WONDERFUL! Healing and CURE are right around the corner for you.

Yahoo. Your on your way. I started on the 4th so your not far behind

Awesome news! Very happy for you!

You're on your way!!!! Congratulations :)

Happy Hoppin Poppin Hepper Holiday....

Embrace the moment and thought.s..hold it tight to the heart

Awesome sauce

Healing will begin very soon. Congrats! With each approval maybe the door opens a bit more for everyone needing tx. Yay!

Thx everyone.....this forum has been wonderful. I have never been able to talk about hep c to anyone all these years and I am grateful to have had this experience.

Sick and tired of being sick and tired...finally coming to an end!

Blessings

Congratulations - it's so exciting !!!

Were you approved through private insurance?

I was approved thru United Healthcare. Don't know what the copay is yet but doesn't matter cuz Gilead offers coupons.

I am humbled as this is a blessing.

Very happy for you! You are so lucky to get this treatment, soon you'll say ba-bye to hcv & all the ugly friends it invites into your body & mind!!!

I started Harvoni 10 days ago and so far so great. I get frequent headaches already, so I can't tell if this has caused more, but so far I have been able to prevent them from turning into a headbanging migraine, so that is a good thing.

My specialty pharmacist strongly encouraged me NOT to take Prilosec as it is time released and as it prevents acid in the stomach it can interfere with the absorption of the Harvoni.

My doctor had mentioned it when I first saw him about starting Harvoni before it was approved, but when I asked him about it when he wrote the prescription a few months later, he said that wasn't a problem.

He was wrong.

The pharmacist and the literature both suggest taking Tums or something similar but at least four hours before or after taking the Harvoni.

I have been having some acid reflux in the past 10 days, but the Tums helps somewhat. I am not a big soda drinker but I have a stash of 7-up and ginger ale. They help me, as long as I drink a few ounces very quickly and get a good belch. I don't drink any more than that at one time. Also, not eating so much at one sitting and not eating too close to going to bed helps too.

He and the pharmacist both said that I should report any unusual body aches, as I take a statin for high cholesterol, and there can be a serious interaction. Although it is more likely with a higher dose of statin than I take, it still didn't sound good to me.

I solved that one. I stopped taking it.

We need to appreciate what others went through to get to this place. I started the Interferon/Ribavirin 48 treatment program in 2011 and was so sick by 10 weeks that I had to stop.

I developed severe anemia, far worse that was desirable. Then I needed Procrit shots and blood transfusions. Ultimately I developed a colon or bowel infection and was passing blood when I wasn't vomiting. I stopped treatment after I was admitted to the hospital.

As a likely result of that treatment attempt, I now have early stage cataracts and Glaucoma.

I sure wish Harvoni was more reasonably priced. I don't take my insurance for granted, but it took a month for them to approve it. I know there are many people who do not have insurance that will cover it.

I also know that Medicare and Medicaid are seriously trying to prevent having to spend the big bucks for the meds. Which is another reason why I am glad I started this before I was old enough for Medicare.

I would like to see posts here about the types of sides that people may be having from this treatment.

Char

Nice post, Char. I did the interferon/riba with similar probs in 2009, then solvaldi/riba 2014 - many same probs.
I have constant ringing in my ears since my aborted solv/riba tx. Its been over 4 months since I stopped solv/riba.

I am a non-responder to 48 wks of ifn/riba & 9 wks of ifn/riba/Incivek. I am now on wk 6 of Harvoni. My ins. is BC/BS of MI Medicare Advantage PPO. My cost is $36.21 per mo. My ins. was billed over $33,000 & they paid $15,000. No other out-of-pocket expenses.

I called my GI on Oct. 6 & was relentless about getting my meds approved. Started on Halloween. I do not have cirrhosis but also don't know exactly what stage my liver disease is since there were 2 failed biopsy attempts. Doc does not think I have cirrhosis. I was undetected with normal ALT/AST after 18 days of Harvoni. Been living with HCV 31+ years & haven't felt this good in decades.

Side effects have been mild to non-existent. I've had a few mild headaches easily managed. Two bouts of diarreah which was also easily managed. Severe heartburn twice as well. Walking around & chewing gum helped with that. I take Harvoni with food at dinner time. The side effects resolved after the first two weeks as my body apparently adjusted to the med.

Replying to "Allaboutit" as I don't know your name. I am so sorry to hear that you lost your husband to this disease. After I was diagnosed in 2010 my husband was tested and he was negative. He was tested again in 2013 and is still negative.

We have been married 45 years. I likely picked it up from a blood transfusion following one of 4 surgeries I had, in 1961, 1964, 1970, and 1974.

I noticed others mentioning heartburn and for sure it is getting worse, but I can handle it. I think I will try the gum and walking around. Can't hurt.

I have been dizzy for the past two days, but again, I can handle it. Am glad I am retired, so I can sleep when I feel like it and can stay awake all night if that is what my body is telling me to do.

I had my blood drawn today, the first time since I started Harvoni. I see my doc next week and hopefully my numbers will show a dramatic drop.

I didn't ask what they were before starting treatment but I guess I should ask and keep up with it. The specialty pharmacy where my meds are coming from asked me to let them know. Sounds like they are doing a study or maybe they just want to sound concerned and involved in my care.

I have been taking mine in the morning. I set the clock, get up, take it, and if I feel like going back to bed, then I do. I have been taking it without food but am going to try it with food and see if that helps the heartburn at all. Can't hurt.

lol