Advantages for delaying treatment

• The major disadvantage to treatment consists of the side effects and the impact it may have on your life during the period of treatment.
• Occasionally, the side effects can be so severe that they could force you to stop treatment. In rare instances, you could be left with an illness after you stop treatment, such as thyroid disease or diabetes.
• Some people have reported that the side effects have persisted, leaving them feeling unwell long after the end of treatment.
• Treatment might not work.
• There are many new drugs in development for HCV that may be more effective and be easier to tolerate These may be available through clinical trials in the next few years.
• If your liver is healthy you may be able to delay treatment.
• If you are thinking of getting pregnant in the next year, consider delaying treatment, since ribavirin causes birth defects.
• Men and women should not conceive during treatment and for at least 6 months afterwards. Women who become pregnant on ribavirin must consider terminating the pregnancy.

Talking to peers worked for me…. we have long exchanges as most of my friends are co-infected. But I also think that as co-infected people we might need to have some specific support group, especially as regards treatment issues – and coping with treatment!