I start Hep C treatment in March :-)

[d-boy86]

Just wanted to update you guys on the status of everything going on with me.

My HIV is still controlled first starters. Hep C barely affects me health wise. My energy level goes down sometimes. But rarely. My doctor just contacted me early today, and wants me to start treatment in March. By that time they will have the medication and I'll be her first co-infected patient to officially take the treatment to cure me of the virus.

So with me only having the Hep C virus for 1 year by the time I start treatment, I'm sure I will clear it with no problem...I hope. Not looking for to the interferon injections, but I read some remedies that will allow me to get through it smoothly.

[J.R.E.]

Good luck with the treatment. Keep us updated as you start this.

Take care---Ray

[mecch]

Just wanted to update you guys on the status of everything going on with me.

My HIV is still controlled first starters. Hep C barely affects me health wise. My energy level goes down sometimes. But rarely. My doctor just contacted me early today, and wants me to start treatment in March. By that time they will have the medication and I'll be her first co-infected patient to officially take the treatment to cure me of the virus.

So with me only having the Hep C virus for 1 year by the time I start treatment, I'm sure I will clear it with no problem...I hope. Not looking for to the interferon injections, but I read some remedies that will allow me to get through it smoothly.

Verify with your doctor again.
There are 2 new treatments this year and I thought I understand that both of these will allow a portion of the treated patients to avoid interferon.
Did you doctor say you are taking a new treatment but you will ALSO require interferon??  Doctor specifically said that?

[d-boy86]

Verify with your doctor again.
There are 2 new treatments this year and I thought I understand that both of these will allow a portion of the treated patients to avoid interferon.
Did you doctor say you are taking a new treatment but you will ALSO require interferon??  Doctor specifically said that?

Those treatments haven't been approved for those co-infected with HIV yet to my knowledge, so I'm assuming it will include interferon. I haven't asked my doctor the details yet. I have to wait until the first week of March to do my blood work and then she'll provide me with the best treatment options from there. I'm really excited about this.

Thank you Mecch for calming me down during my periods of worrying frantically.

[mecch]

The doc made you wait until 2014 specifically for the new treatment, right? 

I am just wondering if you are informing yourself on the Internet (good) but might be misinformed now. 

They are going to give the new 2014 treatment to HIV+ people in Switzerland -- I would imagine it will be the same in other counties.

Not that it says that everyone can do it interferon free, but at least thats the impression I got from my ID - some will.  Please take the info straight from the ID's mouth.   Will you have the new treatment, and if not, why not? and if not, why the wait? And if you will have the new treatment, can it work without interferon? I think it depends what strain Hep C there is to treat. 

[d-boy86]

Mecch right now the Interferon free options here in the US have only been approved by those who are not coinfected with HIV. I'm more than certain that I will be taken a regimen which will include both Sofosbuvir and interferon for 12 weeks.

Thanks guys for your support! :-)

[Matts]

I saw this link Today in my Euro HIVforum:
http://abbvie.mediaroom.com/2014-01-31-AbbVie-Completes-Largest-Phase-III-Program-of-an-All-Oral-Interferon-Free-Therapy-for-the-Treatment-of-Hepatitis-C-Genotype-1

"AbbVie Completes Largest Phase III Program of an All-Oral, Interferon-Free Therapy for the Treatment of Hepatitis C Genotype 1

- Ninety-nine percent SVR(12) rates with and without ribavirin in certain patient types

- Even in difficult-to-treat patients (cirrhotic patients) achieved 92-96 percent SVR(12) rates

- AbbVie expects U.S. launch in 2014

Jan 31, 2014
  NORTH CHICAGO, Ill., Jan. 31, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) announced the completion of its phase III clinical program and released results of four additional studies designed to assess AbbVie's investigational all-oral, interferon-free therapy with and without ribavirin (RBV) in patients with chronic genotype 1 (GT1) hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. These results described below confirm previously reported AbbVie data and further demonstrate high sustained virologic response rates 12 weeks post treatment (SVR12) and tolerability in these GT1 patients. ..."

I have no idea whats the name of these new drugs.
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But Daclatasvir will be approved soon- together with Sofosbuvir (Sovaldi) 99% of the patients were cured in trials.
I saw a Prof. on telly talking about Sovaldi, he said that it costs up to 90.000€ and it is unsure that the insurance companies will pay it.

[d-boy86]

Thanks for the update Matt. Again, I'm not sure. I do know that my ID doctor is amazing and I trust her completely. I'm sure she'll provide me with options to chose from to treat my Hep C once I go to my March appt. That's what she did when I was diagnosed with HIV. I started with Atripla. However, that made me feel really tired in the morning and I could only take it at night because I would be high as hell. I switched to Complera about a year ago. Smooth sailing since.