vicodin and alcohol risks while living with hep C

i have hepatitis c and currently have been perscribed vicodin for pain and although i shouldent be drinking i am powerless over it, what risks am i facing if i keep this up? Also is there a safe amout of vicodin and alcohol you can consume with having hep C?

[desrt]

They say admitting you're powerless over alcohol is a good first step.

I wouldn't worry too much about the vicodin, unless you're powerless over that too. Check how much acetaminophen it's compounded with and try to keep it under 2000 mg a day.

[AnotherJourney]

There are no absolute certainties on our journey through life But I can say with absolute certainty that the worst risk you are facing if you keep this up is death.  But then you are facing that risk no matter what you do.... the question is do you want to be proactive in keeping the grim reaper at bay? If you do, then reach out for help. Many people who have been powerless over addiction have succeeded in recovery. That could be you too!

[Trinity4]

Sounds like a real problem.  There is no safe amount when alcohol, narcotics and hepc are involved.  It's just that simple.  You may get away with it for a period of time and you may find a way to justify it but at some point you will pay dearly and if your liver has extensive damage it may be sooner than you think.   Please try to get some help before it's too late.
Trinity

[R Glass]

Considering your age, you may think you are invincible. I know I did at 27. Your mood says you’re worried, that is a good sign because you should be. Dying of liver failure is a horrible death. I advise you to research and learn as much as you can about HCV. It is a slow moving virus, providing you take care of your self. Your liver is taking enough abuse fighting it. If you add alcohol and drug abuse into the mix, you’re accelerating the wear and tear. There will be new treatment out soon so you may have time to wait, providing you take care of your liver.

[Max60]

You are NOT powerless over the first drink, although you may be powerless over 2 through infinity.

Alcohol is highly destructive to a hep damaged liver. We fossils remember many alcoholics dying of esophageal hemorrhaging before banding was developed to treat varicose veins. Alcoholic cirrhosis is virtually identical to hep induced cirrhosis.

I have friends who were prescribed vicodin to alleviate symptoms of tx. Apparently their doctors don't consider it harmful.

In case I was unclear, please understand that drinking with hep C is suicide.

[IAmTheWalrus]

The narcotic in Vicodin (hydrocodone) is not going to hurt your liver, but too much acetominophen, with which it is compounded in Vicodin, can actually cause acute liver failure all on its own. Taking Vicodin as prescribed is probably not a big risk. If you are abusing it, then the large doses of acetominophen associated with abuse can be very dangerous.

Of course. alcohol in any significant amount is a serious threat to any liver that is already fighting hepatitis c. You have to get control of this if you want to live. You are young and have a good expectation of not having to treat the HCV until the better treatments now being studied are available. Not everyone has this option. But to take advantage of that you MUST take care of your liver. I agree with Max, drinking with HCV is suicide.

Good luck,
Brent

[pjhep80]

what risks are you facing if you keep it up???

DEATH

sorry dude you asked

[joannatsf]

You may be able to get away with drinking for a long time.  But eventually it will catch up with you and in a big way.  If you give it up you may live a long life without any symptoms of liver disease.  Continue the drinking and I can promise you, you aren't going to like the consequences.

[fretboard]

Both can be harmful, depending on what you've been thru already and where you're going to from here on out.  If you want to stay safe, just don't use or drink.  good luck to you

[Jhensley]

thats lame dude, keep your smart comments to yourself :)

[Jhensley]

thanks for the imput, i switched from vicodin to vicoprofin which is hydrcodone with motrin, and i have quit drinking 3 days now, thanks agn

[pjhep80]

im sorry if the truth hurts , but i hope it made you think... its really all about QUANTITY and current stage of your liver if you are wondering about consequences... like if you are stage 4 and drinking and doing vicodin the consequences are death ... sorry

i like vicodin and alcohol just as must as the next person... and alot of other stuff too... but i know with having hep-c its pretty much a death sentence .. seeing my friend billy die from just exactly waht you are talking about, hep c, pills, and alcohol last summer  was not pretty... he was 54 ... how old are you?  

i know what it is to have drug and alcohol problems if you cant stop on your own with a DX of hep c you should get some help

[joannatsf]

You received a death sentence the moment you were born.  Most people with HCV will die of something other than liver disease.

[Trinity4]

PJ

" I like vicodin and alcohol just as must as the next person... and a lot of other stuff too... but i know with having hep-c its pretty much a death sentence."

Joanna

'You received a death sentence the moment you were born.  Most people with HCV will die of something other than liver disease.'  

Not most, but many.  Depends on how you live your life and how quickly the virus ravages the liver.  As the baby boomers become older we are going to see a huge increase in cirrhosis and advanced liver disease.  We are the largest group in our population to carry this virus and many have not even been diagnosed nor do they know they have advanced liver disease.


Pj hit the nail on the head.  Jhelsley asked if there was a safe amount of vicodin and alcohol and his response was accurate and to the point.  It's not about dying of something else other than liver disease it's about what the combo of alcohol and vicodon will do to you.  No one with hepc should ask what combo of alcohol and vicodin is safe?
Jhensley is young and can probably run from the grim reaper for a long time even though he's doing alcohol and vicodin. However, if I started pounding the alcohol and vicodin with my stage 3+ liver disease wouldn't take long time before I was pushing up daisies and drinking and drugging would be my demise.
  

[justme53]

"Not most, but many.  Depends on how you live your life and how quickly the virus ravages the liver.  As the baby boomers become older we are going to see a huge increase in cirrhosis and advanced liver disease.  We are the largest group in our population to carry this virus and many have not even been diagnosed nor do they know they have advanced liver disease."

I agree, Trinity. When I was first dx'd, hearing that most of us will die WITH HCV, not FROM HCV made me feel better about my odds. Now I personally think it can lead to giving a false sense of security to many in our age group. Not that adopting healthy lifestyles can't up our odds, but we just don't know enough about the progression of this disease in the baby boomer sector to make a blanket statement like this one.

Pam

[Jhensley]

im doing good i switched to a pain med with no acetominophen in it(vicoprofin) and i have not drank for going on 5 days my side is not hurting anymore so im kool, ive been drinking lots of water and green tea to flush it out , yea i was being stupid there 4 a while,. Im 27,  my father drank himself to death at the age of 44, i dont wanna be like him. What is DX of hep C? and im sorry if i was rude to you, no offense. Thank you have a good day. till next time.....................................
john

[pjhep80]

'You received a death sentence the moment you were born.'

ummm yea i know that no one lives forever .....




'Most people with HCV will die of something other than liver disease. '


ya this is true but people who drink ALOT with hep - c probably will die of it dontcha think???

im talking about people with stage3-4 liver damage ... i think stage 1-2 not so much and  its all about quantity, i mean a drink or two here and there with dinner is not like binge drinking every weekend..... not even close

my friend billy drank ALL THE TIME and chewed percs on a regular basis... from the time he was diagnosed to death was about 6 years... im guessing he was cirrotic or close to it when he found out he had it....

[pjhep80]

hey john, no problem some of us old heppers are pretty blunt lol

good luck not drinking .... it does get easier... although its easier for someone like me (46) than someone like you (27)... i know i couldnt have stopped drinking when i was 27...im glad i didnt find out i had this until i was old haha i have had it like 30 years, just found out 5 years or so ago, and i was a pretty heavy drinker/drug user my whol life im still very surprised im only stage 2 ...

yes watch that acetomi thats what messes your liver up and mixxing it with alchol makes it worse

what stage/grade are you?  fyi DX just means 'diagnosed'...