High-dose interferon is associated with a variety of severe side effects. The most common include:

• Acute flu-like symptoms within 4 to 8 hours of injection: fever, chills, muscle pains, headache, nausea, and vomiting
• Chronic fatigue
• Bone marrow suppression, leading to a dangerous shortage of red and white blood cells
• Liver damage
• Depression
• Loss of appetite caused by many factors including nausea, alterations in taste, and depression
• Impaired cognitive function, such as diminished attention and short-term memory¹

As with any treatment, the side effects of interferon therapy depend on the prescribed dose. Low-dose therapy is often well tolerated, while high-dose therapy tends to produce more severe and consistent side effects. Often, the most severe side effects occur during the first few weeks of therapy and then taper off significantly.

If you are having severe side effects, talk to your doctor. Treatments are available to relieve symptoms such as nausea and fatigue. You will also receive careful and continuous monitoring for life-threatening side effects, including bone marrow suppression and liver damage. Many side effects are generally reversible when therapy is stopped.

If the symptoms or signs are significantly abnormal, the treatment may be interrupted for a time, and then resumed at a lower dose. Throughout the course of the therapy, treatment may be stopped and restarted at different dosages as needed.