TOPIC: Is itching common with hep c?

Hi. I am new to this forum. Grateful for it too! I began hep c treatment yesterday with epclusa. I've had the virus for 16 years. I itch terribly. Is this a common symptom with hep c? Does it resolve with treatment, if so? Thank you!

Hello Apogal,

Welcome to the forum.

Itch certainly troubles some patients with Hep C. It becomes increasingly common as liver disease progresses and happens with all the liver diseases.

While there are no guarantees, yes, itch often resolves with treatment.

Best of luck with your treatment!

I had lots of itchy patches and responses to clothing, shampoo, food and sea etc for the 30 + years I had Hep C.

I had ecxema, psoriasis, dandruff etc- not charming.... I had no idea they were HepC connected- specialist never said a word- the psoriasis made me ineligible for a pegylated interferon trial at one point.

I also had cirrhosis- they sound the same and people often swap the words around! Mine got bad, decompensating, and yes skin itchier at that point.

Then- tah dah! # FixhepC, got meds, survived, cured, no hep C, now have none of the above, I can wear what I want, use hotel shampoos, now there are tubes of cream gathering dust in the cabinet..

And even the cirrhosis, has melted away against all expectations to a normal liver.
So, imho, the best treatment for the skin, not 'just' liver is DAA's, and my advice is to everyone- don't wait, get fixed. Best $ I ever borrowed and repaid.

I took my 5th dose this morning. I am praying this will take that away. Thank you for your helpful response. Did it get better before treatment was through or did it take longer? I only have mild scarring and a fatty liver. Fibro was a 1. I've had this 16 years now. Itching began about 14 years ago. My liver was much worse but began an extreme lifestyle change. Hoping this works and I find relief. It's pretty intense. I too am aggravated by certain foods and soaps as well as other things.

Hi Apogal,

I have to say, I did 24 weeks treatment- I wasn't undetected until 18 weeks- had failed 2x before so the skin improvements were not my focus, I didn't track when/ how much it improved on treatment. Everything I noticed about feeling better was so marvellous- I emerged realising skin was better too.
Pretty sure it took a while but I had bad cirrhosis so you would expect it to sill be an issue until that was cleared up. I didn't have fatty liver surprisingly, as I am a fatty!

Drinking lots of water is the key, especially for you at the moment, with so much dying virus to be flushed out of your system, it could well be the itching will be worse before it is better while your body adjusts to all that change happening. It is going to be cool hearing how it is going for you, let us know every week or so?

Thank you so much for your answer. Yes I believe it may get worst before it gets better. I've been trying to drink plenty of water. Sometimes forget tho. Looking forward to healing.

Hello Apogal,

Itch is very common with Hep C and while there is no 100% guarantee most patients troubled by itch before treatment find it goes away on/after treatment.

Please keep us updated about what you notice.

Hey. Thanks everyone for the replies! Today is day 11 of epclusa. The itch, which is my main symptom, does seem some better. Not real sure yet. It's kinda on and off now. I thought it was getting better then had a bad day yesterday. Today is some better. I'll try and keep everyone up to date.

Hello Apogal,

Fingers crossed it becomes less and less.