but not tolerate > the ultram. Well, I only take 1/4 tab usually, I just realized tho that it has acetomenophen in it, and too much of that is not good, I'm think about asking for oxycotin, but I doubt if that is a good idea either. Yea, the ibu helps, but not as much as the vicodin. how you doing with the water some days, I'm good at the water, but I get sick of it and back off it even tho I shouldn't > antidepressant? Seems to me that they help with pain too? I was taking Celexa but I never noticed any difference and I stopped taking it a few days ago, that might be a bad idea, don't know yet. Well, thanks Sarah, I will stay in touch, Hope you are well, you sound good:) TC well, stopping the celexa explains the mood you were in when you posted -- it's bad to cold turkey off an anti d too, need to wean off them. I think an antidepressant would be a good thing for you, things are getting hard and seems to me you're struggling with some emotional stuff... talk to your doc. Maybe you need to try something different... lexapro? paxil? what's that one where they advertise "depression hurts"...? can't remember... anyway, hep c meds are well known for messing with your emotions and mental health, I really do highly recommend taking anti d's throughout treatment. Just gotta find one that works for you! sara > > Interesting that you> can take the vicodin, but not tolerate the ultram. > > Well, I only take 1/4 tab usually, I just realized tho that it has > acetomenophen in it, and too much of that is not good, I'm think > about asking for oxycotin, but I doubt if that is a good idea either. If you stick with hydrocodone, switch to generic Norco 10/325s. Why? Well, let's assume you take hydrocodone for the next year, and you end up taking 50mgs/day by the end of the year (as tolerance increases over time). With Norco 10/325s you will end up ingesting 1.625 grams of acetaminophen/day--an acceptable dose. With Vicodin 5/500s, you'd end up gobbling 5 grams of acetaminophen/day. NOT a good idea. At all. If hydrocodone works for you, oxycodone should also work for you. Most people find oxy roughly 1.5 times stronger than hydro, mg for mg. Oxycodone is a wonderful drug for chronic pain, unfortunately it has a bad reputation due to its popularity as a recreational drug. It is also schedule II rather than schedule III, which may make it more of a hassle for your doctor to Rx and for you to get refills: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controlled_Substances_Act#Schedule_II_drugs > how you doing with the water > some days, I'm good at the water, but I get sick of it and back off it > even tho I shouldn't I found that I developed anxiety and/or fatigue at some point in the day when I skipped the water, and downing a 16-oz bottle immediately made me feel better. My technique was to put a couple bottles of water out on the counter, table, or desk in the AM and make sure one was gone by noon and the other by 4. |
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