It was hell. First we had Rebetron with 3 weekly injections and only 800mg of Ribavirin for everybody. Viral loads that measured down to 600 and we checked viral loads at 24 and 48 weeks.
Many GPs knew nothing about HCV or treating and lowered doses as soon as the white cells (not neutrophils) decreased. When people got anemic they checked the stool for bleeding and prescribed iron. When patients had severe side effects, they gave them 2 week "vacations" off meds. There were lots of serious side effects....hearing loss, retinal bleed, new onset diabetes, arthritis, depression and more.
When PegIntron came along, their supply was low so patients had to be put on a waiting list. The injection came in powder form and we had to teach people how to mix it and draw up the correct dose.
And the forums were a total nightmare . Lots of trolls and you could get banned for just about anything. Doctors told people to stay out of forums.
We've come a long way.
PP