Drinking Green Tea Daily

Hey guys, I need some opinions on drinking green tea daily while on treatment.  Does it help or impede treatment? Has anyone here drank green tea and had good results from treatment?  I am asking this because  green tea is a potent antioxidant and liver cleanser and was worried that it may flush the drugs from my system too quickly.  Any thoughts?

[jmjm530]

Can you expand on that a little. I never heard anything bad about green tea -- treatment or no -- and the only reason I stopped drinking it is because tea agravated my GERD (reflux). My understanding is that green tea is full of a lot of good stuff and the caffeine (assuming you don't have reflux) would probably act as a nice pick-me-up to help counterbalance the dregs of interferon. BTW I've also heard to stay away from vitamins/supplements other than a multi w/o iron and vitamin e.

ST George,

I'd reasearch this out a little, including talking to a liver specialist, before nixxing the Green tea.

[FlGuy]

Don't know about the tea, but love your moniker. St. George was the dragon slayer, wasn't he?

[Dale_Ray]

First instruction my doctor gave me was that I was to take nothing unless he cleared it first. I've stuck with that too. Always heard good things about green tea but have no idea how it interacts with treatment. Dale

[tulsatime]

I drank green tea all through my treatment and I did clear the virus. I relap but that had nothing to do with the green tea. But I think that is a good question. When I start back on TX. I am going to ask my doctor about it. Let us know what your dr says.... Take care

[Holly44]

Both of you said you were told to stay away from vitamins/supplements other than a multi w/o iron and vitamin e. I'm wondering why w/o iron? I'm actually instructed to take iron, is this not something I should be doing?

[jmjm530]

In general iron supplementation is not advised for folks with Hep C. However, if a deficiency exists it may be prescribed. It is also often prescribed on treatment when hemoglobin boosters such as Procrit (epo) fail to raise hemoglobin sufficiently due to low iron stores -- namely low Transferrin Saturation (TSAT)and low serum Ferritin. If you don't know why your doctor is prescribing iron and you don't know why, now is the time to ask. If you aren't satisfied with the answer you get, you might seek a second opinion from a another liver specialist (hepatologist).

-- Jim

[doglover28]

I bought some organic Roobios because I read about it on a thread.  I love it!!  Had never heard of it before.  

Found out today that my daughter is negative.  She did not contract the virus when I gave birth to her 12 years ago.  I cried when I got the news because I was so happy. Some of you all asked me to let you know when I found out.  Thanks for the support while I was worrying!

[lionesss]

I asked my naturopath whether it was safe to take green tea, I was more concerned about its anticoagulant effects.  She said it was fine, so have continued, and my platelets are still within normal range.

St johns wort and schisandra may clear interferon on Tx.

Re: Iron.  Only useful if you have iron deficiency anaemia.  we tend to get haemolytic anaemia, so it will do sqwat.

Iron excess can have same symptoms as iron deficiency, so need to check your transferrin before iron supplementation, and that goes for everyone, not just HCV.  Iron tablets (or vitamin E) shouldn't be sold over the counter.

[Forseegood]

I'm a fellow Lioness, being a Leo, I guess..he he..anyway, thanks for being here!

[OnAPrettyPoison]

I been drinking grean tea regularly on treatment and was clear at wks 12 and 24.

Doglover, I am so happy for you and your family!

[Forseegood]

I just wanted to let you know that I'm so very glad for you about your child, it is pretty unlikely that this can happen, but it does...so glad for you...

[amirtracy]

Congraulations! you've been in my thoughts...tracy

[Forseegood]

Kalio: Regarding that supplement thread... firstly, let me tell you how sorry I am for your friend, that’s really terrible...I really think you’re one of the voices of reason here at this board....and I find myself usually agreeing with most of your arguments...you always seem to at least keep an open mind and you don't go to extremes in your reasoning, at least to my way of thinking...I totally agree with what you are saying, I really think that maybe some of the people (and they are relatively few from what I can see) here who have had a bad incident, might of benefited from an expert, an expert not just in just Chinese herbs, but in more than one discipline, all of this takes years of study...

I do see a lot of abuse of the fact that these things aren't regulated, the so-called "diet" supplements for instance....they have elements in them that speed you up, etc. and could potentially be very dangerous to people with high-blood pressure, etc...on the other hand, many of these substances are benign, (I'm no longer speaking of the diet supplements) and unfortunately, the benign ones are often painted with the same brush by skeptics...

Personally, I usually stay with plant based supplementation, concentrated "food" if you will, these are the vitamins I take, Vitamin E and C and D and Cal./mag, B Complex..that’s it for the vitamins....I know it's popular for a lot of docs of the patients here to say to take a multi w/out iron and nothing else, but I just don't think you can get all the nutrients you need in a multi, (if you are suffering with a liver disease) this is my own personal opinion and I fully expect any person to follow the advice of his/her own doctor on this and all things related to the tx and otherwise...I just think the multi would have to be really big so as to not be able to swallow it...for a woman especially, how could you fit fish oil, cal-mag, Glucosamine/Chondrontin/MSM, Biotin, NAC, B complex (even Can-do Man takes NAC I see, ha ha) all the things I take into one pill, with enough of each individual ingredient.

Now this is just what I think, people are free to disagree...now of course any regimen is modified when youre on treatment...but I would take a lot of the things I'm taking now...not all of them though...I've really been researching this and talking to experts and doctors...

Say my new dog for instance, ha ha!...she came to me with really cracked, dry bleeding skin, and looking really mal-nourished...I right away gave her a dog vitamin that I have researched thoroughly, and it's pretty big, only a dog could eat it, ha ha! Most dog food is not very nutritious, though I give her a good one...I started giving her this Greens for Dogs, because dogs need greens, and many dogs don't get them...and I gave her Lipiderm, a fatty acid vitamin E, product, and within a month and half, my dog looks amazing, people on the street are floored by her healthy looks and beautiful coat, in such a short time...over and over I see the results of these things...and I know so many people who have benefited from these things...anyway, I’m rambling, but I’m very glad youre posting and I hope you all have a great weekend!

this is the regimen I take besides the vitamins I have mentioned...this is for you as well Lioness!

http://tinyurl.com/rxyew

[lalapple]

i just made myself a nice cup of green tea and i would like to do this daily as the tea gives a nice boost to my mood and alertness.  

green tea was mentioned in one of the fact sheets on hcvadvocate (http://hcvadvocate.org/hepatitis/factsheets_pdf/CAM_glossary.pdf):

"Green Tea (Camellia sinensis)
Green tea has been used for centuries. It is a source of antioxidants.
It also contains caffeine and tannins. It is purported
to prevent cancer and to help many medical conditions, but
there is no clear evidence to support or dispute this. Caffeine
may help to relieve headaches and fatigue.
Attention for Liver Disease: Those with advanced liver disease
should use decaffeinated green tea because of reduced
ability to metabolize caffeine. May decrease clotting ability.
Safety Information: The majority of warnings are associated
with green tea’s caffeine content. Caffeine acts as a stimulant
and diuretic. The primary complaints were frequent urination,
nervousness, insomnia, and gastric discomfort. Anyone
needing to avoid or reduce caffeine should use decaffeinated
green tea. This includes those with anxiety, high blood
pressure, cardiac, kidney and hyperthyroid disease. May delay
blood-clotting ability, especially if high amounts are used.
May stimulate stomach acid production. Classified by the FDA
as “generally regarded as safe.” Pregnant and breastfeeding
women should avoid caffeine. High caffeine use during
pregnancy is associated with risk of birth defects and SIDS.
Caffeine can cause sleeplessness in infants. Safety in children
is not established.
Interactions: Theoretically may interact with any cytochrome
p-450 metabolized substances, but this has not been proven
in humans (see About Cytochrome P-450 below). May interact
with MAO-inhibitors, codeine, stimulants and other herbs.
Can reduce iron’s bioavailability, so do not drink green tea two
hours before or 4 hours after taking iron supplementation.
Lab Notes: May increase blood-clotting times and blood
glucose levels. May lower electrolyte levels.
Dosage: No established universal dose recommendations.
One cup of average strength green tea has approximately 50
mg of caffeine."

i guess occasionally is ok?

[Marc1955]

St. George – I'm on treatment and I drink green tea every day. Tastes great. But this stuff about "potent antioxidant and liver cleanser" is a bit much. I know all the herbal theories can be fun but there's no scientific evidence for any of this. The point about treatment is that it is totally and absolutely grounded in the Western medical model. There is no evidence that any herbal treatments positively effect the course of the illness or treatment. This is one where you gotta go with science. That's where you're casting your lot. But you should definitely enjoy your tea. It's low in caffeine which is a good thing when you're on treatment since it won't dehydrate you.

[Tippyclubb]

I am in the VX-950 trial and was told not to drink herbal green tea, or caffeine.  They stated the herbal tea could affect virus load.  They are not positive about this, and its still being investigated.

I don't want to risk it so I will be laying off the tea.  Its only temporary.  Its only been 2 days tx and I am so full of water , not drinking other liquids is not a problem anyway.  

[nygirl7]

I did start out taking it daily (pills as supplement) but then when I read that we shouldn't take stuff we weren't SURE didn't impede tx I stopped.  It just didn't seem worth the risk to me since nobody knew for certain.

[GEORGE79]

HI I FOUND OUT A FEW YEARS AGO I HAD TYPE TWO HEP C AND I TRIED TO GET ALL THE INFO ABOUT IT AND I THINK I UNDERSTAND THE HEP C BUT I HAVE A LOT OF ANXIETY ABOUT EATING THINGS AND THINGS I CAN HAVE AND NOT HAVE IF ANYONE WOULD BE WILLING TO MABEY HELP ME OR MAKE FRIENDS SOME ONE TO LEAN ON OR FOR SUPPORT THAT WOULD BE GREAT FOR I HAVE A HARD TIME HAVING ANYONE UNDERSTAND CAUSE THEY DONT HAVE IT AND THEY ARE SCARED OF ME IGNORENCE IS BLISS I GUESS OK WELL MY EMAIL IS ***@**** ANY HELP WOULD BE GREAT THANKS

[Bill1954]

George, don’t worry too much about what you eat; there’s no specific diet for HCV patients. Do avoid alcohol and discuss any meds/supplements you take with your doctor—

Bill

[Rockerforlife]

Regular black tea and green tea are the same animal,only difference is black tea is fermented to make it taste different

[GEORGE79]

So i have been told that i do not qualify for treatment but i have hep c type 2 my dr said that i am a healthy female but i have put on a lot of wieght and am having the hardest time taking it off i dont know what to do I thought that treatment may help these things and the other side effects i have from the hcv but everything i read about treatment says type 1 hcv so is that the only type they do treatment for and if so is there anything else i can do or take that may help  

[Bill1954]

No; all genotypes of HCV are treatable. You need to ask your doctor why she will not consider you for treatment, and ask her to be specific. There are reasons not to treat it; one of them being that you might not have developed significant fibrosis, or scarring of the liver yet. If that’s the case, you would have had a biopsy to make this determination.

The only other thing you can do to help is to avoid alcohol, and continue to try to lose weight.

Again, ask your doctor why she deemed it unnecessary for you to undergo treatment,

Bill