Interferon

[VTAR24]

Hi everyone im on 90mg interferon every second week since Feb this year platelets were 1110 came dwn to 916 quick enough but haven't really moved dwn much since actually they went up again and now they are 876 is this the way for any of ye as it seems fairly slow to me even though my hematologist is not concerned unless they go over 1400 so does anyone else fluacate up and down like this ?I'm Cal r mutation tks

[hunter5582]

Some variance in platelet levels is normal. PLT can very by as much as 100 in a single day in response to what is going on in your body. The interferons are not rapid-acting medications. They take time to do their work. The length of time varies widely between individuals. It seems your platelet levels are headed in the right direction. Assuming you tolerate the PEG, you may want to increase the dosing schedule. PEG is often given weekly due to its 80 hour half life. A MPN Specialist can goe the best advice on an appropriate dosing schedule for your situation.

Wishing you all the best.

[VTAR24 in reply to hunter5582]

Thank you for ur reply what do u mean by 80 hour half life?

[hunter5582 in reply to VTAR24]

The rate at which medications are processed out of the body is referred to as a half-life. At 80 hours, the 50% of the PEG is still present. At 160 hours 25%. At 240 hours 12.5%. And so on. The goal with most medications is to maintain a steady therapeutic dose rather than to have high peaks and valleys. By the end of two weeks (336 hours), there would be very little Pegssys left in your body. When I was using Pegasys, dosing was weekly (45mcg). This is not the same as administering 90mcg biweekly due to how the body metabolizes the Pegasys.

Dosing schedule is something to discuss with a MPN Specialist who can best explain the rationale for dosing schedule in your case. Personally, I would rather take a lower weekly dose than a higher bi-weekly dose. I would expect greater efficacy and lower risk of adverse effects. I am not, however, a doctor. Dosing recommendations are something to discuss with a knowledgeable medical professional. Suggest that you review your dosing schedule with your MPN care team, including the rationale for the dosing recommendation.

Hope that helps to explain it. All the best moving forward.

[ainslie]

Hunters reply covers it pretty well, most docs do weekly, it’s early days but a gentle increase in dose may be useful

[Hopetohelp]

I am on Pegasys and it held my platelets steady without going up for a year before they started to come down. It can be slow reacting for some of us but we all vary. You will get there in the end. Good luck