drugs and treatment

[IVY50]

My husband has Hepatitis C and cirrhosis.  He will be getting his first shot today.  He has been taking huge amounts of Xanax as well as street drugs.  I don't know if the extreme confusion is the drugs or encephalopathy.  Does anyone take other drugs with this treatment?  I'm upset because of the cost of the treatment, I expect him for once in his life to try.  Handfulls of Xanax along with the treatment don't seem smart.

[Revenire]

I don't know what sort of street drugs he takes but I take Xanax to deal with the anxiety of tx. I opted for that instead of an SSRI, and my doctor said many people treating use Xanax to 'take the edge off' of the tx drugs.

I fear the other drugs he is taking could be harming his already stressed liver. Please see your doctor and give him a list of the drugs he takes.

[mofo]

Huge amounts of xanax and street drugs? I'm surprised the Dr. let him treat. Tell him to buckle-up--you too, I think he just pulled a E-ticket. Just another 2 cents. I wish you both the best!

[Steve']

Wow looks like he is his worst enemy, but he is also slightly seeing the light there because he's trying the Tx

[MichaelT]

If cocaine is included in "street drugs" there is a serious problem with treatment. Coke is like miracle grow for the virus and is entirely incompatible with treatment.

With cirrhosis, many drugs that liver should be able to tolerate become a big problem. The treating physician needs to know what chemicals are going into his body.

[ral]

Look I am an ex drug addict been clean 35 years off heroin. If you want to get well from anything you have to start there. I am sorry your husband has addictions but he has to deal with these first. Just from a physical/spritual level you have to heal the soul and mind first then those will help heal the body along with the medication.

God Bless

Sincerely

ral

[DownThisRoad]

You need to contact his doctor immediately and tell him what is going on with the street drugs.  Just doesn't make sense for him to spend time treating hepC or waste the hepC meds, if he continues to damage and stress out his system.

Doing this treatment is not at all easy, and adding other drugs or drinking while doing treatment would be inappropriate and 'defeating the purpose'.

Maybe, talk to his doctor first by yourself and then the three of you have a sit down together.

[Galen]

I would be shocked if his doctor knew that he is doing street drugs.  There is not a chance that he would have rx'd tx if he had.  Tx is extrordinarily difficult without drug addictions and is known to influence former drug abusers to relapse.

[minneapolis]

i think the key in the comment is "huge amounts". wonder how much that is? i used .25 xanax until it became news with the pres daughter, then the dr switched me to ativan. i prefer the xanax..............i think...........lynn

[BobK]

Contacting your husbands doctor and "telling" on him while on first appearence may seem like the thing to do...DON'T!!  Your husband will only feel betrayed (rightly so)and this could lead to serious relationship problems.  While I can understand you wanting your husband to have the best chance he can while on treatment it is up to him to make any changes or tell the doctor information about his lifestyle.

Best thing to do is talk to your husband about it and present him with some good reference information if he is willing to look at it. If he won't listen to reason then telling the doc won't make any difference.

The relationship between your hubby and his doctor is theirs and you are only a bystander who is being allowed in to some extent.  Going behind hubby's back and disclosing information he does not want disclosed will lead to many problems...IMHO that is!!

best of luck,
BobK

[BobK]

To hasty in hitting post key.  on the projects in knowledge website there is a tx reporter on treating substance abusers and the pitfalls and successes of doing so.

http://www.projectsinknowledge.com

you'll have to look around at the list of available Tx REporters since I can't remember the exact location...gotta run

BobK

[Jim55]

LISTEN TO WHAT BobK TOLD YOU!!!! Even though you husband is killing himself, your telling his doc would only make things worse. It could rob him of his only chance of survival because the doc WILL stop his Tx. You need to work on you husband, and try to find out why he is wanting to live in such a haze. Is he afraid of life in the natual state or is he taking drugs to be in with his friends. If the latter is true then you should try to get rid of those people cuz they are not friends. If he is hiding from reality the get him to a shrink but don't mention that he is on Tx or the two docs will talk and Tx will end.

Tell your hubby how much he means to you and what life will be like without him. Make him understand how you feel.

God Bless and Good Luck