Addiction

[christinaf28]

How much damage is doing the weed to my liver having hep c ?? Could you help me .. Iam trying to quit .. But it's hard cause it cheers me up and gives an appetite but iam concern about long term problems .. Thanks

[sejmiig]

I've read and been told booze and street drugs (which I assume meant things like meth, crack, heroin, etc) are the issues.  weed's probably more hard on your lungs than your liver, imho.

[MsDragonSlayer]

My doc told me to not smoke pot...specifically.  He said with SOC they use to allow it, ( and we know how well SOC worked!) he told me with triple therapy it was a definite no no.  

To me logically, do everything you can to HEAL your body right now.  Don't intentionally harm it with ANY other toxins.  Yes, smoke is a toxin!
Give your liver respect.

Big hugs,
~Carolyn

[johnny679]

weed is no good for the liver very obvious just stay away and find other ways to increase your appetite simple as that

[James10500]

Cigs=weed, not true.  Cigs kill people weed does not.  

[johnny679]

What I was trying to say is when you get rid of this disease you can go back to some old habits as long it is not all the time and no bingeing

Once you go without weed and drink for a long time why would you go back to that . Speaking for myself those days are over . I drink my 2 vegetable juices daily and eat well . The craziest I get these days is last weekend I ate to 2 boxes of Choclate Biscuit which I am still feeling guilty about all that sugar and sodium , not smart .

[belle19]

hi there.  just wanted to say that my doctor said i could use medicinal weed in moderation during my tx.  i live in so cal and have friends that grow without pesticides.  it helps me with body aches and my appetite.  my doctor is a leading liver specialist here in san diego.  so i feel confident with his opinion.  best wishes.  belle

[1oftheclub222]

How about eating it rather than smoking it?

[orphanedhawk]

I recall when this study came out, it was discredited because the participants  were all heavy drinkers and some also used cannabis.
There were  questions about who funded it and why.
At least that's what I remember, I was rather sick at the time.
I could be wrong, its happened before.

There  aren't other studies I know of, and certainly none comparing  how cannabis effects the liver in regards to smoking, or using a vaporizer or ingesting it.

It does seem logical that since our livers are filters, that a lot of smoke inhalation would not be good especially for one with damage.

The  OP titled this 'addiction.' To me, she has a problem.
If she believes she has an addiction, then she does.

If it is helping her, then, I maintain she should use it in moderation, if that's possible.

[Proactive]

I would suggest a vaporizer..:)
"Heavy smokers showed increased white
blood cell counts (WBC), increased levels of hemoglobin (Hb) and triglycerides (TG), and lower levels of
total cholesterol (TC) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (Yamada M, et al., 1998 [33])"
http://mj.med.u-tokai.ac.jp/pdf/310104.pdf

So who will step up to the plate and make the argument that compliance may be increased by tobacco use?

[hrsepwrguy]

"It has shown the ability to speed up fibrosis in patients with Hepatitis C"

That was actually the part of the statement I thought might be relevant as far as the healthy patients I didn't think that they were refering to people with hep as it said healthy patients.

"The 2008 study I posted does show a link between daily cannabis use and an increase in liver fibrosis."

I never disagreed with the study you posted, I actually found it informing.

"http://www.druglibrary.org/crl/aging/sidney-01.html"

I thought that might be relevant to the actual title of addiction.

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Hepatitis-C/Marijuana-Helps-with-Hep-C-Therapy/show/1580886#post_7190658

That one has many different opinions both for and against the use of MMJ that I thought the OP could read through as she is actually in her 20th week of treatment and using the mj to manage side effects of tx and is worried she might be doing more harm than good.

I find your contribution to this forum invaluable and one of the best sources of info when it comes to the really complicated stuff I don't understand.

Cheers to you as well
Keith

@Pro

"Perhaps we should talk about tobacco use raising hgb, red and white blood cell count levels"

Is this true as my levels are getting pretty low at wk 15 and could use all the help I can get :)

[Proactive]

"I agree that it is good to post all sides of the issue " Perhaps we should talk about tobacco use raising hgb, red and white blood cell count levels? :) Pro

[HectorSF]

"It has shown the ability to speed up fibrosis in patients with Hepatitis C, but there is no evidence of stand-alone liver damage in healthy patients."
Yes, I understand your point. But how many people here with hepatitis C have no liver damage?

"Did you take the time to read the links posted I'm trying to provide?"
Yes, I read the Kasier study (http://www.druglibrary.org/crl/aging/sidney-01.html) from 1979-1985. Liver damage was not part of the study so how can you say that smoking mj did or did not not cause liver damage that lead to death? See Table 2 for causes of death.
The 2008 study I posted does show a link between daily cannabis use and an increase in liver fibrosis.

I agree that it is good to post all sides of the issue but as of yet I haven't seen any other clinical study that has data showing that daily cannabis use doesn't cause increased liver fibrosis.

FYI: Looking for definitive data about any subject in Wikianswers is highly questionable as it is the general Internet community that is answering these questions and not experts in the field.

Cheers!
Hector

[hrsepwrguy]

Pure, organically-grown marijuana does not directly damage the liver. It has shown the ability to speed up fibrosis in patients with Hepatitis C, but there is no evidence of stand-alone liver damage in healthy patients


http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Does_marijuana_cause_liver_damage

Did you take the time to read the links posted I'm trying to provide info pro's and con's not just a one sided opinion so the OP can see all info needed to make her own decision

[HectorSF]

The original question was "How much damage is doing the weed to my liver having hep c?"
We are not discussing mj as an aid to managing nausea or increasing appetite in people with ESLD, cancer or AIDS. The is a whole different subject.

I posted a link to an abstract from 2008 study that specifically addressed liver damage and hepatitis C.
"Its been highly discredited." Ophanedhawk, could you please post newer studies studies showing this as I am not aware of them. Thanks.

Why have some posted links to a study that has nothing to due with liver disease or hepatitis C?
http://www.druglibrary.org/crl/aging/sidney-01.pdf
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Does_marijuana_cause_liver_damage
The 1991's research was done with Kaiser SF and Oakland patients from 1979 - 1985 and did NOT persons with liver disease or hepatitis C. Hepatitis C was not even identified during the years data was collected. It was called non A B hepatitis and little was known about it. So how could it have any information about hep C and liver disease? Did anyone even read the study before posting it as a reference?

Hector

[hrsepwrguy]

"Just stop now and when you get rid of this disease do as you please"

So by that statement you are implying that it would be alright to go back to your binge drinking once the hep is arrested ?

[johnny679]

you never know what you are getting from weed they spray pesticides , fly spray and so on , as you have hepatitis c do yourself a favour and stop . I used to smoke a fair bit ciggarettes , weed , occasional binge drink . I have stage 11 fibrosis now but I have had hep c for 25 years maybe longer who knows
Just stop now and when you get rid of this disease do as you please

[orphanedhawk]

I agree with hrspwrguy. Check out the links.

The one research Hector mentions is the only one I know of which claims mj is bad for your liver. Its been highly discredited.
Other research claims it does no harm.

My hepatologist is conservative. He has no problem with its use in moderation, especially if it helps a patient manage side effects.

If your problem is an addictive personality, then you need to find someone to help you with that.

[hrsepwrguy]

This topic has been gone over several times on the forum use the seach this community slot and it will pull up many threads on the topic, here is one of many

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Hepatitis-C/Marijuana-Helps-with-Hep-C-Therapy/show/1580886#post_7190658

[HectorSF]

I agree that the most important thing is to be as healthy as possible over all. As always the amount of liver damage you currently have is a big factor as to whether mj is good for you or not. It is not a black and white issue.

Here is a study to determine the effect of cannabis on the liver.
You can read the whole thing here...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3184401/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Influence of Cannabis Use on Severity of Hepatitis C Disease"
Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2008 January; 6(1): 69–75.

Background

Complications of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are primarily related to the development of advanced fibrosis.

Methods

Baseline data from a prospective community-based cohort study of 204 persons with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection were used for analysis. The outcome was fibrosis score on biopsy and the primary predictor evaluated was daily cannabis use.

Results

The median age of the cohort was 46.8 years, 69.1% were male, 49.0% were Caucasian, and the presumed route of infection was injection drug use in 70.1%. The median lifetime duration and average daily use of alcohol were 29.1 years and 1.94 drink equivalents per day. Cannabis use frequency (within prior 12 months) was daily in 13.7%, occasional in 45.1%, and never in 41.2%. Fibrosis stage, assessed by Ishak method, was F0, F1–2 and F3–6 in 27.5%, 55.4% and 17.2% of subjects, respectively. Daily compared to non-daily cannabis use was significantly associated with moderate to severe fibrosis (F3–6 versus F1–2) in univariate [OR = 3.21 (95% CI, 1.20–8.56), p = 0.020] and multivariate analyses (OR = 6.78, (1.89–24.31), p=0.003). Other independent predictors of F3–6 were ≥11 portal tracts (compared to <5, OR = 6.92 (1.34–35.7), p=0.021] and lifetime duration of moderate and heavy alcohol use [OR per decade = 1.72 (1.02–2.90), p=0.044].

Conclusion:

We conclude that daily cannabis use is strongly associated with moderate to severe fibrosis and that HCV-infected individuals should be counseled to reduce or abstain from cannabis use.

Hector

[orphanedhawk]

Stop worrying about the small things.
Alcohol will damage your liver. That's a given.
Just take care of yourself, eat healthy, exercise and if you use weed, do so in moderation.

[flcyclist]

There are actually some positive benefits of the use of mj, including helping to subside nausea and increase in appetite.  Although I have not interest, I'd never judge anyone who chose this as an option. As far as its effect on the health of your liver, I'm not aware of any.  

I wouldn't see this as a big issue as long as it was being used for medicinal reasons, just as you would an rx.  I suppose part of this choice would also be if it was legal in your area.  Also consider, depending on the volume of smoke and thc inhaled into your lungs, there must be a cumulative effect from this over time.

Further reading:
http://www.natap.org/2006/HCV/091506_02.htm

http://www.natap.org/2005/AASLD/aasld_27.htm

[hondapatches]

Weed is doing as much damage as for those of us who smoke cigs. I am so trying to quit, Just try to cut back, everything goes through your liver no matter what it is. I would hope that u could quit, you shouldn't have to have weed to make you feel happy, God has given you life an I know I am guilty as well I know we seem to abuse our bodies a lot. Good luck and God Bless

[hrsepwrguy]

http://www.druglibrary.org/crl/aging/sidney-01.pdf

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Does_marijuana_cause_liver_damage