[Raymond White]

Jayme
‘I can only urge you not to avoid medication because of something that may happen. It may not. All you can do is try it and, if any adverse effects outweigh the potential benefit, give it away. Ofev comes with a lot of baggage but not everyone is a victim.

I am an 85 year old male. I was diagnosed 3 years ago but the progress of my disease is quite slow and I have what I consider to be a good quality of life. I was recently offered Ofev but, like your husband, I had severe reservations about starting the medication because of its reputation. However, I agreed to start but I made it clear that I would very quickly stop if  the adverse effects came to pass.

I have been on Ofev for 6 weeks, 150mg morning and night. I have made no dietary changes. I simply make sure that I take my tablet when I’m starting my meals. My first delivery came with a complimentary packet of immodium – just in case. Well, just in case hasn’t come to pass. The immodium is unused. I have had absolutely no side effects. If I was in a drug trial I would be certain that I got the sugar pills.

I am not trying to say that your husband won’t have side effects. He may but there is no guarantee that they will completely destroy him. The severity varies from person to person and those that he might develop could well be mild and manageable. You lose nothing if you try and then decide to stop. At least you will, have tried.

Raymond

[Raymond White]

I started Ofev on 1 June. 150mg morning and night. Almost completely free of side-effects. I experienced minor weight loss, 1½ kg over the first 5 days, which I didn’t mind but did get my case manager a little excited. Had the second of a series of blood tests to check liver enzymes on 2 July,  the first being immediately before I started Ofev to set a baseline, and the results were normal.

It looks like I have been given a free pass which is not what I was expecting. I never changed dietary habits in anticipation of GI problems. I simply did a lot of reading and prepared myself to tackle issues as they occurred. My first supply of Ofev even came with a packet of Immodium which is still unopened. Every day is a new day but after 6 weeks I am beginning to think that I may be one of the lucky ones.