Weightloss Before treatment

My husband was diagnosed with Hep C in January of 2007.  He also was diagnosed with bladder cancer at the same time which is no longer there.  My husbands Hep Doctor said that he will have to wait until he looses 25 lbs to start treatment. The doctor also said that it will increase his chances of being cured by 35 percent I believe. My husband has lost 15 of the 25 lbs and I'm getting concerned about the ongoing damage that may be occuring while he's trying to loose weight. He's not a huge guy.  He weighs 210 lbs right now and he's 6'0'.  He was told he's at stage 3. He was also told that Hep C is slow.  He has not symptoms that we are aware of.
Have you heard of anyone having to wait for treatment at 225 lbs?
By the way? What is tx?  I'm so new to all of this.  Thanks, Janet

[r4c7]

A very interesting post.  It is 'generally' true that patients that are over 85 kg, 187 pounds, can be a bit more difficult to treat with current therapy doses, typically 180 mcg/week for Pegasys, 1200 mcg/day for Copegus.  So the doc may have a point on this.  However, I started treatment at 225 pounds and cleared early.  So how one reacts to the drugs can be a gray area.  It may be fine that your husband starts at his current weight, or it may be an issue.

As far as disease progression, generally its slow.  But since your husband is stage 3 it would be wiser for him to treat fairly soon.  There are a number of inferons and ribavirins available.  Typically if person is genotype 1, there looking at 48 weeks treatment duration, whereas, a genotype 2 would typically have a 24 week regimen.  Incidentally, a good book to read to become more informed about hepatitis c generally is the book entitled, LIVING WITH HEPATITIS C, BY GREGORY T. EVERSON, M.D.  Dr. Everson is a hepatologist in Denver.  I have found his book to be quite informative.

Another caveat is that there are several more effective treatments currently in clinical trial.  It may be that your husband may want to assess waiting for the drug Telepravir, which has indicated quite a bit of promise in terms of achieving an undetectible response sooner and shortening the duration of treatment by approximately half for genotype 1 patients.  I understand there are also some clinical trials upcoming with Telepravir that your husband might be able to participate in.

Another thing I would do is stay close to this board.  Although no one here is a hepatologist, there is certainly a lot to be gained by those who have experienced the rigors of treatment.    

Let me leave you with a bit of hope.  When I first spoke to a hepatologist about hepatitis C, he indicated that at one time hepatitis C was a death sentence.  This is simply no longer true.  Many people are being cured with standard therapies, and the new drugs are only getting better.  So I would be quite hopeful about your husband's situation, and by the very fact he is under the watch of a hepatologist, his chances of being cured of hepatitis C are probably quite good.

[copyman]

there are much heavier people treating then your husbands weight. the key is to treat with weight based drugs especially the ribavirin. 1400mcg per day would be the dose for your husband at 210 lbs. best of luck

[jmjm530]

Go with your doctor's advice. The time lost  it will take your husband to lose another ten pounds should more than offset any additional liver damage he might have in what should be a very short time period. Even assuming only 1 pound loss a week, that's only ten weeks and it may possible give him a better chance of being cured. And, yes, I have heard similar with doctors telling their patients to lose weight before treating. Think of it as him getting down to "fighting" weight, i.e. the best weight to fight the virus.
"tx" means treatment.

-- Jim

[Pinksmything]

Thanks everyone!  I REALLY appreciate your posts!  They have helped me understand even more than the weightloss issue/question!  Mind if I add you as friends?  I may have a question or two as time goes on.  :)

[mars8790]

My doctor also had me lose weight prior to beginning treatment. I'm now having my 3rd shot tonite, so I can't tell you if it's been beneficial yet.