... after being off for 5 days. Is there any known withdrawal? Or, is it possible that since I was on an antiviral for 12 weeks that I'm more susceptible to catching the flu or other viruses? I'm also "moody" and lethargic. I'm so grateful I was clear of the Hepatitis after 3 weeks! I hope and pray I start to get some more energy.
I've completed my Epclusa Tx. I was feeling great, but I'm having depression and flu like symptoms?
Question posted by tararrtma on 16 Dec 2016
Last updated on 26 December 2023 by Deedeetryshelth
23 Answers
Hey! I don't have an answer but I wanted to ask a question from your other answer! You said about the brain scan and potential from IV. We're your symptoms just dizziness? Since I started IV (fortunately have stood and going through epclusa now) my brain fog and body aches etc are much worse and my brain just seems not to be functioning the same. I'm just wondering if there were other symptoms! Also, how long into the epclusa did you start to feel better? I think my stools is what I'm worried about now lol. Urgh just so worried ill be the 2% where it didn't work. My immune system feels trash atm.
@Londonont123 and everyone else, thank you for your answers and support. It has now been about 8 years since I completed the Epclusa tx and I feel fantastic! It took about a year and a half to really start feeling like my old self. Now I feel better than ever. I have had some serious dizzy spells that I'd never had before, but I'm uncertain weather that's even related to the Epclusa. I ended up having to have a MRI and CT scan of my brian and it showed what they originally thought was MS. With further investigation the CT scan showed white fluffy infiltrates in my brain that were similar to MS, but they didn't know what it was. They said it may be infection from IV drug use. I'm just putting that out there in case anybody else has similar symptoms later on. Please let me know if anybody else has had these dizzy spells or if it's just me getting old. Lol
I found this in the literature:
"Some people who suddenly stop taking their medicine experience symptoms such as anxiety, headache, flu-like symptoms, shock-like sensations down the arms or neck, and stomach distress. These symptoms may begin 24 hours after the medicine has been reduced or stopped and can last five to seven days. While these symptoms are uncomfortable, they are not harmful."
If the symptoms persist for more than a few days to a week you need to talk your doctor about it ASAP.
I took my last pill 4 days ago and I really feel like I’m having withdrawal symptoms. I’m so tired, can’t walk very far without being out of breath, chills for 21/2 hours every night, constant dull headache, crying and sad is what my life is about. This is not me!
I'm 1 week into a 12 week process and I'm not liking all these answers. Do the withdrawal symptoms eventually go away? Really glad I found this site and thank u to everyone who posted. Extremely helpful. THANK YOU
I too did not experience any extreme side effects while taking Epclusa but within a month of finishing it, all my muscles hurt and I felt like I had the flu. This has not gone away it’s almost 3 to 4 months now and I still hurt all over. My sleep patterns are totally disrupted and I am extremely tired. I am not sure if it has anything to do with the drug, I am wondering if it is a long term effect?
I completed Epclusa in July of 2018 and still have no energy. I have insomnia and notice my energy level is at its highest point just before I go to bed (usually between 2-3 a.m.). Before Epclusa, I was a morning person; waking up at 6 a.m. Will this change?
I have been off epclusa 3days now.glad I found this page.i feel terrible.ringing in my ears is mad.and I'm having really bad night terrors.my blood pressure is also high.and my skin feels tight.i am definitely withdrawing from it.i had mild affects on the drug but I feel pretty terrible now.glad some of you have gotten better with time.and I get the anxiety thing.im feeling pretty lost,and don't know what to do with myself it's crazy.maybe it should be a drug you tapper off over a couple or three days before just stopping.i think it may help a bit better.anyway good luck and I hope you feel better soon
So happy to find this site!
I too have just finished 12 weeks treatment with Epclusa 5 days ago. I have felt awful since. The last two months of treatment I was feeling so much better! Now like others have said, I am so tired, achy, moody, depressed, lethargic and just yuck feeling. Been having a second cup of caffeine in the AM just to try to get going. Hopeful this passes. My liver function panel is looking great! I had hep c for 30 years and was getting really sick. Grateful for treatment but hoping this phase doesn’t last too long. Please keep me posted!
I have been off the med five days, was just tired on the med. I was just starting to adjust, sleeping better more energy.
I am exhausted. Blood pressure went through the roof today, never ever been that high. Headache nausea. So tired, lightheaded, chills, lack of concentration, struggling for words... glad to find this site as I wondered if it was withdrawal. They should definitely warn us of possible symptoms post treatment. Happy to know that the symptoms subside in time. My energy was improving, it felt like I was getting my life back. Virus was almost gone three weeks into treatment. Will post as time I passes. Thank you everyone this helps tremendously.
I also felt the same symptoms as you. I completed Epclusa treatment in August 2018 and was cleared hep c free in September. During treatment I didn't have any major physical side affects except for tinnitus but I would be very moody, depressed, very short tempered and have anxiety. 9 months on I still have tinnitus but that's the least of my worries. I have allergies which I never had before and I am always sick now with a weakened immune system. I also have leaky guy syndrome and have some food intolerances. The most challenging thing is having depression and anxiety. Some days I feel a burst of sadness and depression where i would be affected the entire day but I'll be fine the next day. It's becoming frequent but I'm lucky to have a very supportive partner who's there for me. I refuse to fall victim in taking big pharmas antidepressants. Epclusa has maybe saved my life...
I am very grateful for this life saving drug but I am also angry at big pharma for pricing this treatment at 80k! Proves they only care about profits. I no longer have hep c but it did come at a price... I plan to go on a 7 day detox. Hopefully all these issues will resolve over time.
Glad to find this article. Going through the same thing. I hope it ends ,because I feel like I have for the last 10 years. Completely lethargic, depressed and plain sick of being sick and tired. Thanks!
To everyone here experiencing issues post Epclusa treatment please take a few minutes and report your symptoms to the FDA. Since this is a relatively newer treatment all the possible short and long term side effects are not fully established. You can report them online by searching for the FDA’s website and search for report medication side effects.
I completed epclusa treatment December 2018 and it is now march 2019. I definitely feel worse now than during treatment. Extremely tired, tinnitus, depressed, body aches, insomnia, anxiety, among others. I sure hope I feel better soon but this is not good at all. Having a hard time working or doing anything for that matter. How are you doing now?
It took me about 2 months to get back to normal, although I still have tinnitus and I completed treatment 15 months ago. I hope you start feeling better soon! Drink lots of water and see if your doctor can treat your anxiety/depression if you feel it’s needed.
Annmarie: Thank you for letting me know that you feel better-that is encouraging. The tinnitus is really annoying and bothersome. Have you gotten used to it? Does it bother you as much as it did?
The tinnitus drives me absolutely crazy! I had to be prescribed sleeping pills because it was so hard to sleep at night , I find it’s the absolute worst when I first wake up in the morning or if I wake in the middle of the night. It sounds like there’s a whistling train or a whistling kettle right in my ear, or sometimes it’s a continuous beeping sound. I’ve found there’s a lot of triggers; lack of sleep, anxiety and pms are the main ones, I also grind my teeth at night (causes by anxiety of course
Annmarie: That is terrible! I have been sleeping with a fan to try to help with the noise. I also find that coffee, sugar, and wheat worsen my tinnitus. I have been taking raw vitamin C with bioflavonoids which calms it down a little bit but never goes away. The tinnitus is worse than anything and would rather have not done the treatment.
I’ll have to try that! Caffeine is definitely a trigger for mine too. I didn’t think about the sugar but I’m going to try to cut that out to see if it helps. I read exercise can help with it as well, but I haven’t noticed yet and I’m pretty active. Hopefully it gets better for you! Get referred to an ENT and see what they can do.
I'm on day three of epclusa read some comments about how you all felt after I'm scared
I finished my medicine 4 days ago. Had no problems while I was on it, and even had more energy than normal.
But now I'm a hot mess. I'm moody, agressive one minute, crying the next. I can't sleep, I'm having panic attacks, more fatigue than normal, nauseated, edgy, right side upper quadrant and back pain, chest pain, and blood pressure through the roof, [its normally low].
Light seems too bright, food taste weird, I feel like I have toxin in my body, I can't find a comfortable position to sit in, and everything is irritating me. This is classic withdrawal and like the others have mentioned, this was the only place I could find information about what happens AFTER treatment.
I am glad to hear it gets better, but right now I'm in a bad way. Dont know if i can take 2 month of feeling like this.
Related topics
depression, hepatitis c, withdrawal, symptom, 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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