Giving up alcohol? Your thoughts please...

Most sites I read specify that you must abstain from alcohol totally for the length of the treatment. My specialist recommendation is no more than 7 standard drinks a week and not all at once, it's to try and help you manitain as normal life as possible. I go from 1 - 5 per week depending on my social activities, I'm careful not to exceed 5 so as not to push my luck.
What are people's thoughts on this?
Cheers Jane

[cuteus]

this discussion has come up many times here, and it always turns quite lively....

Your dr is quite liberal in his approach to alcohol and Tx.  Mine did  not forbid it, and I did have about 6 drinks in the 18 months I was on tx, but 7 drinks a week seems excessive.
I took a drink or 2 last Xmas and Thanksgiving, some on Mother's day, etc. Many here believe that any drinking equates to alcohol abuse, they feel there is a drinking problem if you don't abstain 100% during the Tx. I don;t believe this is true, but I still think weekly drinking is not advisable, during tx.  Some studies show that alcohol abuse hinders SVR.

[Boo-BooBaby]

My doctor told me that I shouldn't drink anything at all before or during treatment.  I'm not much of a drinker anyway, so that doesn't bother me.

[genedog]

i used to kill a truck load of beer a year, but stoped when i found out i have this bug, have to say sounds good sometimes but ill try to beat this first

[RiverGal]

My doctor specified no alcohol, but that seems to vary from one to another.  The PEGASSIST booklet that came with my meds says this:

"To help keep your liver healthy, it's important to eat well and avoid alcohol and recreational drugs.  If you have hepatitis C, this is even more critical!"  

In the section on what to avoid, it states:

"Also, it's vital that people with hepatitis C do not drink any alcohol."

It's more a personal judgement call, but I agree 7 drinks a week when you are trying to heal an already ailing liver seems a little liberal.  

~River

[honey1616]

Yep,,,,I agree...Work on getting cured and then maybe think about an occassional drink.  My dr said,,,no alcohol.  It hasn't really bothered me as I only drank on occassions but will one day maybe do that again.  I'm just trying to give my best shot at moment to beat this thing!

[Dorothy and Toto]

Social (and unsocial drinking) was part of my life until diagnosed but gave it up.  I can't believe a doctor would say on treatment that you could have one let alone 7 per week!  If the treatment doesn't work, you don't want to think you screwed up because you drank or missed a dose.  The treatment didn't work for me and I had to stop my 7th month but my conscience is clear...
Take care, Dorothy

[layla]

I don't think 7 drinks a week is a big beal normally but on any kind of meds, especially these meds, I just have to ask why.... alcohol typically affects many meds, so why when this tx is this so important would you drink. Ask yourself, is it that important to you? LL

[jonihs]

Most drugs in the Physician's Desk Reference tell you do not drink while taking this drug and for very good reason. Since alcohol and most drugs are processed by the liver, alcohol, which takes alot of time to be processed compared to other things, affects the way the liver processes everything else. Also, the byproduct of alcohol leaving the liver is a toxin that can also affect your pancreas. Why add another 2 toxins (alcohol & it's byproduct) to a system that you are already poisoning w/ tx. drugs. Why eat right, exersice and add poison you don't need to. Don't make sense to me!    Joni

[new-sojourn]

It's your liver.  do what you want.  It's stupid to smoke if you have lung disease, it's stupid to drink if you have liver disease.  alcohol dehydrates you and uses needed nutrients and affects your body chemistry, interfering w/your meds.

And what's the big deal about drinkin' anyway?  You have an excuse and a reason not too.  No body notices or cares.  All those empty caleries and bum liver spell disaster later on when age and menopause catch up w/you.  look 10yrs younger w/o the surgery or botox.

The longer I don't drink, the more I wonder why I ever did.  I save @ least $100 amo, that's $1200 ayr and I now spend a couple wks either in Europe or in Cabo.  Of course I was drinking good wine and imported vodka in those days.

So if you're gonna drink, make sure it's the good stuff-not the 'rot gut'!

[skagway]

liver  failure and chirros both  caused by  drinking and hip-c. if your trying to speed up the process to ESLD that might do it.

[Tony-z]

Because there is no precise clinical evidence showing small amounts of alcohol, like a glass of wine drank slowly, are available at this time. It has caused a difference of opinions in some Dr offices and treatment centers.
I have had access to The University Of Origins Liver Transplant center and was lucky enough to speck with one of the top liver Transplant Dr's briefly. I am hoping he will accept me as a patient next year. Anyway, his take on this subject is Absolutely no alcohol ever, and he said make sure any cough medicine, mouthwash or any other OTC meds are alcohol free.
He put it this way, when you have Active Chronic Hep-C it is like your liver is slowly smoldering and dieing because of the Virus and any alcohol is like throwing gas on that fire.

I believe in watching everything that has to be processed by my liver, including food and water, distilled water only for me.

           Good Luck

                                      TonyZ

[want2live]

Rev, could you please be kind to list the conference you refer to that found weed was bad for your liver?
Disgusting?

And as for drinking, I think that is right up there with the people that have a tracheaotomy (sp?) from smoking and go right on ahead and stick a cigarette in the new hole in their throat.
Just plain f*cking stupid!

[Ambush]

..."social activities" ?????  I'm pretty impressed that you even have social activities 6 months into tx and am glad to hear you're feeling that good.  I was into hibernation mode by then.  I'm amazed that a specialist would tell you 7 drinks a week is acceptable. My doctor wouldn't even allow N/A beer.
You asked for our thoughts....club soda w/lime is my thought.  Get well first.  Life doesn't even resemble "normal" while on tx anyways.  
ambush :)

[Lucky Lou]

Hey Jane..Two words for your doctor.."You're fired!" (it's actualy three words with a contraction but what the hell, I'll be liberal to the moronic degree like your doctor!)

Jane...No..No..No..Now stop it it just doesn't make sense as much as we all want it to.....NO! and NO again.

There, I've said and I'm happy...now go ahead and fire away, I'm ready!

Riba Lou, the Interferon King of Salsa!

[couchpotato]

Holy ****!!!!! Your doctor actually said that????? My first thought was, "And I thought my doctor was an idiot!!", then my second one was, "why didn't mine tell me that?" LOL. Better get a second opinion, or better yet, just listen to folks here, they know of what they speak.

Mattie

[DRAGON SLAYER]

Cheers Jane

Personally, I didn't touch ALCOHOL during Tx. DON'T need the DOCS opinion on this issue..... I recommend you ABSTAIN as well.
Nearly 7 months post-Tx & I have been as dry as the SAHARA.

Good luck to all
Ben

[cbee]

I may be unexperienced with treatment but I've been living with this for over 12 years.  The first thing I was told was to do everything I could to take care of my liver - don't drink, smoke, reduce stress, watch what I eat, be careful about certain meds/vitamins/herbs I take, etc.  Even with all that done, this virus has gotten worse.  It has a life of its own.  We all know that alcohol can cause damage to a healthy liver if you drink too much.  So why risk it with an already compromised liver?  You can be social without the alcohol.  If you had lung cancer would you smoke?  Something to think about.

- cbee

[raheem]

I think you would be doing a tremendous disservice to yourself, your doctor, the researchers who came up with a HepC cure and to others by continuing to drink booze while on tx and perhaps even afterwards.  Research clearly indicates it is harmful to your liver (you know, the organ you have that is already diseased).  Save your liver cells, your brain cells and a lot of money by abstaining from booze at least during tx.  If that is too much to ask, perhaps you have an alcohol problem.  Just my opinion.

[mythoughts]

I do agree with everyone, but I can't believe that nobody pointed out the obvious............that many people with Hep have had or have drinking problems. I come from the harm reduction school.......why I agree it's far superior to not drink with Hep, I can see a doctor telling a heavy drinker that 1 drink a day is ok. That may make more sense than telling them to stop cold turkey.

[britgirl]

I'm not arguing with you, but just want to ask why it's obvious to you that lots of people with Hep C have/have had drinking problems. I can't see the logic myself!

[new-sojourn]

That study is a limited French study of French junkies--some still active.  The FRENCH!!  They people that let 12,000 grandmas die of heat stroke and dehydration b/c it was vacation time.  The people who think air conditioning is from the devil.

And have you ever seen a French junkie?  Their drugs are soo good b/c their heroin is grown under the watchful eye of the usa in Afganistan.  And they give a whole new meaning to strung out.

So if you are not a homeless, mal nourised active junkie, living on the pig styes the Fr call streets, who somehow got medical attention in France, that means you're more important than granny,  I wouldn't dignify that study w/one second of worry.

If that was true, The study would be coming out of Amsterdam where med marijuanna is legal and the rate of hep c comperable.

So sail on, sail on sailor.  The winds' blowin' just fine.

And I cl'd and stop progression of fibrosis in 18days-tokin' all the way.  No AD's for me.  No wacked blood levels, no riba rage and suicidal thoughts, no sleepless nites and nausea interfering w/eating right.  And no Fr junkies!

[BarnGoddess]

I've had HepC for 25 years.
Smoked pot for 33 years and  still smoking it.. At least 2x a week if not more. usually a nice light buzz mid-day.
I have 0 fibrosis 0 cirrosis (cirrhosis) as of my Dec 2003 biopsy.

Had to stop TX after 27 of 48 due to idiot Dr letting my immune system crash. I had cleared <5 at 12 weeks. remained clear until 30 days after stopping tx.

I stopped all alcohol before TX and still abstain 100%. I was not a heavy drinker to begin with.

Just my story and i'm stickin to it.

[Califia]

I wish to add -- with difficulty,  as my right arm is in a cast-- that this is the same study that gave everyone great pause last April, when the French first released it.  There was much hubbub then.  However, Dr. Deiterich lost no time on the hivandhepatits site in fielding a question about it,  and pronouncing the study inconclusive at best.   He cited the smallness of the sample...didn't have any more intimate knowledge than that.

[Tallblonde]

Nope, not on vacation....and definitely not desperate.  Just waiting patiently for the results from my PCR to come back.  By the way, my GI thinks spontaneous clearance is a real possibility given my 1.2 log drop between Nov. 03 and May 04. Who knows, maybe my immune system has licked this thing and I can bid you and your friends adieu. Can't decide which would make me happier...being rid of the virus, or being rid of you.  Hmmmmmmm.

[myka]

if anyone had the mindless energy to piece together susan's story it would all come up phony as she is. oh i am sorry miss susan, i shouldn't speak as though you aren't here. with your adoring husband and all, how do you find the time to grace us with your words?

[Tallblonde]

I come here because you, my dear, aren't in the driver's seat of this bus -- no matter how much your inflated ego deludes you into thinking you are.  I have the same disease as the rest of you and I have as much right to be here as anyone else.  If I leave, it will be on my terms...not because some bully like you decides to push me out along with Thanbey, Indiana, and others you don't like.

[ringeding]

hey girl...i got your e mail and responded to the new addy but it was wrong ..sooooo i do have some pics for you, actually...as heart breaking as it is my own horse as well...he is an incredible dressage prospect(and has basic dressage training) and an excellent hunter jumper, 16.2, 8 yrs old..sadly must sell...e me with another address to respond to and i'll forward all info on...but the new work addy you just sent doesn't work...maybe you copied it down wrong???? anyway, you have mine...i'll wait to hear from you...hope you are well

everyone else...hope all are well i will leave my 18 cents out of the booze debate but will say, that cuteus' opinion is closest to mine...

hugs all
kimmy

p.s. sorry for the non hep related stuff here...oh...well....actually....IT IS HEP RELATED...if it wasn't for the illness i wouldn't be looking at selling my wonderful magnifigant horse...

cheers!

[annainitaly]

hey cali,

what's the matter with your arm???

[ringeding]

just sent everything to your yahoo account.....the old one that you forgot your password for hahahaha

hugs

[Califia]

An accident at the end of a long exhausting tree-trimming session:  I fell out of a tipping trash can and broke the radius bone in my right hand and sprained all of the fingers.  (The really bad news is that I'm right-handed.)  This is the sort of  mishap that occurs when you're already wobbly on treatment.  Usually, you see, I am as agile as a cat.   Now I am REALLY humbled:  can't work, drive, cook, bathe without a lot of difficulty,  inject myself, etc.   As we say here, when it rains, it pours!   I appreciate your concern, as this is really testing my endurance.   Will be comical  in the aftermath--which can't get here soon enough, I tell you.  I'll be in a  cast for 7-8 weeks.   And you?  I hope to hear you are thriving.  Ciao, bella!

[myka]

you have been entertaining us for months now. you have also been claiming to get lost for months. you keep coming back to humor us. what's your real story susan? you can tell us. it is all anonymous anyway. what do you have to lose? confess.

[new-sojourn]

I think tall blond is kinda interesting and kinda amusing.  She tried so hard not to have the disease b/has hep c on the brain none the less.
   In fact Susan, I read that a gamma globan sp? shot, given to stave off hep a and b and blood type issues, can transmit hep c if received before 1993 or when ever the blood supply was cleaned up.  I thought of you.  maybe that's how you got it.

[annainitaly]

califia, I can't believe it, I'm SO sorry !!!  

I know how you are feeling because I had a cast on my RIGHT arm too, some years ago, it's horrible. but you CAN cook, you CAN do almost everything. I used to wrap my cast with kitchen film to have a shower, it works very well if you use it generously and turn it under the edge. and of course, one must cook only simple things. the worst must be the impossibility of driving, I hope you have somebody to help you with the shopping. and you CAN do injections, of course it's more difficult but you can.
7 - 8 weeks sounds a loooong time, but it will pass: use it for doing something nice, read that book you always wanted to. or just get a plane and drop here, I'll cook for you. I'm serious (but I warn you, there are better cooks than I, around here!!!).

me? I'm at half way of the time to get rid of that horrible prednisone. I still have my ears ringing, vertigo and some swelling, but knowing it's all temporary makes everything easier.thanks for asking, cali. hold on. and let me know about that plane.
anna

[annainitaly]

tallblonde it's nine A.M. here, and I'm drinking your red tea. I'm happy you are around.

rev, I'm happy you are around too, I consider you smart and well informed etc. but the atmosphere here has become heavy and I'd appreciate if we all would try to ease it up now. many things have been said and clarified, maybe it's enough.

(or is it my own problem?)
anna

[Amerabrit]

At the risk of sounding extreme, I'd sy you need to change your Doctor..
We all know alcohol harms the liver.  I just don't understand why anyone would put themselves through this often brutal tx and not do eveything in their power to give themselves the best odds possible to attain SVR?  HCV loves alcohol, stress and fat!  Call me dense, but what else is there to know?
Best of luck to you.

[Amerabrit]

You are a very forgiving woman and i thank you:)
I will go check my email now, I wrote down my password and stuck it on my bulletin board for all to see.  Then if I forget it again someone else can remind me - oh, the joys of privacy:)
So sorry your horse is up for sale... I'll take it to email.
Hugs to you, girlfriend:)

[cuteus]

I don't like some of the things said by some people here, just as the opposite is true of my posts  as read by some,and I detest cruel personal attacks, I'm all for addressing the message but not by shooting the messenger.
I'm with Anna on this one. on easing off. This time it was not started by something TB said...
come on ease on down,....

[Ella Mackenzie]

My doctor said no alcohol AT ALL. Even before I went on the treatment, I was told not to drink anything, ever, not even on the holidays. It is probably the worst thing we could do to our liver besides drinking a bucket of pure fat on a daily basis.

[Califia]

Half way through prednisone detox...bravo!    I remember what my poor mother went through wth prednisone.  It is a kind of disfigurement, both physical and emotional.  But indeed, as you say, the end is now in sight.

And with the passage of a little time, I know that I, too, will be more functional.  It is just 7 days since the accident, and the inflammation and bone pain are still intense.  I wonder how interferon, ribavirin and the bone marrow stimulant are affecting the healing process....I know it can't help.

As for your kind invitation,  I accept with enthusiasm--really!  In the meantime, during this period of confinement, maybe I should be reading Il Purgatorio?  :)

[jevs2]

Pure fat in a bucket, yum yum!

[annainitaly]

cali, it's wonderful !!!!!

il purgatorio sounds pretty symbolic,yeah.  
write to me at trillian-***@****
looking forward for your visit.
p.s. conditio sine qua non: you MUST NOT be allergic to cats and mess.

[annainitaly]

yes scott I understand,

there ARE things that were said during the little time I've spent around here, that struck me as not sensitive or offending, or simply meaningless or wrong. but the problem, in my experience, is solved more effectively if personal attacks are not part of the debate. facts are the problem, not persons. now it seems that such things that have recently triggered some strong dynamics here are not happening any more, from my limited perception. this, in my opinion, is what was important. perpetuating personal attacks means never getting out of the conflict. of course, I don't mean that one must become a friend of that person - but rather, keeping out of the picture what is not essential.

this has become a part of my practice, as much as I can. it's not  dictated by religious beliefs, which I don't nourish, although it fits well with some. I just believe that conflicts (either large or small) are NOT what we need.

as for me, I am doing *rather* fine. listening to music, caring my cats, looking forward for the winter to pass (it has hardly begun here, he he he...). thanks for asking. hope you are doing well too.
anna

[Califia]

That it did, very effectively.  Just to bring this thread full circle,  I have proven -- scientifically, of course -- that you don't have to be a drunk to fall down like one.  :)     But you know, my liver's feeling great.

Hey, bartender, SVR for the whole house!  I'm buying!























  
  

[Amerabrit]

Well the only upside I can see to your post was that the arm must have taken your mind off HCV for a while:)  Seriously, I wish you prompt, correct healing and of course, SVR.  Be well.

[Amerabrit]

:)