AST 100 ALT 146

[BrandiSue850]

Okay, I'm having trouble finding anything online. I am a 27 yer old female, Hep C positive, I do not drink alcohol but so drink coffee daily. I got diagnosed with Hepatitis C a few years ago and just now got a physical. I've never had any extensive testing done, I just was told I had it and ran with it. Well, I'm nauseous all the time and usually fatigued. But really, that could mean anything. I am in treatment for opiod addiction and do takeoquid methadone daily. Anyway, back to the physical, my results we my AST being at 100, ALT @ 146, some other liver level @ 5.60. I was referred to a a GI but they don't accept my insurance, and the one GI in my city that takes it does not treat people with my illness.
   My question is: are these numbers normal for someone whom has Hepatitis C? Is coffee bad for the liver? I read that methadone is safe for the liver UNLESS there is already an ongoing liver problem. Could this be why my numbers are so high? Ive been on it for 10 months and told them ahead of time that info have Hep C, but then SRL over half of the clinic has been diagnosed with it.
   Can anyone give me some input? Hopefully not to scare me to death I am just a worried mom, I have 2 kids at home and I need to be around for them. What should I do?

[virt111]

Just to add to the conversation, coffee is not generally bad for the liver. On the contrary, there have been studies that show that coffee has properties that are beneficial to liver health. Here's one from the CDC:

http://news.cancerconnect.com/coffee-cuts-risk-of-liver-cancer/

[flyinlynn]

Just want to politely disagree with scotty24

There are new treatments approved in the last couple of years that are highly effective curing most people with most reporting little in the way of side effects. Treatment could be as simple as 1 pill a day for 8 weeks.

But also the most important thing as fretboard said hep c is not generally an emergency get the condition of your liver evaluated and if you don't have liver damage I would focus on your addiction issues for now and tackle hep c later.

Congrats on seeking treatment best of luck to you
Lynn

[fretboard]

Yes your ALT and AST are a little bit high but that may not change until you tx.  Being on methadone is a plus, not that it's a good thing but it may help with side effects if you decide to tx.  Like diarrhea, hey you never know. lol Right now is the best time to tx b/c you don't have to tx with interferon and ribavirin anymore unless you live in some far off land off the grid.  If you don't drink good, don't start.  Stick to your guns, if you're on methadone b/c of heroin addiction, good for you.  Stay clean on the methadone, no reason to use anymore..  Stay healthy and focused, don't worry too much about having HepC, it's bad but its not the end of the world.  It progresses slowly, most ppl don't have any symptoms for 20 to 25 years. good luck!!

[scottie24]

Chill and wait for better, easier treatments.  Also, note that odds of passing it on via intercourse are about 1 in 160,000.

Ever see a big old oak tree with funky lumps growing out of its trunk?  They're caused by a virus.  The oak tree lives on.  IMO, this is a more apt analogy of being infgected with the Hep C virus than "Oh my God I'm going to die if I don't get treated ASAP!"

[SurfsideGal]

Hi BrandiSue. Don't be scared. Methadone is definitely a liver-friendly drug so no worries there. Your ALT & AST are par for the course in hepatitis C patients. I am guessing that the 5.60 is your viral load expressed in logs. All of this is normal and is not prognostic about how sick your liver is.

I see you live in Florida. There are many places that treat people who are uninsured or underinsured. You can look them up at the Needy Meds website. Or, you can call Help4Hep at 877-435-7443 and someone will help you.

Wishing you the best.