More Hepatitis Treatment Information

Standard-of-care treatment is interferon administered subcutaneously once per week and ribavirin administered by mouth twice per day. The dosage of riba typically ranges from 800 mg to 1200 mg per day, depending on the case. IFN dosage varies depending on the specific type of IFN and diagnostic factors, but I received 180 mcg of Pegasys once per week and that's is a common prescription.

The subcutaneous injection, where a very thin needle is poked into fat layer just beneath the skin (usually over the abdominal area), is a routine method of drug administration for many people and not all that troublesome. Type I diabetics, for example, administer life-saving insulin this way on a daily basis.

When I started HCV Tx, I'd already administered sub-Q injections to patients in clinical environments, and so doing it to myself required no time on a learning curve. Although, I must say, my technique improved once I was my own willing victim.. Sometimes, to get in my injection as soon as possible at the end of my week, I'd take it with me to administer before I would get home. This gave me a head start on getting past the IFN sides that kick in heaviest for a couple few days after the injection