interferon /riba

[jake__0]

  Ive been on interferon/riba combo for 5 weeks now.
  My doctor says my enzymes are slightly higher than when i
  started the treatment. He blames it on the viamins i was taking.
  omega3 fatty acids fish oils.vitamin e, vitamin c, garlic.
  Is it possible for the enzymes to get higher because of the treatment?
  Heres the real bummer, I was just notified that someone i slept with
  last year tested positive for gonorrhea.Do i stop the treatment and get the
  spike or see if i even have it? Its 12:00 and i cant sleep at all
  9:00 isnt coming fast enough.What could this be doing to my liver?
                                              Thanks

[HFHS-MD-dm]

Posted by jake on July 17, 1998 at 00:28:39:

Topic Area: Hepatitis
Ive been on interferon/riba combo for 5 weeks now.
My doctor says my enzymes are slightly higher than when i
started the treatment. He blames it on the viamins i was taking.
omega3 fatty acids fish oils.vitamin e, vitamin c, garlic.
Is it possible for the enzymes to get higher because of the treatment?
Heres the real bummer, I was just notified that someone i slept with
last year tested positive for gonorrhea.Do i stop the treatment and get the
spike or see if i even have it? Its 12:00 and i cant sleep at all
9:00 isnt coming fast enough.What could this be doing to my liver?
Thanks
Dear jake:
Thanks for your letter.  My understanding is that you have been on the combination of interferon and ribavirin for five weeks.  You are concerned about two things.  First you are concerned that you liver enzymes are slightly higher and second you are concerned that a sex partner from a year ago has tested positive for gonorrhea.  
First of al, l I wouldn’t worry to much about you liver enzymes assuming that your liver enzymes were only mildly or moderately elevated to begin with and they have only “slightly” gotten worse.  Five weeks is a little early to always see a response and you’ll want to give things a little more time.  While we don’t typically think of interferon/ribavirin making liver enzymes worse, the enzymes can bounce around a little on their own and it doesn’t necessarily mean the hepatitis C is better or worse.  
I can't say  if some of the vitamins and supplements you’re taking might cause the liver enzymes to increase because I don't know what’s in all the supplements.  We typically have our patients rely  on a single quality multi-vitamin and you might want to do this until things sort out a little bit.  
I can imagine you're distressed by your  former partner’s positive gonorrhea test.  I can tell you, however, that  it typically would not be  a reason to stop the interferon/ribavirin.  Typically we treat partners of people with gonorrhea but it’s less clear what do when the exposure was a year ago.  You might want to check with your regular physician about this.  Sometimes gonorrhea can involve the liver but I’m not sure you have it.  If you have gonorrhea, you can be treated for it without stopping the therapy for hepatitis C.
I hope this information is helpful to you. If you have additional questions or concerns, you can contact us at Henry Ford either through MEDHELP or by our direct phone number:  [phone].
This response is being provided for general informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice or consultation.  Always check with your personal physician when you have a question pertaining to your health.