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Are ther any hep c treatments on the horizon?

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Posted 6/9/2009 3:46 PM (GMT 0)
Hi ,
I found out I had Hep c last year while giving my blood at Red Cross last year. I figure I got it about 42 years ago during a heart operation as a small child. I had a biopsy and I'm stage 2 fibrosis genotype 1a. My viral count is low. My doctor gave me the choice of inferon or wait another 3 years for another biopsy to see if it is getting worse. For now I opted to wait due to side effects and 40% success rate for my type.
I am taking milk thistle, not drinking and trying to live healthy. I never noticed any of the typical side effects from hep c. However I easily get sore and ache . I noticed this in my early 20's after working out with weights or other vigorous activities. I noticed this while working out with work out partners. I would be much more affected than them after a work out. Fast forward about 20 years. I had a spinal fusion on the lower lumbar(blown disc) and a hip replacement(worn out cartilage and deformed joint) all last year. I'm recovering very slowly. I get extremely sore all the time almost every where in my body. Most of it is joint pain . Some of it is muscular pain. Some days are worse than others. When its really bad I usually get stomach pain for an hour or two then that goes away and my body starts aching really bad. It can go away about as fast as it comes. Its very difficult mentally and physically during thes bouts. I have seen a rheumatologist but so far nothing helps but I get some relief with advil and tramadol.
I talked with my hep c doc about this. He said it may be a side effect from the virus.

Any one else experience similar symptoms?

Are there any other treatments on the horizon for hep c other than inferon?

I've read about many supplements to take for hep c. Its hard to decipher whats real and whats a scam on the internet so I'm cautious. Can any of them improve your health with hep c? If so what?


Thanks
Posted 6/9/2009 7:35 PM (GMT 0)

Hi, Starboard, and welcome to the forum.  I was diagnosed with hep C in '93.  I have cirrhosis and survived liver cancer.  I initially tried interferon, which was the only thing available at the time, but it made my white count plummet, so I was taken off of it.  The common treatment now is a combination of interferon and ribavirin.  However, there is a new treatment which adds a third drug, telaprevir.  It is expected to be available next year.  With this treatment regimen, there is a 60% cure rate and it only has to be taken for 24 wks.  The bad news is that due to side effects a large number of people have to drop out of treatment.  Personally, I am not doing any type of treatment right now except to eat a diet free of red meat and lots of fruits and veggies.

I tried milk thistle even before the interferon and it did nothing for me.  In fact, my liver enzymes increased a bit.  That is the one supplement that has had some success, though. 

I'm glad to hear that you are avoiding "miracle" cures.  Some things can be very harmful to an already damaged liver.  I just take a multivitamin daily, along with vitamins C and E.

I find that I bruise easily and am chronically fatigued.  I have arthritis and some muscular pain, but don't know if it's related to the hep C or not.

I hope this helps a little.

Posted 6/9/2009 11:40 PM (GMT 0)
Hep 93 thanks for the quick response. Its nice to talk with someone who has similar problems. I only know two people that have hep c . One of them got it about the same time as I did. he thinks he picked in up in Vietnam. He doesn't have any symptoms. He gets his viral counts done every 6 months. The other said his immune system got rid of it naturally.
Is telaprevir a drug that has been used before by other countries?
I'm taking omega 3 fish oil , cod liver oil, multivitamin without iron,600 mg of milk thistle, glucosamine, 800mg of advil and 2 low dose non narcotic pain pills called tramadol. The majority of this is for the soreness and arthritic type conditions I have. I try to eat healthy but I eat red meat. Prayer has been helpful on the mental side too. It's easy to feel down at times.
Is there a significance with the red meat? I heard that a certain type of vitamin D is really good for your immune system Particularly if you don't get much sun light.

Thanks Starboard
Posted 6/10/2009 3:41 AM (GMT 0)
Starboard, the elimination of red meat is suggested because it's the most difficult protein for the liver to break down.  A damaged liver is working overtime trying to digest and filter what goes through it.  Why make it work even harder by eating beef?  You can have poultry, fish (including cooked shellfish), pork.  Also eggs, beans, and nuts.

 

Regarding the treatment which includes telaprevir, studies have been done in France and at Duke University Hospital here in the states.  It's going into Phase 3 trials now.

 

You are right in taking a multivitamin without iron.  As for the vitamin D, it's recommended for people with primary billary cirrhosis who are at risk for osteoporosis and osteomalacia (bone softening.)  True, if you don't get at least 15 min. of sunlight daily, you can be deficient in vitamin D.  But you are currently taking both fish oil and cod liver oil and summer is upon us, so it's doubtful that you need it.  Milk also contains vitamin D.

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