Hepsera for Hepatitis?

I am travelling in a remote part of India at the moment where I do not have access to a trusted physician. I made the mistake of taking some sugarcane juice on the roadside in the monsoon season and now I am starting to show symptoms of Hepatitis(extreme weakness,fever,inability to digest food,pain between the ribs).  A friend has told me that Hepsera is the best thing to take for this. I know I can get it sent to my hotel directly and inexpensively by ordering online from www.westcoastdrugs.com, but has anyone in the forum had experience of hepsera? Is it as good as I have been told?  

[stevenNYer]

I think your friend is wrong because if you indeed have hepatitis, it would likely be Hepatitis A which is from bad food.  Hepsera is used for Hepatitis B, which is a completely different virus and you don't get it from bad food.  HepA normally goes away by itself with rest.  Why didn't you get vaccinated for HepA and HepB before your trip, especially to a high risk country?  Anyway, hope you feel better and take care.  

[Bill1954]

Boy, it’s hard to even know where to start. Please don’t self-diagnose and treat for hepatitis. The antiviral meds are powerful drugs, and the patient needs to be monitored constantly during treatment. I know very little about HBV, being a Hep C patient myself. I can tell you that at a minimum, you need laboratory confirmation of Hep B infection. This will include serology for the presence of antibodies, liver function tests, and HBV DNA assay if deemed necessary. Hepsera and all HBV oral antiviral meds are associated with resistance issues. It can also cause serious kidney problems, aggravate existing liver problems, induce lactic acidosis, etc.

Oral transmission of Hepatitis B is a possible, but unlikely scenario; Hep A is more likely the culprit for food vectored hepatitis illness. The point I’m trying to make is you’re going to be much better off making an appointment with a doctor in India than trying to deal with this yourself over the internet. Hepatitis is considered endemic on the Indian subcontinent- the doctors there will be more than adequate to help you manage this disease, assuming you indeed have contracted it.

In short, get help. I’ve flagged some members here that are knowledgeable about HBV- maybe they will stop by with further info.

Take care,

Bill

[tulips27]

Please dont diagnose youself as already stated.  Hepsera is uuse for HepB... Anti-viral drugs are very powerful...Hope you can get to a physician real soon.
Lots of luck

[nygirl7]

If you can find an internet cafe to hook up to can't you find a doctor to do a simple blood test?

Guessing what you might have and then taking medication for something that you aren't even sure if you have is not the smartest move to me.  

Find out what you have before you even think about taking ANYTHING.

[jmjm530]

If you think your condition is serious enough to start taking drugs like "Hepsera", then it's serious enough to alter your travel plans and find yourself an experienced liver specialist (hepatologist) who can give you a proper examination and diagnosis. I'm sure your friend is well meaning but self-treatment is a bad idea if you have the right drug for the right condition, but in your case you don't even know what you have.

All the best,

-- Jim

[FlGuy]

From the Hespera web site:  

Hepsera® (adefovir dipivoxil) is a prescription medicine used to treat chronic infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) in adults

HBV is not transmitted casually and cannot be spread through sneezing, coughing, hugging or food or water.  

Therefore, if your guess is HBV  it's not the juice.  And hespera is by prescription.