Coming soon to a vein near me… a year’s worth of injections that are going to make me feel like I have the flu the whole time. How fun, especially because I have a bit of a needle phobia.
Anyone have experience with this? Advice? Suggestions?
Are you taking pegylated interferon? And why are you getting it IV? Most folks take it IM. Are you also taking ribavirin?
My patients on pegylated interferon take it weekly, and usually take a dose of tylenol or ibuprofen about an hour before the injection, and as needed after, to minimize the myalgias and arthralgias it causes.
Watch for rashes at the injection sites, rotate them regularly, use OTC hydrocortisone cream to decrease the rashes, consider OTC benadryl for itch as needed (though this may aggravate the fatigue the drugs cause). Try to schedule your shots for the afternoon or evening before a day off, so you don’t have to try to work/do much the day after, which are generally the worst days.
Watch out for depression, consider asking if an antidepressant is indicated,
Not sure of the exact type yet; I haven’t started yet (after Thanksgiving). The IV is only for the first month, then under the skin, three times a week, for the next 11 months. This is to keep melanoma from spreading, and my oncologist didn’t say anything about companion drugs. He did talk about depression.
OK, since you’re on it as a single agent, the side-effects won’t be as bad as others who take it with other stuff.
But it still packs a wallop, both to your disease and to you. Headaches are common, as is nausea, loss of appetite, and diarrhea. Be ready for that, and work to find nutrient-rich foods you can tolerate.
A number of folks feel like they have a cold on it, with scratchy throat, stuffy head, and dry cough.
But I’ve shepherded a fair number of patients through 48 weeks of it. Some tolerate it pretty well, and after a month or two don’t notice too much in the way of side-effects. Others have varying degrees and durations of side effects.
Good luck to you, garygnu.