email: INF, PEG-INF, Effects

liver411

Oli writes:



>Could you tell what was the side effects you had when you took injection of

interferon?



Steve replies:



I had the usual side effects the first week--  flu-like symptoms, night sweats, etc.  Then the flu-like symptoms stopped and I felt better, but my ALT kept increasing.  The doc told me the ALT increase was typical, and might mean that the interferon was working.  But my ALT continued to increase until it was off the charts, and the doc, fearing for my life I guess, took me off INF.  This happened twice.  I was on INF a total of about 2 months.  A month after my last shot of INF, my tests showed that I had indeed responded (lost e antigen, HBV DNA was undetectable).  But I felt terrible for the next year, couldn't work, etc.  I think I was still having a response to my severe INF flare, which turned out to be a good thing because I think it was my immune system being "jump started" to fight the virus.  After that first year, I've steadily improved.



>Was Peg-interferon alpha 2b used for your treatment? How many millon units per injection? Injection everyday?



Pegylated interferon wasn't available in 1994 when I was treated.  It is only available now for HBV in the USA if a doc is willing to experiment and prescribe it off-label (meaning it's approved for HCV and available).  I'm wondering if insurance companies will cover peg interferon off-label?  



Back to my experience....  I took the amount recommended in the alfa interferon literature.  You can get a "drug insert" from your pharmacist.  I think it says 5 million units daily or 10 million units 3/times weekly, with the results being slightly better for the later dosage (10 units/3xweekly).



>What was your ALT and HBV DNA level before the injection?



I just realized recently that my HBV was flaring in 1994 when I started INF.  My ALT was about 4 times normal.  



>Thank you in advance for sharing your experience,



Hope it helps,

Steve





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