Yes, nearly all patients have side effects including fever, muscle aches, headaches, and joint pains. Ribavirin causes anemia. Rare deaths from treatment have been reported. A standard course of treatment lasts 48 weeks. Interferon injections are self-administered either daily or three times per week.
Ribavirin is taken by mouth twice per day.
Yes if a patient has severe side effects or if their red blood cell count, white blood cell count or platelet count fall excessively they will have their dose reduced or stopped as indicated by the clinical situation. Also the serum ALT and AST levels will fall to normal in most successfully treated cases. The viral level at the end of treatment AND six months after completing treatment should be less than 100 copies per ml if the treatment was successful. There is a cure for hepatitis C just like there is a cure for cancer. Some patients are cured in both diseases some are not.