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Iron supplementation during treatment
Okay, I officially HATE the search function on this message board. Is it really that difficult to have the most recent posts related to your search terms come up first? GAAAHHH!
I know there were recent posts on reasons NOT to take iron during treatment. Of course I can't find the thread, though.
Comments?
I know there were recent posts on reasons NOT to take iron during treatment. Of course I can't find the thread, though.
Comments?
park in the under ground...cost isn't too bad ..usually about 16 for the time I am there.....I was there mon for full labs and then had to go back thur because she didn"t do everything they wanted...so paid 12 for parking underground and got another 30 bucks...hehe Good deal !
I got there at 9:30. You must have been the appt. that I had to work around. Just missed ya! ;)
I had no friggin idea that parking out front would set me back almost my entire stipend. $28! Ouch. I was running late and drank 2 litres of water on the way there to make sure my veins were visible. I have a horrible time with blood draws. My veins are SO buried. I couldn't park in the usual lot near the market. No way I'd have made it upstairs with all that water!
I had no friggin idea that parking out front would set me back almost my entire stipend. $28! Ouch. I was running late and drank 2 litres of water on the way there to make sure my veins were visible. I have a horrible time with blood draws. My veins are SO buried. I couldn't park in the usual lot near the market. No way I'd have made it upstairs with all that water!
Good luck with the results next week Sue....I was there thur. myself ...oh about 8;45 Am quick blood draw...and gone :)
Will
Will
Yes, thanks Will... Yours was the info I was looking for and more in Trish's above. :)
Still don't know how the trial is going. Got my week 12 blood done on Thursday and it will be back between Tues - Thurs next week. Guess I misunderstood about what I'd be told and when. Now waiting for the call... Another long week ahead! Bah!
Yes Trish, I'm in a PI trial. I'm not taking iron and won't be. The reason I asked is related to another thread where folks are talking about what Rx meds they've been prescribed for side effects. The first post said iron and I thought I'd seen something recently here regarding iron supplementation being a no-no.
I was also looking for the first-hand accounts of people who had been told not to take iron. I know there was a thread but the search function here baffles me. It never seems to return the most recent discussions first, leaving me wading through 4 year old threads.
Still don't know how the trial is going. Got my week 12 blood done on Thursday and it will be back between Tues - Thurs next week. Guess I misunderstood about what I'd be told and when. Now waiting for the call... Another long week ahead! Bah!
Yes Trish, I'm in a PI trial. I'm not taking iron and won't be. The reason I asked is related to another thread where folks are talking about what Rx meds they've been prescribed for side effects. The first post said iron and I thought I'd seen something recently here regarding iron supplementation being a no-no.
I was also looking for the first-hand accounts of people who had been told not to take iron. I know there was a thread but the search function here baffles me. It never seems to return the most recent discussions first, leaving me wading through 4 year old threads.
guess I didn"t need to state that twice hiuh?? puter has a mind of it"s own sometimes
It was the information regarding iron supplementation and viral replication being enhanced by it that I was looking for. :)
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Hey Sue...hope I addressed that for you when I stated this in my prev. post.
"On one hand excess iron is certainly not good for someone with HCV because excess has been known to enhance viral load ."
BTW..how goes the trial ?
Will
On one hand excess iron is certainly not good for someone with HCV because excess has been known to enhance viral load .
Just to keep things interesting....here's an article that suggests higher iron levels result in increased viral replication.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1034/j.1600-0676.2000.020002125.x/abstract
And here's an article that suggests iron can act as a polymerase inhibitor to the NS5A and NS5B polymerase molecules of the HCV virus:
http://www.jbc.org/content/280/10/9049.full.pdf
More to be understood, for sure......are you in a PI trial or on PI treatment?
Trish
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1034/j.1600-0676.2000.020002125.x/abstract
And here's an article that suggests iron can act as a polymerase inhibitor to the NS5A and NS5B polymerase molecules of the HCV virus:
http://www.jbc.org/content/280/10/9049.full.pdf
More to be understood, for sure......are you in a PI trial or on PI treatment?
Trish
I've seen that brought up before, that iron enhances viral replication. However, I haven't seen actual study on it. I'm not saying it's an inaccurate statement, I'm saying I haven't seen data on it. What I have seen is data that says people with HCV tend to have increased levels of iron, increased levels of iron contribute to fibrosis in the liver and increased levels of iron may have an impact on response to Interferon. That's a good reason to not add iron just because if you have HCV, to watch iron intake and to know the status of your iron levels.
Having said that, I know my doc put me on forms of iron when I went on procrit as he said my iron stores were low. They were specific products, not just iron pills from the store - Ferrous gluconate, folic acid and B12. Procrit doesn't work effectively if you have insufficient iron stores.
In your case...if your hemoglobin is low BEFORE you start treatment, then it's not hemolytic anemia. So treating with iron if low iron is the reason, is the exception for someone with HCV - and would bring up your HGB before you start a treatment that would tend to lower it, regardless if the reason is different. It's all a balancing act and individual based on circumstance, as yodennis has already commented. I'm curious to know what stage of liver disease you were at if you were found to be low in iron? Just curious on that point....
Here's a really good article - it explains the impact of iron on persons with HCV and references other articles on the potential impact of iron on response to Interferon, if you wanted to get in a little light reading. :)
Interesting stuff, I must say.
http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/40/6/834.full
Having said that, I know my doc put me on forms of iron when I went on procrit as he said my iron stores were low. They were specific products, not just iron pills from the store - Ferrous gluconate, folic acid and B12. Procrit doesn't work effectively if you have insufficient iron stores.
In your case...if your hemoglobin is low BEFORE you start treatment, then it's not hemolytic anemia. So treating with iron if low iron is the reason, is the exception for someone with HCV - and would bring up your HGB before you start a treatment that would tend to lower it, regardless if the reason is different. It's all a balancing act and individual based on circumstance, as yodennis has already commented. I'm curious to know what stage of liver disease you were at if you were found to be low in iron? Just curious on that point....
Here's a really good article - it explains the impact of iron on persons with HCV and references other articles on the potential impact of iron on response to Interferon, if you wanted to get in a little light reading. :)
Interesting stuff, I must say.
http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/40/6/834.full
Actually, thanks, I saw that. I understand how to use google. Pretty simple stuff, really.
Actually my answer did address a segment of one of your posts....("There were comments regarding the detrimental effects of taking iron during treatment no matter what the status of your liver disease is and that iron supplementation won't help with hgb anyway... ") Sometimes google serves me better than this forum when searching say "Iron and HCV replication" Here's one quick google search (Too old to bank on though!) pertinent to your original question: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10847480
It was the information regarding iron supplementation and viral replication being enhanced by it that I was looking for. :)
Indeed as a "general" rule endogenous Iron should be avoided but your doctor can do a calculation based on your Iron studies to see if supplemental Iron is needed to optimize the biological activity of the Procrit with hemolytic anemia: Another reason while quick general answers my be largely but not specifically correct for an individual. My best. d
Susan & Sue :)
Seems iron levels during tx. is a bit of a balancing act.. On one hand excess iron is certainly not good for someone with HCV because excess has been known to enhance viral load and speed progression of fibrosis .
However, without a certain level of iron in the blood it is not good as it's necessary for adequate hemoglobin as a carrier of oxygen
This is why ..sometimes when procrit is ineffective iron levels are often checked.
The Riba destroys the red cell prematurely and Procrit usually remedies this(taking supplements when treating isn"t known to) , ,however HGB. does need some amount of iron for this process to work properly.
Somewhat confusing..and a balancing act ..to be sure..
Best
Will.
Seems iron levels during tx. is a bit of a balancing act.. On one hand excess iron is certainly not good for someone with HCV because excess has been known to enhance viral load and speed progression of fibrosis .
However, without a certain level of iron in the blood it is not good as it's necessary for adequate hemoglobin as a carrier of oxygen
This is why ..sometimes when procrit is ineffective iron levels are often checked.
The Riba destroys the red cell prematurely and Procrit usually remedies this(taking supplements when treating isn"t known to) , ,however HGB. does need some amount of iron for this process to work properly.
Somewhat confusing..and a balancing act ..to be sure..
Best
Will.
Hmm, I was low on iron levels and told to start taking iron before starting treatment. Everyone in my study was told to take iron as well. My hemoglobin came up and stayed up during treatment. I was told that the iron would help replace the RBC's that the Riba destroyed. Still, I worry as to what the wisest course of action would be during treatment. Best of luck.
What Howdy was told is correct "iron supplements and/ or iron rich food s will do nothing to enhance "hemolytic anemia as the red cells are being destroyed prematurely
Procrit is the only solution or possibly dose reducing if nessecary.
Best
Will
Procrit is the only solution or possibly dose reducing if nessecary.
Best
Will
i ask about iron and was told it wouldn't do anything because the meds we are taking are cutting our red blood cells and it would take more meds (procrit) to build them back.
I think you are correct in your statement, but I also kinda remember something about iron levels being checked if procrit was not working to control hgb but don't quote me on that, getting pretty foggy in week 10
http://www.liverdisease.com/minerals_hepatitis.html
Excessive iron in the body of a liver patient can be extremely dangerous. In extreme excess, iron is toxic to the liver, and can lead to cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer. Furthermore, there is growing evidence that even mildly increased (or sometimes even normal amounts of iron) may cause or enhance the amount of injury to the liver in the presence of other liver diseases. This applies especially to people with alcoholic liver disease and chronic hepatitis C. In fact, iron overload is commonly seen in patients with alcoholic liver disease and chronic hepatitis C, and has been found to worsen prognosis, and to decrease the responsiveness to treatment. Liver scarring and liver cell damage are directly related to the iron content of the liver cell. Since a person’s body is unable to eliminate an overabundance of iron , neither iron supplements nor vitamins containing iron should be included in the diet of a person with liver disease, unless it has been determined that there is an iron deficiency.
Excessive iron in the body of a liver patient can be extremely dangerous. In extreme excess, iron is toxic to the liver, and can lead to cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer. Furthermore, there is growing evidence that even mildly increased (or sometimes even normal amounts of iron) may cause or enhance the amount of injury to the liver in the presence of other liver diseases. This applies especially to people with alcoholic liver disease and chronic hepatitis C. In fact, iron overload is commonly seen in patients with alcoholic liver disease and chronic hepatitis C, and has been found to worsen prognosis, and to decrease the responsiveness to treatment. Liver scarring and liver cell damage are directly related to the iron content of the liver cell. Since a person’s body is unable to eliminate an overabundance of iron , neither iron supplements nor vitamins containing iron should be included in the diet of a person with liver disease, unless it has been determined that there is an iron deficiency.
There were comments regarding the detrimental effects of taking iron during treatment no matter what the status of your liver disease is and that iron supplementation won't help with hgb anyway...
I hope I've got that right.
If I could find the thread, I wouldn't have to guess. ;) Haha...
I hope I've got that right.
If I could find the thread, I wouldn't have to guess. ;) Haha...
My heptalogist said too much iron by itself, can cause cirrhosis.
Don't take it unless you've had labs showing low iron and your doctor recommends it.
Don't take it unless you've had labs showing low iron and your doctor recommends it.
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