I was already on Cimetidine - 800 mg twice daily, for managing chronic hives -
prior to starting the combo therapy. I was also taking Hydroxyzine HCL 50mg
three times daily as part of the same hive suppression strategy.

I'm sure these helped a lot with the anti-HCV combo experience, as my rash
experience was quite modest compared to many. What little rash I did
experience (mostly on my ankles, appearing around 6 months into therapy) was
treatable with Aveeno skin cream.

So, you might ask the treating doc to add Hydroxyzine HCL to the mix. The two
drugs block the two major forms of histamine, they are both quite benign
(virtually no side effects) and generics are low cost and widely available.

fwiw, since I lucked out with the HCV tx and have been virus-free for a few
years now, I was able to discontinue both Cimetidine and Hydroxyzine without
any reappearance of the hives. While my PCP was comfortable with his belief
they were caused by the chronic HCV, I'm a little more cautious about that
association, but either way they're gone :-)

Cheers

/greyhackles

This is a prescription cream\ointment that works for me during tx when
nothing else seemed to.  <Nystatin and Triamcinolone Acetonide USP\Taro
Pharmaceuticals>

Repost of my rash control techniques:

RASH CONTROL

This was worked for me.  Using these techniques (in my case) turned rash
from a possible treatmentment-stopper into another livable side.  It was
not a major part of my life as long as the preventative measures were in
place.  As always, you have to find what works for you.  This worked for me:

Pro-Active Treatment

Eternal Vigilance is the Price of Freedom - from rash... once I got it
under control (ie mild) I kept doing all of the things below, because
it's a lot easier to go through the annoyances of keeping rash at bay
than fighting it when it gets bad.

Eucerin Calming Creme

Someone on this group told me about Eucerin Calming Creme, and it was a
wonder-drug for me.  Everything else (for me) - including all kinds of
stuff with soothing claims - hurt so much within 5 minutes of putting it
on that I had to take a shower to wash it off.  Anyway, use it once in
the morning and once at night, all over.

You have to be very alert and aggressive with a rash because it can go
from bad to worse if you ignore it.  I used the Eucerin Calming Creme
(not other Eucerin stuff) and especially put a lot on any spot that got
rough, red, or dry, before it got bad.

I sometimes put a ton of it on, and had to stay out of contact with
anything for 10-15 minutes after using it (no lying back down, no
getting dressed, etc).

Whenever I got the rash beat back, if I stopped the lotion routine, it
came back, so after awhile I became eternally vigilant and proactive.

Clear Soap

I used Pear soap (brand name: there are no pears in it!) which is
straight glycerin soap, no additives.  Anytime during treatment when I
went back to any regular soap no matter how mild or "beneficial", it
caused problems.

Showers

I had to stop taking hot, strong showers because they felt great while
in them but caused intense itching afterwards.  I got a different
showerhead (actually one of those handheld things) and used it on very
moderate pressure.

When I first started getting the rash, it was so itchy that I would end
the shower by turning the water colder and colder and colder until it
was 100% cold and stay in that for a minute or two.  However, once the
rash was under control, I found that just avoiding ultra-hot mode and
going to cool (not cold) before getting out worked as well.

Pat dry with a towel very very gently.

Humidity

I put a humidifier in the bedroom and used it every night during
treatment. I got the one with the humidity sensor and set it to 55 or
60.  People you live with might not like it but it helps a lot.  Just
make sure to air out the room during the day so you don't get mold.

The humidifier was a major contributor to keeping the situation A-OK for
me.  Also, you can watch the natural humidity using the LCD panel on the
humidifier, and use it a lot when the humidity is down.  There was a
very dry period of like 10% humidity for several weeks, and I used the
humidifier a lot as well as steaming using the shower method (point the
shower head towards the wall as high as you can and then turn on the hot
water with slow stream of the finest spray you get from it - instant sauna).

Water

Drink it <g>.

Hope that one or more of these ideas will be of help to you.

HI,  The itch just about drove me crazy, I tried every lotion on the
counters, none really helped much.  Sarna Lotion seems to work the
best.  But I discovered Claratin worked wonders.  1 tab every day or
2  keeps the itch and rash away.  Hang in there!!!
TC

Thanks to everyone who has responded. I really appreciate it. "Jane" is
my sister.  She was on the verge of giving up. However, she has been
reading this thread, and thanks to you, she is beginning to have some
hope.

I'm hoping she will join in the discussion here. Clearly, she is not
alone in her struggle.

Again, I sincerely thank each of you, and wish you the very best.

Michael

_________________________
Zildjian: world class cymbal of excellence.