Covid question -

[2261]

Diagnosed PV jak2+; take aspirin, BP meds, thyroid meds and hydroxycarbamide . I tested positive for Covid last night so far not too bad. Phoned NHS Lanarkshire this morning to try and get the anti virals. Within 2-3 hours of speaking to a doctor he arranged for the anti virals to be delivered to my house from Hairmyres Hospital in East Kilbride - amazing service. This doctor knew nothing about the condition but tbh he went away and checked it out and phoned back within a short period and had it all arranged. My question is he knew about the other meds but didn’t know if I was still able to take the hydroxycarbamide and said check with your haematologist who just happens to be on holiday until 9/5. Can anyone confirm if we can still take it with the anti virals?? Thank you in advance on anyone more knowledgeable than me Pauline x

[Ebot]

I’m pretty sure the answer is yes, don’t stop. But put a shout out to Maz on this forum or via MPN Voice and I’m sure she or one of the health professionals will respond. It’s a question that I’m sure will resonate with others. Hope you feel better.

[Ashburnmam]

I have recently tested positive for covid and was prescribed the antivirals. The doctor suggested that I stopped the Hydroxycarbamine and also statins, as he was unsure of possible interactions. Hope helps.

[2261 in reply to Ashburnmam]

Thank you for this , I was airing on side of caution and didn’t take last night , so will just continue this way for a few days . Thank you for responding

[DJK12]

As your consultant's on holiday it might be best to phone the hospital pharmacy which supplies your Hu and ask to speak to the duty pharmacist. I've found they are very quick to warn about interactions when my drugs have been changed.

[2261 in reply to DJK12]

Hi to be fair to the doctor he didn’t know anything about our condition I gave him details and he went away and checked it out and immediately came back with details of anti virals. He did ask about all meds . I wasn’t to take the BP meds or thyroid but he didn’t know about the Hydroxycarbamide and asked me to check with haemo. I might phone pharmacy as suggested. Thank you for replying

[DJK12 in reply to 2261]

That's very interesting about those two drugs. They are obviously learning a lot about interactions and our drugs are obviously well known to us but MPNs are so rare its probably not at all surprising he didn't know about it's side effects. The best thing though was he prescribed the anti virals - sounds an excellent doctor!

[DJK12]

Just as an addendum did the doctor ask about what you were taking? I've just got an updated letter from gov.scot about possible entitlement to anti virals etc. It looks as since they have become available they are much more aware of interactions. The letter is co-signed by the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer so I imagine hospitals should have up to date lists of problem drugs

This letter included this which wasn't in the original letter:

"If eligible for treatment you'll be asked about the medicines that you are currently taking. This is for safety reasons as some medicines can cause serious side effects when taken together. Please have a list of medicines that you are taking handy when you call. This includes medicines prescribed by your GP practice or hospital, medicines prescribed privately outside of the NHS and any medicines bought from a pharmacy or shop without a prescription. Remember to also include herbal remedies and vitamin supplements you are taking, as well as medicines that come in patches, inhalers, suppositories,lozenges,gels, ointments or creams'. Fairly comprehensive!

Anyhow I hope the anti virals are helping.

[Mazcd Partner MPNVoice]

Hi Pauline, very sorry that you have COVID, but good news that you got the anti-virals, it would be advisable for you to phone your haematology department, ask to speak to your specialist nurse or someone else in the department, there will be other haematologists and specialist nurses who will be able to check about your hydroxycarbamide. Best wishes, Maz

[JabON]

Good that you wer prescribed your antivirals so quickly . It took 48 hours after logging my positive LFT and calling 111 for the CMDU at St. George's to call me . But after that it was very efficient. The antivirals I was prescribed were Paxlovid and Ritonavir . I am on aspirin and hydroxycarbamide . The hospital Pharmacist at St. George's Tooting rang me after my consultation with the CMDU and rechecked with me my medication and told me to stop the statins for 8 days but to continue with the hydroxycarbamide. I was glad that they were able to access my medical notes and they did ask permission. They also asked if I 'd had a recent blood test . Every 3 months at least I told them !! . They wanted to check kidney function. I realised that kidney function is not mentioned in the Nurse specialist's notes which she sends to me and the GP after each appointment. If this had been an issue she would have mentioned it. I am going to ask her to mention this in future. Just 24 hours after the first antivirals I felt much better, I had felt quite gruesome before with many symptoms. Best wishes

[2261 in reply to JabON]

Thank you for taking the time to respond. The anti virals I am taking are the exact same as you had and tbh I am on day 5 now of Covid and feel fine, so they are obviously doing their job. I did speak to the pharmacist connected to the GP practice . He was lovely and very helpful. He had access to all my drugs and relayed them one by one but again said there was nothing he could see that would say there could be an issue. I feel because no one could say infinitely with knowledge I have stopped the hydroxycarbamide for the length of time I am on the anti virals. There is only a few days left and so far all going well

[JabON]

Good that the antivirals have helped you. I started the antivirals on Day 3 . I was negative on Day7 while my husband with much fewer symptoms wasn't negative till day 11 . an after effect was an uncontrollable cough a few times a day which was very painful and racked my chest and my eyes watered badly. Until it went I didn't go out. So embarrassing and could have happened when I was driving . Nearly 2 weeks later and I have just a tickly cough. What you can't tell is whether any fatigue now is Covid related or in my case ET related so take it easy whenever you can.