I'm headed in to week 3 of my treatment of Hep C. So far so good, but I have gained roughly 12 pounds, it came on fast. I'm going to watch my food intake better and also watch what I eat.
Has anyone experienced weight gain while on Epclusa?
Question posted by my2dogsandme on 3 Feb 2018
Last updated on 15 September 2021
6 Answers
Theresa 1961
15 Sep 2021
Just finishing 1st month of mavyret... up 13 lbs and climbing..trying to weigh in all factors (pardon the pun lol) like being off work, etc. But it seems my stomach feels empty more often than it used to... trying to remember to drink more when that happens and be glad it's a short treatment.
Scarlett Rose
19 July 2021
Yes I am on my last month of treatment . I have gained 15-16 pounds it fluctuates lower some days. I think it is fluid retention . I hope it is.
Krehetin1
19 May 2021
Yes! I've gained roughly 25 lb in 2 months! I've completed eight weeks of treatment. I have 1 month left. I've always been skinny I've never had much of an appetite. 45 and most of my friends are overweight and I never have been..well, until now. It might be cuz I never really had an appetite before and now I do. Luckily I started out skinny so it's not so bad but I can't keep getting weight like this.
A really positive side affect - I had no idea how much of a fog I was living in, until it started to lift. I feel like I can think again. I'm starting to get a lot of energy back (starting, I'm still on the lazy side but I have more energy than I normally have)...
Theresa 1961
15 Sep 2021
My story exactly!
Proudnana161718
21 March 2019
Yes. I started epclusa the end of January and have gained 26 pounds. It's alot of fluid weight but I literally look like I'm 6 months pregnant. At the ER they thought maybe CHF but that was negative. I'm also wondering why I'm putting on so much weight.
Krehetin1
19 May 2021
If you ever lost the weight you gained? I just completed 8 weeks of treatment, and I really am relating to your post
Krehetin1
19 May 2021
I meant have you ever lost the weight that you gained?
Scarlett Rose
1 Aug 2021
I am curious too. I want to know if this fluid retention will come off :(
Mmaavv45
24 April 2018
Yes, I had a 12 week dose and after about the 4th week, my appetite changed (not in a good way).
I never was a particularly thin person anyway, but I think somehow the hep c suppressed my appetite all those years.
So unfortunately after the treatment I continued to gain weight, about 24 pounds total. And it has been about a year now post treatment, and it feels like my appetite is closer to the way it used to be pre-HEP C Treatment. Unfortunately now I have high cholesterol which I never had before and the fat content in my liver is higher. No cirrocis though. It is very frustrating. I really try to watch what I eat, growing a lot of my own food at home, I work full time, I do at least 2 step classes a week, work out on the Total Gym for muscle toning, and walk 8 to 12 Miles a week and only recently did the weight start coming off. I think it’s just different for each individual.
The important thing is getting hep c free. Then everything else eventually will fall into place. Oh, yeah, I got a vitamix and started making smoothies with herbs and greens from the garden with bananas and that helps a lot too. Throw in everything — vitamins, flaxseed, nuts. It’s a garden green culinary delight. Live well and love yourself!’
Trumpito
23 July 2020
It is 2 yrs after 12 week EPCLUSA treatmemt.
I have been completely exhausted ever since . Now I find I have high cholesterol. Something I never had . I would say I never had it because it is generic. I was always a very low cholesterol. I was 63 when I did the treatment.
The first 4 weeks I could feel my brain waking up and thought.”Wow. Is this drug working! The problem by 3rd week was my kidneys were on so much pain I actually skipped one day dose and got in ionized water which helped me continue treatment. For the second 4 weeks I had more energy than I ever remember having. I was riding a bike. My joints and ligaments were never this good. It was like a miracle drug. I kept drinking ionized water but by the last 4 weeks ( third month) I was flattened out again.
I finished the whole 12 week program. Of course it cleared the HEP C FROM THE BLOOD WORK.
But I really felt like it reactivated some other virus. In fact I felt it actually attacked the virus that was causing all my pain and chronic fatigue . I never believed my fatigue and pain was from Hep C. My enzymes were never above 60. Always slightly elevated.
( I lasted 10 weeks on Inteferon Ribaviron back in 2005 and THAT Made things worse)
Now it is 2 yrs after EPCLUSA and I have ELEVATED CHOKESTEROL
30 pounds heavier with no appetite.
Still in pain with nausea everyday.
constipation
This year I felt like I was getting asthma.
I have body odor ( never had that before)
Brain fog, confusion everything is worse than before.
My liver AST is down in the BELOW LOW range. The ALT is ok
And my Dr wants to do blood work for plaque now.
My belly is swollen and hips heavier.
Insomnia
This drug reactivated another virus while doing damage to kidneys and liver / gall bladder.
Stephen Treloar
6 Feb 2018
That amount of weight in that amount of time must be fluid retention.
my2dogsandme
6 Feb 2018
I believe that you're right.
I've been watching what I do and eat.
I have been extremely thirsty but I get rid of a lot of that too, I'm up in the evening quite frequently going to the BR so that is what had me puzzled.
Related topics
weight loss (obesity/overweight), hepatitis c, weight, food, treatment, epclusa
Further information
- Epclusa uses and safety info
- Epclusa prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Epclusa (detailed)
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