Sofosbuvir and Velpatasvir
You may already be infected with hepatitis B (a virus that infects the liver and may cause severe liver damage), but not have any symptoms of the disease. In this case, taking the combination of sofosbuvir and velpatasvir may increase the risk that your infection will become more serious or life-threatening and you will develop symptoms. Tell your doctor if you have or ever had a hepatitis B virus infection. Your doctor will order a blood test to see if you have or have ever had hepatitis B infection. Your doctor will also monitor you for signs of hepatitis B infection during and for several months after your treatment. If necessary, your doctor may give you medication to treat this infection before and during your treatment with the combination of sofosbuvir and velpatasvir. If you experience any of the following symptoms during or after your treatment, call your doctor immediately: excessive tiredness, yellowing of the skin or eyes, loss of appetite, nausea or vomiting, pale stools, stomach pain, or dark urine.
Keep all appointments with your doctor and the laboratory. Your doctor may order certain tests before, during, and after your treatment to check your body’s response to the combination of sofosbuvir and velpatasvir.
Talk to your doctor about the risk(s) of taking the combination of sofosbuvir and velpatasvir.
🔔 Why is this medication prescribed?
The combination of sofosbuvir and velpatasvir is used alone or with ribavirin (Copegus, Rebetol, Ribasphere) to treat chronic hepatitis C (an ongoing viral infection that damages the liver) in adults and children 6 years of age and older or who weigh at least 37 lbs (17 kg). Sofosbuvir is in a class of antiviral medications called nucleotide hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS5B polymerase inhibitors. Velpatasvir is in a class of antiviral medications called HCV NS5A replication complex inhibitors. The combination of sofosbuvir and velpatasvir works by stopping the virus that causes hepatitis C from spreading inside the body.
🔔 How should this medicine be used?
The combination of sofosbuvir and velpatasvir comes as a tablet to take by mouth. It is taken usually with or without food once a day for 12 weeks. Take sofosbuvir and velpatasvir at around the same time every day. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take sofosbuvir and velpatasvir exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor.
Continue to take sofosbuvir and velpatasvir even if you feel well. Do not stop taking sofosbuvir and velpatasvir without talking to your doctor.
The average length of the portion of a doctor appointment in which the patient actually sees the doctor is up from previous years, rising by about 12 seconds per year, according to Reuters. However, 60% of physicians report dissatisfaction with the amount of time they spend with their patients, athenaInsight Many doctors now spend more time on paperwork than seeing patients, and a primary care physician who spends 5 minutes of face-to-face time with a patient will spend another 19.3 minutes, on average, working on that patient’s electronic health records (EHRs).
Ask your pharmacist or doctor for a copy of the manufacturer’s information for the patient.
🔔 Other uses for this medicine
This medication may be prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
