Elevated Liver Enzymes after Discontinuation of Peg-Intron Treatment

[chrisarraga]

My father was diagnosed w/Hep C and began treatment 7 months ago. After being on Peg-Intron and Ribavirin for 5 & 1/2 months, he was told that his liver enzymes were back to normal and only continue the treatment to complete a 6 month course. He was initially told that he would have to be on this treatment for 10 months.  He has now been off of his interferon for 4 weeks and received a call from the Dr. telling him that his bloodwork came back showing elevated liver enzymes again.  How is this possible that only after 4 weeks of being off treatmen, his Hep C has returned drastically according to the Dr.? Now, my father knows what to expect and is afraid of getting back on the injection. Could the Dr. have made a mistake when he told him to discontinue his therapy? Is it pretty common that Hep C will return full blown after only 4 weeks without therapy?

[BronxRican007]

Your never alone, even without this forum, you always have God to turn to.

[chrisarraga]

Thank you all for your feedback and prayers. His next appt. is on June 3rd and i am planning on being there with him. I will be armed with questions and my concerns. It is so difficult for us because my parents are 300 miles from where I live, so by the time I get any info on his condition, I have to wait until his next appt. for any questions to be answered. Now, I realize that our family is not alone through all this. This whole thing has been so trying for our family, especially my mom and not to mention my dad, of course. He has already lost most of his hair and had lost 30 pounds because he just wasn't eating. Since he's been off the interferon, his cheerful attitude and appetite have returned! I will keep you all posted on his condition and thanks so much for all the support! Good lcuk to all of you! Best wishes, Christine

[BronxRican007]

I'm really sorry to hear about your Dad, find him another doctor. I appreciate your sharing of the information. I see a GI doc next week. Armed with the information I got in this forum...if he doesn't know more than I do about HCV treatment, I'll drop him like a bad habit and find another doctor real quick. There are a lot of freakin Bozos out there with MD diplomas. The diplomas just mean they graduated from Med School...diplomas don't mean they're effective physicians.

I'll pray for your dad. Take Care
BronxRican007

[layla]

I have never heard this one before either and cuteus has expressed all my thought exactly. Get another doc if that is the case and try to see an actual hepatologist if at all possible. I am surprised to read this. LL

[cuteus]

what was his viral load? his biopsy result?

[cuteus]

if he is genotype one, he has to do 48 wks minimum for a chance at sustained viral response (SVR) of at least 50 t0 56 %.  If a person relapses after doing the 48 wks, they have to do treatment again for longer period of time, usually with a different type of interferon, since the virus might have "adjusted" to the interferon it was fed.
Get copies of all his bloodwork and find out when and if he became negative for a viral load.  The recommendation is to go 36 or more wks from the time of clearance.
This dr does not seem to know what he is doing.  
I never had abnormal enzymes readings, had mild liver damage, did not clear the virus by wk 12 of treatment(tx) and decided to insist on a tx extension for a better chance at a cure.  It is not fun to have interferon and ribavirin running through your veins, but it is his best chance.

[chrisarraga]

It must've been G1, as he was originally told it would be a 10 month treatment. That's why I'm having such a hard time understanding what the heck happened.
Do you think that if he begins treatment again, it will have to run a new course? Will the 6 months that he was already on it count towards the 10 month regiment or will he have to start all over again?  

[cuteus]

I can't find the words to ask the questions, I am flabbergasted that any dr will discontinue tx because the enzymes went back to normal only.  I never heard of that one.
What genotype was your father? if he was genotype 1, he should have been on tx for a minimum of 48 wks, if geno 2 or 3, 24 wks is the standard.  It is the negative PCR test that drs follow to determine length of tx, not enzymes. I do not know how much experience this dr has in hep c, but his protocol does not follow the standards set by the drug co.
Of course the virus is going to come back, the treatement was not long enough to erradicate all the virus from his body.
find a NEW dr ASAP