Hello Catemae,

Yes this is most likely related to the medication.

While you can get a cold or flu at any time – before, during and after treatment – the start of treatment is often exactly as you describe.

What I tell my patients to expect is this:

You know that feeling you get just before you are about to get flu? Muscle aches, joint aches, headaches and feeling a bit miserable. That’s what the start of treatment is often like and happens because you are killing off all the virus. It usually only lasts for a few days and responds to increased fluids, and simple analgesics like panadol (tylenol), aspirin, nurofen.

It should not last too long and will hopefully be better tomorrow that it was today.

As far as grumpy boss goes if you turn up looking sick and then say you have to go home it makes it very evident you’re not having a sickie…

Hello catemae,

It is pretty routine. Some patients notice next to nothing, but what you describe is very common.

It would be worth having about 3 litres of fluid a day and some regular ibuprofen 2 x 200 mg 3 times a day – both these will help you feel better.

You are right that it’s best to avoid antacids with Harvoni where possible. The occasional dose will do no harm, but less is more.

Hi catemae,

Congratulations on starting your treatment. When I was on the medication it was sometimes hard to tell what could be attributed to side effects, what was a normal and unrelated illness and what could be attributed to the ongoing effects of Hep C. I do remember feeling a bit fluey initially but I imagined it to be the first battalion of soldiers going in hard and fast on the virus and that helped!

You sound like you have a great positive attitude and I hope that you feel better soon. Believe me you will feel progressively better and better as you clear this virus. Drink heaps of water, try to get some good sleep and be kind to yourself. You’re on your way.

Hi im at day six of my velasof medication.. I had bad flu like symptoms on day four. had to sleep for a few hours.

Hi Ianning
It’s two years plus since I was early tx on Sof/Led. I sweated and felt a bad headache and quite flu type of exhaustion too for the first week or so. I would need to read my blog of tx Ariel takes the plunge which is on here somewhere in patients stories. I recall others also having similar sx. As always if you are concerned check in with the Doctor that probably goes without saying though.
Hoping you feel better soon and enjoy the new energy and less brain fog and so on.
Wishes for a good outcome
Happy Splashes from Ariel

Hi Ariel,

Thanks for your kind words. I only had the flu thing the one day luckily. I mainly have tiredness and abit foggy in the head. No problem sleepy wich im rapt about…

Thanks Again
Lanning

Hello lanning,

It sounds pretty routine. The way I explain what to expect to patients is like this:

There is a 1 in 5 chance you get headaches and a 1 in 5 chance you get insomnia.

The first week you take the treatment you kill off most of the virus so it feels a bit like just before you get flu, or when you are getting better. You can expect to be a little less well than the week before you started but not really so sick you can’t go to work.

After that, for most people it’s just pop the pills and not a lot to report.

If you get insomnia you will get tired during the treatment.

Just because you are treating don’t forget you can still get every other disease under the sun, so if things don’t seem quite right…