A 32-year-old member asked:
what are common side effects of combination (ribavirin + interferon) treatment?
2 doctor answers
Dr. Sidney Vinson answered
26 years experience Gastroenterology
Lots...: Fatigue, headache, rigors, fever, insomnia, irritability, depression, dizziness, impaired concentration, anxiety, emotional lability, hair loss, pruritus, dry skin , rash, nausea, anorexia , weight loss, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, anemia, injection site reaction, muscle and joint pains, shortness of breath, cough, flu-like symptoms, birth defects, chest pain, suicidal behavior to start.
Answered on Nov 20, 2013
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4 thanks
Dr. Jack Mutnick answered
16 years experience Allergy and Immunology
Side effects: Treatment-related side effects are nearly universal.
Most common:
fatigue (interferon and ribavirin)
flulike symptoms: fever, headache, muscle ache (interferon and ribavirin)
mild anxiety (interferon)
skin rash (ribavirin)
depression (interferon)
gastrointestinal symptoms: nausea, diarrhea (interferon and ribavirin)
monitoring for severe side effects (eg, marked anemia) is an important part of tre.
Answered on Mar 9, 2013
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Dr. Christiaan Maurer answered
22 years experience Internal Medicine
Hepatits C: Most people use them to treat hepatitis c which is a chronic viral infection of the liver.
A 29-year-old member asked:
Dr. David Hicks answered
42 years experience Family Medicine
Can: Any time you are on biologics such as interferon you place yoursef at risk so any time you get sick or bhave fevers seek medical opinion.
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8 thanks
A 28-year-old male asked:
Dr. Ivan Ip answered
12 years experience Hospital-based practice
Hep c: Hep c is hard to treat and as you know, the treatment is hard to tolerate. Symptoms of relapse would include jaundice, but a better way is to just get ... Read More
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A 46-year-old member asked:
Dr. Simon Tsiouris answered
22 years experience Infectious Disease
Yes: The side effects, especially anemia, can come on gradually and can get worse with continued use.
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