Hepatitis C Your liver and Methadone

[Greg__0]

  Could you please comment on the effects of Methadone on the liver as well as the effects of methadone on a liver with a diagnosis of Hep C.  
  Thank you very much for your time and considerate advice.

[HFHSM.D.-D.M.]

_
Dear Greg:
I appreciate your unusual question.
I spend a little time looking up whether methadone can damage the liver in general and if it can damage the liver in individuals with hepatitis C.  
I was unable to find much that suggested that methadone by itself was harmful to the liver.  There are some reports that it can “potentiate” damage to the liver from alcohol.  However, if you have hepatitis C, you’ll want to avoid alcohol because it can accelerate the damage of hepatitis C by itself.  
I don’t have any reason to believe that methadone will make hepatitis C worse or that it will dampen your response to treatment.  Moreover, at Henry Ford, we usually don’t ask our patients with hepatitis C to get off methadone because of their hepatitis C or because we feel it will dampen their response to treatment.  
I hope this information is helpful to you. If you have additional questions or concerns, I invite you to post them back to MedHelp or contact us directly at Henry Ford.  Our direct phone number is  [phone].   We have an active group of liver specialists and we have enormous interest in and experience with hepatitis C.
This response is being provided for general informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice or consultation.  Always check with your personal physician when you have a question pertaining to your health.  

[trace727]

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[Ove]

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