Write a Comment
8 Comments
My girlfriend takes Harvoni for 20 days. Was in hospital 3 days for high pressure and headache. Is back today. Low level of sodium. Is it common?
Thank you very much for the breakdown, heh. I'll be sure to try some of this out when i notice things are getting a little hazy, or when i don't have Lactulose handy.
Ammonia production in the gut comes not from food directly, but from the process of your intestinal flora breaking down the food so your body can absorb the nutrients. It is actually possible to neutralize (or greatly lessen) these ammonia byproducts before they get into the bloodstream, and then the brain. Drink liquid acidophilus regularly (I'm not going to give brand or dose recommendations, the field is just too vast ;~) however it should be consumed (1 to 2 oz.) every couple of hours in order to consume the ammonia-causing bacteria that has formed in your gut due to normal digestive processes. Another approach is to simply neutralize the ammonia. I use Dr. Bragg's apple cider vinegar pick-me-up drink (1 tsp honey, 1 tsp Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar in 8 oz. water. This works great for me and clears my head in about 15 minutes!
I'm on day 5 odf Harvoni. I don't have HE as far as I know, though my cognitive abilities have slipped in the past few months. As far as the time of day taking H., I suggest experimenting time of day, i.e. late morning or at noon, so that perhaps you can get a little more sleep time during the night. Best to you. -Louise
I've never received a clear answer on the future of HE. I suspect the reason why is because it's case by case, since it has to do with the liver's ability to process ammonia(mostly). i've noted less of a need to drink the goop (it's impressive what a mess one drop of that stuff will do) when i was on Sovaldi/Olysio. It probably has to do with what areas of the liver are damaged, and what areas can recover. My mother is near four years past HepC and a lot of her symptoms are fading, that being said she never got to a point where HE was involved, but her mild ascities, swelling and pains have largely subsided. A good deal of her liver has also recovered. Parts of her liver, docs don't suspect will ever fully recover due to her age, other health issues and the level of damage to the liver. If any of those damaged areas were responsible for ammonia processing, i imagine HE would still be in the picture. Olysio also targets different non-structural proteins. Which could result in different improvements along the way, so while on S/O I noticed a decline in my HE, on Harvoni i haven't noticed the same effect. When it boils down to it, it's a familiar answer: "Wait, and see."
Hi In my 6th week of harvoni treatment I do have HE and the lactalose helps. Question is will this treatment get rid of the HE or will we be drinking this stuff the rest of our Lives. I was infected with hep in 1977. Thanks, Bobby
Hang tough...it can be worth it. Hugz
Rick Nash
It's hard to say if it's common without knowing genotype, degree of liver damage, and other health concerns. An RX's side effects can vary a lot from person to person, especially RXs that are treating people who have a liver which isn't fully operational. The trials and studies are a good gauge, but it's they can't test for every possible health condition, they can only make potential claims. There could be lots of other factors that created this issue. Sodium is one of a handful of electrolytes in your system, and an imbalance of any/all of them often can cause blood pressure changes, nausea, headaches, all kinds of stuff. If you want to know the deeper reason why, talk with her, and her doc (if she's cool with that) and review the results. The doc will be able to discern the cause, and probably explain the likelihood.
April 6, 2015