Question

I have HIV and hepatitis C coinfection. What shall I do?

5 August 2008. Related: All topics, Complications and coinfections, Drug interactions.

How hiv meds interact with HCV treatment medications?

I have HIV/HCV co-infection (T-cells 437) and I am ready to start HCV treatment soon.

I did 10 years ago 2 treatments for HIV: Combivir + Viramune and Zerit+Epivir+Ziagen, none of those worked for me, I got a really bad anemia and I had to stop the treatment.

I would like to know if any or all of those meds can affect now the interferon and ribavirin.

Thanks in advance

Answer

Answer: Simon Collins

Your previous use of HIV drugs should not affect how your HepC treatment works now. Ten years ago is a long time and you may have just been unlucky with those side effects.

Anaemia is a side effect of the HepC treatment though, so you will need to be carefully monitored for this in case this is something that you are still vulnerable to.

You didn’t say whether you are still on HIV treatment now and whether this is going well.

There is a very detailed booklet, that I hope will give you almost all the answers to your questions, I hope. It is the i-Base/TAG booklet Hepatitis C for people living with HIV. Please go through it and I will be very happy to discuss particular points or questions you may have afterwards.