The drug Sofosbuvir with the trade name Sovaldi can completely cure hepatitis C, while a positive result is achieved quickly enough, which is confirmed by clinical studies.
The drug Sofosbuvir treats chronic hepatitis C. Complex therapy using this drug and other medications is prescribed for adult patients. The medicine also treats patients with HIV and co-infections.
The active component of the tablets is sofosbuvir. They are coated and contain 400 mg of the main substance. The package contains 28 tablets.
Properties possessed by Sofosbuvir
The drug inhibits NS5B RNA polymerase. As a result of its effect on the body, the process of replication of the virus, which is the causative agent of hepatitis C, is inhibited. If you do not take into account the forums, then one of the most interesting proposals that we managed to find on the Internet is called .
Indications for use of the drug
The medicine “Sofosbuvir” is prescribed for patients with hepatitis C, when the disease has become chronic. For the effectiveness of treatment, a combined approach is used. It is possible to use the medication in cases where the patient has HIV besides hepatitis.
Contraindications to taking the drug Sofosbuvir
The medicine is not used with hypersensitivity to substances that are present in its composition. Despite the fact that the drug does not affect fertility, it is rarely prescribed to women of reproductive age. The use of the drug during pregnancy and lactation is not recommended, as it may harm the baby.
When pregnancy occurs, the combination of Sofosbuvir with drugs such as Interferon alfa and Ribavirin can have a negative effect on its course. For this reason, during the period of treatment, bearing a child is undesirable. Experiments in which the drug Sofosbuvir was tested on animals showed that this drug has a slight negative effect on the offspring. Before taking it, you need to carefully study the instructions for the drug and consult with a specialist.
Dosage of the drug Sofosbuvir
Treatment with Sofosbuvir chronic hepatitis C can be performed only by specialists who have the appropriate experience. Monotherapy is not carried out, the drug is always combined with other means. Often adults are advised to take 400 mg (1 tablet) daily. Drink a pill with food.
Therapy with Sofosbuvir for hepatitis C can last up to six months. Especially often this need arises when there are some negative factors. The dose of the drug is selected taking into account the weight of the patient.
Combination treatment for hepatitis C:
- genotypes 3-6 - “Interferon alpha” and “Ribavirin” are added to the main preparation (treatment takes more than three months);
- genotypes 1, 4-6 - additionally use “Interferon alpha” and “Ribavirin” for three months or only “Ribavirin” for six months (the second option is implemented only when it is impossible to use the first method);
- genotype 2 - the drug is combined with Ribavirin, recovery usually occurs after three months of using the medicine.
If necessary, liver transplantation to a person who is sick with hepatitis C, before taking it, appoint Sofosbuvir together with Ribavirin. During therapy with Sofosbuvir, the treatment regimen for patients with the combined course of HIV and hepatitis can be used the same.
When side effects occur due to the combined use of the drug with Interferon alfa, accompanied by serious violations, Interferon is refused or a reduction in the previously established dosage is made. If Ribavirin is to blame for the development of serious side effects , its dose is also reduced or this medicine is canceled. Such decisions are made by the attending physician. Later, when the patient's condition returns to normal, you can try to resume taking medication.
The use of the drug Sofosbuvir
When treated with Sofosbuvir, the drug is used in conjunction with a meal. The tablet is bitter, it can not be crushed and broken, it is necessary to swallow whole.
If vomiting occurs within two hours of taking the pill, it is recommended that you drink one more. In cases where vomiting is observed later than two hours later, this action is not worth doing.
If you skip taking the drug, when no more than 18 hours have passed, you must take the missed dose, if more time has passed, then the required dose of the drug is drunk at the usual time.
Discontinuation of therapy
If during the combined treatment there is a need to cancel one of the drugs, the Sofosbuvir drug is also canceled. The instruction shows that data on the treatment of adolescents and children confirming the effectiveness of this method are not available. When hepatitis is treated in patients who suffer from renal failure (mild or moderate form), there is no need for individual dose selection. In severe forms of pathology, patients are prescribed a certain dose of the drug necessary for their body.
Side effects of the drug "Sofosbuvir"
When treated with Sofosbuvir, Interferon, and Ribavirin, the same side effects appear as during treatment with only Interferon and Ribavirin. In this case, their manifestation is not amplified.
With combined treatment with Sofosbuvir, reviews show that its combination with Ribavirin often leads to the development of such conditions:
- irritability, fatigue;
- headache;
- an increase in bilirubin level or a decrease in hemoglobin;
- nausea;
- trouble sleeping.
When taking the main drug is combined with the use of "Ribavirin" and "Interferon", it can often be noted:
- myalgia, pain in the joints;
- lack of sleep;
- cough, shortness of breath;
- high bilirubin level;
- neutropenia, anemia, insufficient platelet count, lymphocytes;
- fever, chills;
- increased irritability;
- constant fatigue;
- itching of the skin, rashes;
- negative manifestations from the gastrointestinal tract;
- headache, dizziness;
- poor appetite.
When Ribavirin is additionally used in addition to the Sofosbuvir preparation, the instruction shows a small probability of the development of such side effects:
- anemia;
- violations in the digestive tract;
- depressive states;
- asthenia and fever;
- cramps
- problems with concentration;
- myalgia;
- pain in the back, in the joints;
- rhinopharyngitis;
- weakening of hair roots;
- itching of the skin, increased dryness;
- cough;
- the appearance of shortness of breath in the presence of a load.
When the therapy is combined with Ribavirin and Interferon, in some cases the following adverse reactions can be seen:
- problems with vision and concentration;
- skin loss of moisture;
- reflux;
- asthenia and discomfort in the chest and back;
- weak hair roots;
- depressive states;
- migraine;
- cramps
- anxiety and fear;
- constipation;
- bad memory;
- drying of the lining of the oral cavity;
- weight loss;
- shortness of breath as a reaction to stress.
The adverse reactions that are most often found during treatment with Sofosbuvir are reviews:
- increased irritability;
- constant fatigue;
- decrease in hemoglobin concentration in the blood;
- nausea
- headache;
- lack of sleep;
- high levels of bilirubin.
Common unwanted effects are as follows:
- violations in the digestive tract;
- muscle cramps and pain in them;
- anemia;
- hair loss;
- respiratory failure;
- depressive state;
- attention deficit disorder;
- cough;
- shortness of breath, which is a reaction of the body to physical activity;
- fever;
- rhinitis;
- lack of strength;
- change in skin condition;
- pain in the back, joints.
The entire period of taking the drug Sofosbuvir must necessarily take place under the supervision of the attending physician. In no case should you prescribe this drug on your own.
Drug interaction
Complex therapy using the Sofosbuvir remedy allows you to perform reviews if the possible benefits are exceeded by existing risks. Experts do not recommend simultaneous treatment with this drug and Boceprevir or Telaprevir. The same applies to the combination of a drug with medicines that are considered potent inducers of glucoproteins. “Phenytoin”, “Carbamacepin” belong to drugs with such properties. Of these, St. John's wort and Rifamycin can be distinguished. The possibility of combining certain drugs is determined by the doctor.
special instructions
The course of treatment must be prescribed by an experienced specialist. There is a risk of allergies, which is manifested by asthma, redness of the eyes, itching, as well as swelling, itching of the mucous membranes, rhinitis, rashes. In some patients, loss of consciousness may occur, anaphylactic shock may develop. If signs of an allergic reaction are detected, the help of a doctor is needed, if necessary, an adjustment of the treatment regimen or withdrawal of the Sofosbuvir preparation in general.
Sofosbuvir, analogues of the drug are not used to treat patients under the age of eighteen years, since the safety of such therapy has not been confirmed by studies.
It was noted that the incidence of adverse reactions is highest in patients over the age of 35 years. The body of young people better perceives the medication.
The necessary drugs are selected by the doctor, taking into account many factors, including the genotype of the disease. During the treatment of hepatitis of the first genotype, a combination of Ledipasvir and Sofosbuvir is allowed. With the second and third genotypes, the use of "Ribavirin" is possible, with the genotypes of the first or fourth - "Ribavirin" with "Interferon".
Studies have shown that Sofosbuvir most effectively treats disease of 1-4 genotypes. In many cases, the effectiveness of therapy using this drug was confirmed in the presence of not only hepatitis in the person, but also the human immunodeficiency virus.
During therapy, the patient must introduce some restrictions into his life. You can not perform tasks related to the need to be alert and quickly respond to what is happening.
The combination of Sofosbuvir + Ribavirin + Interferon is undesirable for pregnant women.
The cost of the drug, reviews, analogues of Sofosbuvir
It is worth knowing that when using Sofosbuvir, the price of such therapy will be very high. The drug is expensive, it can be bought for about 16-25 thousand euros. Although the medication is considered effective in the fight against advanced hepatitis C, it is possible that it does not help in all cases, since the body is different and reacts differently to different means. Treatment requires special care, the choice of the necessary dose should be performed by a doctor, a lot depends on the specialist’s experience in the treatment of hepatitis with Sofosbuvir.
Sometimes it is necessary to replace the drug Sofosbuvir. Reviews show that for the treatment of hepatitis C, which was not resolved in the acute stage, a doctor can choose a remedy that has a similar effect. Possible analogues include Cycloferon, Ledipasvir, and Pegintron. The doctor may prescribe Neovir or Algeron. For treatment, Ferrovir, Daclatasvir can be used. There are such substitutes as Rebetol, Ingaron. Therapy is possible with “Reaferon EC”, “Asunaprevir” or “Peginterferon”. Often, doctors resort to the help of Ribamidil, Lifeferon, and Altevira. A similar effect is achieved due to the intake of Sovriada, Pegasis, Ribavirin Medun. No less effective "Roferon A". Other medicines of similar action are also known - Intron A, Alpharon. Perhaps effective treatment of hepatitis based on the use of "Realdiron" or "Moliksan."
Sofosbuvir (Egypt - the country of origin of the drug) is an expensive drug, so you need to be especially careful when buying it. It is important to pay attention to the reviews of people who have already bought this medicine. Thus, it will be possible to find out which adverse reactions are most common and whether the medication really copes with the task. Not only Egypt produces Sofosbuvir. India also produces this drug.
The drug has passed several clinical studies. As a result of six such procedures, the drug was approved based on the receipt of positive results. The research involved 1947 people with hepatitis C. For research, people who had not previously treated their disease, and those patients whose body did not respond to previously performed therapy, were selected.
The effectiveness of the medication has been proven in the treatment of diseases with a genotype from first to fourth. Good results were obtained as a result of the treatment of patients with both hepatitis and HIV. Approximately 50-90% of the people participating in the studies and those suffering from hepatitis C experienced a sustained virologic response. Many patients with chronic hepatitis and HIV infection due to the use of the drug received the same result. A virologic resistant response was observed in 76-92% of people with co-infection.
Many people with chronic hepatitis C, leaving reviews, note that after passing a course of treatment prescribed by a doctor, their condition returned to normal. Already after three months of combination therapy, the indications of liver enzymes can be within normal limits, after about six months it is possible to forget about the disease, the virus is not detected in the blood. Side effects are practically not mentioned, usually they are insignificant: fatigue, fatigue. Even after being cured, care must be taken so that the disease does not return.
For some people with a disease of the second genotype, the drug helps in just one month, the analysis results are good, the hepatitis pathogen in the blood is not detected after therapy with the Sofosbuvir drug. The price of the medicine is rather big, but people who are willing to recover and forever forget about such an unpleasant disease as hepatitis C are at risk. Side effects are usually mild or moderate or none at all. Nevertheless, it is best to take the drug under the supervision of your doctor. There are no negative reviews, which means that if the doctor prescribed the correct treatment and paid attention to all the features of the patient’s body, his health condition, eliminated the presence of contraindications, the result of therapy should be positive. It is important to understand that a competent specialist in the treatment of advanced hepatitis C is very important to obtain good results and complete recovery. Constant monitoring of the doctor, compliance with all recommendations and maintaining a healthy lifestyle