Has anyone gone through or going through Hepatitis C treatment?
I was an intravenous drug user. I know it was incredibly stupid. Sometimes I was so high or so desperate to get high that I would share needles. I found out 10 years ago that I have Hep C but it was a low trace amount. I was scared to do the treatment because of all the horror stories I’ve heard about it. Now I’ve heard that the treatment isn’t quite as drastic. Then I just read an article in People about Nat King Cole who made the treatment out to be like hell. She said that it was like having the worst flu times 10 and she lost her hair. She was very tired and extremely depressed even suicidal. I’ve been suffering from severe depression even way before I used drugs. I’m now 35 and my levels have elavated a bit. Here’s some questions I have:
Does it make you very nauseous?
How painful is the injection?
How likely are they to get rid of it?
Can you take painkillers and/or anti-nausea medication?
Will you lose your hair?
Can you still work or do acitivites?
WHAT IS THE MOST COMMON STANDARD TREATMENT NOW (WHAT DRUGS) AND HOW LONG DOES IT LAST?
Can it make depression unbearable?
Do some people have little or no side-effects?
I have drank (sometimes binged) the past 10 years, could that have made my liver much worse?
Can you drink alcohol again after treatment if it’s successful just once in a while like at a special occassion?
THANKS FOR ANY HELP!
Tagged with: anyone • going • gone • Hepatitis • through • treatment
Filed under: Alcohol Depression Treatment
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Congrats for getting off the train.
Newer Hep-C treatments like PEG-interferon are not all that bad. But everyone responds differently, if you get nausea etc your Doc will give you appropriate treatment for that too.
If you don’t take the treatment you might get cirrhosis or worse Liver cancer. So just go for it.
Hep C treatment often consists of interferon or pegylated interferon and ribavirin. Length of treatment depends on the genotype of Hep C that you have. It can make people feel very ill because it is similar to chemotherapy (that’s why you hear about the nausea and hair loss.) Remember, though, everyone reacts differently to medications, so not everyone will have the same side effects. You may or may not be nauseous or lose your hair. It may be possible to take anti nausea meds. Talk with your doctor. Your doctor can also refer you to counseling to deal with your depression, if you are not already receiving treatment for your depression.
With treatment, some people can clear the virus from their bodies. Success depends on the genotype of Hep C, and how well treatment instructions are followed. Some genotypes are easier to treat than others.
Yes, drinking alcohol (especially binge drinking) definitely increases liver damage. Alcohol is processed by the liver.
I would not advise drinking alcohol again after treatment. Check with your doctor.
My husband was on it. They have taken him off of it due to high iron levels. The injection is not painful. Yes, if you suffer from nausea, they can give you medication for it, and dramamine actually helped my husband. You most likely will lose some of your hair, although probably not all of it. Many people do keep their jobs, but there are also many that are not able to because the side effects of the treatment are very severe for them. The ribavirin part of the treatment destroyed my husbands red blood count and he had to have 3 blood transfusions. He suffered complications from the blood transfusions (it made his iron level very high) and also suffered from an extremely low white count. This does not happen to everyone, but the complications with the blood are not uncommon. No, they do not advise strong pain killers because some of them can be hard on the liver. It can make some people very depressed, but not everyone gets the bad depression. Yes, some people actually do have mild side effects, but this is not the norm in most cases. Yes, drinking is extremely hard on the liver. Even without having hep c, drinking can cause damage to the liver, and cirrhosis of the liver. You will have some side effects, no one can say how bad they will or will not be. Keep hydrated, eat a good diet, and follow your doctors instructions…
I did treatment in 2004, don’t listen to the horror stories. Many of them are old from the time when you had to take the Interferon every two days. Now you take it weekly. Or the person taking them had other chronic aliments that were inflamed by the treatment.
Does it make you feel nauseous?
It can for some people, but I never had that problem.
How painful is the injection?
Seriously? You did introvenous drugs…and you are worried about that? Sorry, not trying to judge…just seemed like a wierd question. It’s not painful unless you pump it into a vein. Do it in the leg, it doesn’t hurt as long as you pinch the skin up and then insert the needle.
How likely are you to get rid of it?
Depends on genotype and if you stick with the treatment, and how healthy your body is.
Can you take painkillers and anti-nausea meds.
I would avoid the pain killers (use ibuprophen, not tylenol) I don’t think your Dr would have a problem giving you anti-nausea meds…ask for Zolphran if you do need it.
Will you lose your hair?
Not like cancer patients, it affects people differently…I had a little fall out, but my hair never thinned or anything. I wouldn’t worry about that too much. It stopped once I was done with the meds.
Can you still work and do activities?
Yes, I didn’t have a problem with it…my side effects were minimal. The Ribivirin will make you irritable. I recommend to everyone that they get in shape before you start treatment. Then try to keep the excercise up at a minimum level while doing treatment. As long as you drink a ton of pure water (not cokes, diet cokes, tea, energy drinks, etc…) you shouldn’t have too much trouble.
Standard Treatment
See my attached website in the source box and read the first six free chapters it explains everything about the treatment in laymans terms.
Can it make depression unbearable?
Get on an anti-depressant before you start, this will elimate that problem all together.
Do some people have little or no side effects?
Yep, I had very few…but I also drank a ton of water, excercised, took certain vitamins, suppliments and herbs to combat those effects.
Could your liver be worse from drinking.
Possibly, alcohol is bad for the liver, but the good news is it only takes six weeks for your liver to rebuild itself if you don’t ingest toxic things like alcohol, tylenol, drugs, etc…. The introvenous drugs you took did not help you either, those plus alcohol were a double whammy. But that doesn’t mean you can’t undo it. Like I said, I would get into shape before starting treatment since you have a history of liver unfriendly health habits.
Can you drink alcohol after treatment?
This is sacreligious to say as a former hepper, but I do from time to time. I don’t binge drink anymore. One glass of wine and beer are okay once or twice a month as long as your treatment is successful. I believe that since we all die one day, if you can’t have fun every once in a while then what’s the point. DO NOT drink during treatment!
Email me if you have any other quesitons.
it differs from one to another,,,but with supprtive treatment such as paracetamol for flu-like symptoms and keeping yourself busy ,,eating,,,it will be ok,,,,still it is the best treatment for HCV,,,I mean INTERFERONE+RIBAVIRIN treatment.
no sense in even thinking about the treatment if your not going to quit drinking. It’s not that bad if you can make it through the first shot. The shots don’t hurt. The medicine will take your strength away and you’ll feel fatigued. You’ll have about a 54% chance of beating the virus with peg and interferon. treatment last a year, no hair loss, no pain the worst was a constant feverish feeling.