Pegasys 180mcg Injection is given as an injection by a qualified medical professional. You should continue to take it as long as your doctor advises it. The duration of treatment varies according to your need and response to treatment. You should take it exactly as your doctor has advised. Taking it in the wrong way or taking too much can cause very serious side effects. It may take several weeks or months for you to see or feel the benefits but do not stop taking it unless your doctor tells you to.

Some common side effects of this medicine include headache, sweating, joint pain, and flu-like symptoms. This medicine may reduce the number of blood cells in your blood, thereby, increasing the susceptibility to infections. Hence, inform your doctor if you notice fever, chills, rash, trouble breathing, unusual bleeding or bruising, and dark-colored urine. Regular blood tests are required to check your blood cells along with thyroid, liver, kidney, and serum electrolytes levels.

Before taking it, tell your doctor if have liver, or kidney problems or have mental illness. You must inform your doctor about mental illness, mood changes, depression, vision change, and suicidal thoughts as this medicine can worsen the situation. Many other medicines can affect, or be affected by, this medicine so let your healthcare team know all medications you are using. This medicine is not recommended during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. The use of effective contraception by both males and females during treatment is important to avoid pregnancy.

Uses of Pegasys Injection

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection
Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection

Benefits of Pegasys Injection

In Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection

Pegasys 180mcg Injection helps control the infection and makes the immune system work better. This lowers your chances of getting complications and improves your quality of life. This medicine is always taken in combination with other antiretroviral medicines. It is not a cure and should neither be used to prevent HCV infection. It is important that you take this medicine as prescribed, following the dosage recommended by your doctor. Taking all doses in the right amount at the right times greatly increases the effectiveness of the medicine.

In Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection

Chronic hepatitis B virus infection is a serious infection of the liver that has been there for at least 6 months and still not cured. Pegasys 180mcg Injection helps treat this infection effectively. It lowers your chances of getting complications such as new infections and improves your quality of life. If this infection is not treated, it can lead to severe liver damage which can cause other life-threatening problems such as liver failure or may be fatal also.

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Side effects of Pegasys Injection

Most side effects do not require any medical attention and disappear as your body adjusts to the medicine. Consult your doctor if they persist or if you’re worried about them

Common side effects of Pegasys

Headache
Sweating
Joint pain
Flu-like symptoms
Muscle pain
Vomiting
Nausea
Decreased white blood cell count
Hair loss
Rigors
Decreased appetite
Fatigue
Decreased calcium level in blood
Diarrhea

How to use Pegasys Injection

Your doctor or nurse will give you this medicine. Kindly do not self administer.

How Pegasys Injection works

Pegasys 180mcg Injection modulates the body's immune system.

Safety advice

Alcohol

CAUTION

Caution is advised when consuming alcohol with Pegasys 180mcg Injection. Please consult your doctor.

Pregnancy

CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR

Pegasys 180mcg Injection may be unsafe to use during pregnancy. Although there are limited studies in humans, animal studies have shown harmful effects on the developing baby. Your doctor will weigh the benefits and any potential risks before prescribing it to you. Please consult your doctor.

Breast feeding

SAFE IF PRESCRIBED

Pegasys 180mcg Injection is probably safe to use during breastfeeding. Limited human data suggests that the drug does not represent any significant risk to the baby.

Driving

UNSAFE

Pegasys 180mcg Injection may cause side effects which could affect your ability to drive.
Patients may develop dizziness, confusion, somnolence, and fatigue while on Pegasys 180mcg Injection and should be cautioned to avoid driving.

Kidney

CAUTION

Pegasys 180mcg Injection should be used with caution in patients with kidney disease. Dose adjustment of Pegasys 180mcg Injection may be needed. Please consult your doctor.

Liver

SAFE IF PRESCRIBED

Pegasys 180mcg Injection is probably safe to use in patients with liver disease. Limited data available suggests that dose adjustment of Pegasys 180mcg Injection may not be needed in these patients. Please consult your doctor.
Regular monitoring of liver function tests is advised while you are taking this medicine.

What if you forget to take Pegasys Injection?

If you miss a dose of Pegasys 180mcg Injection, please consult your doctor.

All substitutes

For informational purposes only. Consult a doctor before taking any medicines.

No substitutes found for this medicine

Quick tips

Pegasys 180mcg Injection helps treat chronic hepatitis B in adults.
It may also be used in combination with other medicines for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C.
Do not drive or do anything that requires mental focus until you know how it affects you.
Use a reliable contraceptive method to prevent pregnancy while you are taking this medicine and 4 months after stopping the treatment.
Your doctor may get regular blood tests done to monitor your blood cells, liver and thyroid function, and lipid levels during treatment with this medicine.
Inform your doctor immediately if you notice any signs of infection such as fever, sore throat or rash.
Inform your doctor if you notice any changes in your behavior, mood or vision.

Fact Box

Chemical Class

Interferons

Habit Forming

Therapeutic Class

ANTI NEOPLASTICS

Action Class

Interferons

Interaction with drugs

Taking Pegasys with any of the following medicines can modify the effect of either of them and cause some undesirable side effects

Thalidomide (Oral Route) Severe

Your doctor may monitor your blood cell count frequently and adjust the doses as per the observations. Concurrent use may cause decreased production of blood cells.

Aminophylline (Oral Route) Moderate

If concurrent use is essential, watch out for symptoms such as nausea, palpitations or headaches and consult your doctor if you experience them. They may monitor and adjust the dos... More

Telbivudine (Oral Route) Moderate

Do not consume Telbivudine with Pegylated Interferon Alpha 2A. If concurrent use is essential, watch out for symptoms such as rash, fatigue, nausea, pain or numbness and consult yo... More

Benazepril (Oral Route) Moderate

Your doctor may regularly monitor your blood cell counts. Concurrent use may cause a severe drop in granulocyte (a type of white blood cell) count.

Captopril (Oral Route) Moderate

Your doctor may regularly monitor your blood cell counts. Concurrent use may cause a severe drop in granulocyte (a type of white blood cell) count.

View all drug interactions

Patient concerns

How to treatment of HEPATITIS C VIRUS

Dr. Deepak Kumar Soni

Ayurveda

https://www.1mg.com/otc/himalaya-liv.-52-ds-tablet-otc135545One ?one tablet morning & evening after taking food , use at least 1-2 monthsUse this medicine along with your treatment

I am affected from hepatitis c virus diagnosed with confirmed genotype. Meanwhile i am pregnant will hepatitis virus pass on my baby. Or i should abort

Dr. Kunal Parasar

Surgical Gastroenterology

Your reports are of february with no ongoin liver damage. You havnt got the quantitative analysis. Most probably you wont need to abort. But be in constant follow up of good gastroenterologist near you.

Related lab tests

Bilirubin Total

Hepatitis B (Core) IgM Antibody

Hepatitis B s (Surface) Antigen

Hepatitis C Virus Total Antibody

Liver Function Test

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Tata 1mg's sole intention is to ensure that its consumers get information that is expert-reviewed, accurate and trustworthy. However, the information contained herein should NOT be used as a substitute for the advice of a qualified physician. The information provided here is for informational purposes only. This may not cover everything about particular health conditions, lab tests, medicines, all possible side effects, drug interactions, warnings, alerts, etc. Please consult your doctor and discuss all your queries related to any disease or medicine. We intend to support, not replace, the doctor-patient relationship.

References

Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed) [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US); 2006. Peginterferon Alfa. [Updated 2018 Dec 3]. [Accessed 18 Feb. 2020] (online) Available from: