alcohol/drugs and HCV treatment guidelines

[Guest guest]

Im not sure that what Liz [TG] says is an absolute fact.

Doctors may prefer not to treat someone who is an alcoholic and/or drug user, because the alcohol and/or drug use can diminish the effectiveness of the treatment, and can cause a relapse.

It is possible to treat an alcoholic or drug user, but not recommended.

NOTE - see excerpt below.

love

don in ks

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Who should not be treated?

'Strict abstinence from alcohol is recommended during therapy of hepatitis C. Peginterferon therapy can be associated with relapse in people with a previous history of drug or alcohol abuse. Therefore, interferon should be given with caution to a patient who has only recently stopped alcohol or substance abuse. Typically, a 6-month abstinence is recommended before starting therapy, but this should be applied only to patients with a history of alcohol abuse, not to social drinkers. Patients with continuing alcohol or substance abuse problems should only be treated in collaboration with alcohol or substance abuse specialists or counselors. Patients can be successfully treated while on methadone or in an active substance abuse program. Indeed, the rigor and regular monitoring that accompany methadone treatment

provide a structured format for combination therapy. The dose of methadone may need to be modified during peginterferon-based therapy for hepatitis'.

http://www.digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/chronichepc/index.htm#g

From: King <kelizabeth9615@...>Subject: Re: [ ] A scared mom Date: Wednesday, April 6, 2011, 9:30 PM

,

I am not sure if this applies but they can't start hep c treatment unless they are sure that a person who drinks regularly has been clean for 6 months.

Liz

From: "athenasgarden@..." <linda@...> Sent: Wed, April 6, 2011 2:47:15 AMSubject: [ ] A scared mom

Hi,I am and in January my 25 yr old step son was diagnosed with Hep C. He was hospitalized for 3 days. is 25 but he was an iv drug user since 15 and had his first hospitalization for alcohol poisoning at the age of 10. So there's been a lot of liver abuse prior to this diagnosis.He is seeing a doctor who says she won't start treatment for 6 months. I have read that the virus will sometimes clear itself. I understand her reasoning. But... has gotten worse, not better. He is fatigued all the time and sleeps most of the day and night. He isn't eating very much and what he does eat, he vomits up. He is losing weight so rapidly that its noticeable over just a week span. He is depressed and foggy a lot of the time. So much so I accused him of using. He totally broke down at that point and we realized that his confused state was not drug induced but had been ongoing, he just finally couldn't hide it anymore. His color

is off too, not jaundiced but almost gray and he runs intermittent fevers. I am terrified that he won't make the 6 months. I am scared we are going to lose him. He is his father's only child and has become no different to me than one of mine. We love him so much. Is he supposed to be getting worse? Does this sound like the normal course of things or should we be questioning the doctors? Any light you could shed would help. We feel like we are fighting an invisible monster here. Its killing our son but we have no idea how to fight.