Hepatitis C Support Group
Hepatitis C is a blood-borne viral disease which can cause liver inflammation, fibrosis, cirrhosis and liver cancer. The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is spread by blood-to-blood contact with an infected person's blood. Many people with HCV infection have no symptoms and are unaware of the need to seek treatment. Hepatitis C infects an estimated 150-200 million people worldwide.
Well, obviously the writer never went through this, or it would have been phrased differently.
http://www.hepatitis-central.com/mt/archives/2012/01/anemia_and_hepa.html
Anemia Is a Good Thing
Between the fear of becoming anemic on treatment, experiencing its discomfort or being skeptical of reducing ribavirin dosage or adding another drug to their regimen, most people on Hepatitis C drugs dont welcome anemia. However, data published in the November 2010 issue of the journal Gastroenterology ought to change that sentiment. According to researchers, Hepatitis C patients who develop anemia during treatment with pegylated interferon plus ribavirin are more likely to achieve a sustained virological response the elimination of the virus from their body than those who dont become anemic on the drugs.
Upon analyzing over 3,000 people being treated for Hepatitis C with pegylated interferon and ribavirin, Mark Sulkowski and colleagues found this to be true even when ribavirin reduction or ESA administration was given to reduce anemia. In fact, the rates of achieving a sustained virological response were greater as the severity of the anemia increased.
http://www.hepatitis-central.com/mt/archives/2012/01/anemia_and_hepa.html
Anemia Is a Good Thing
Between the fear of becoming anemic on treatment, experiencing its discomfort or being skeptical of reducing ribavirin dosage or adding another drug to their regimen, most people on Hepatitis C drugs dont welcome anemia. However, data published in the November 2010 issue of the journal Gastroenterology ought to change that sentiment. According to researchers, Hepatitis C patients who develop anemia during treatment with pegylated interferon plus ribavirin are more likely to achieve a sustained virological response the elimination of the virus from their body than those who dont become anemic on the drugs.
Upon analyzing over 3,000 people being treated for Hepatitis C with pegylated interferon and ribavirin, Mark Sulkowski and colleagues found this to be true even when ribavirin reduction or ESA administration was given to reduce anemia. In fact, the rates of achieving a sustained virological response were greater as the severity of the anemia increased.
I would've enjoyed taking less Riba myself having done 1200 throughout. I still believe the golden tickets need to exclude it ultimately. I found it harsh in combination with peg and my other med I'm on. I'd rather not ever take it again personally. A couple of weeks would be doable, like 3 or 4 tops.
My Dr. was very sorry to see me not becoming anemic as that meant my body was not utilizing the Riba against the virus.
Iron is very important in maintaining many body functions, including the production of hemoglobin, the molecule in your blood that carries oxygen. Iron is also necessary to maintain healthy cells, skin, hair, and nails.
Iron from the food you eat is absorbed into the body by the cells that line the gastrointestinal tract; the body only absorbs a small fraction of the iron you ingest. The iron is then released into the blood stream, where a protein called transferrin attaches to it and delivers the iron to the liver. Iron is stored in the liver as ferritin and released as needed to make new red blood cells in the bone marrow. When red blood cells are no longer able to function (after about 120 days in circulation), they are re-absorbed by the spleen. Iron from these old cells can also be recycled by the body.
http://www.hematology.org/patients/blood-disorders/anemia/5263.aspx
ANEMIA IS NOT A GOOD THING! It is a bad side effect from a bad drug.
It's the way it works.
My RBCs did not drop very much and Dr. pulled me off treatment.
Don't know how else to explain the process.
It may not be a good thing to experience but it is a good sign the drug is gonna work.
Hair on your head falls out during treatment from repeating banging your head against the wall screaming "I feel like shit, when will this end"
Bald joe
I used to post to a UK forum and this was so widely accepted there that those who weren't anemic on tx were all stressed out thinking they wouldn't clear.
I, too, am glad that you're getting more head Kramer. Good for you. Most guys really want and need that. A little baldness goes a long way.
I still stand by my original assertion. I get that anemia is a sign the Riba "may" be working, but I still think it is a horrible side effect that really sucks the life out of you.