Stef, others, I just got Hepatitistechnologies products!

[Dimidine]

Hi Stef, others,

Your advice to me here since I came across this forum when I was diagnosed of Hep B in Oct 2009 has been immense and has highly enlightened me about this Chronic Hep B.

As advised by you on this forum recently, I got in touch with Hepatitiestechnologies through my friend in USA(I live in Nigeria) and got the drugs(all 4 of them) I received it 3 days ago and I have started using it already, albeit started with a low dose of 1 per meal, morning and night daily and graduating to higher doses.

Now, pls enlighten me on these drugs.

My latest USS shows enlarged liver, but normal architecture and others.

Also, the pain which has started mildly since Feb 2010 has become a little more discomforting in recent weeks.

Can these products assist in bringing down, if not eliminate, the enlargement and attendant pains?

Also for your comment, my viral loads have been coming down without any therapy or anti-viral before.
May 2010 - 3,500 IU/ml
Dec 2010 - 2,500 IU/ml
June 2011 -  992 IU/ml

Also, my latest ALT which peaked at 46 November last year, has been coming down with every test I did this year

July 2011  - 19
June 2011 - 22
April 2011 -  22
Feb 2011  -  27
Jan 2011  -  36
Nov 2011 - 43
prior - lower than 30

Also, for the first time I did Hbsag quantification and the result is 5,700(I don't know the unit of measurement), but it's said to be high.

Please advise on my case

[stef2011]

So, did you live with that discomfort after stopping or you resumed the drugs and the discomfort disappeared again?

i felt very weak and restarted them after 3 weeks without.

Or can I continue forever to avoid the effects(discomfort) of stopping?
if you notice you feel much better just keep taking them, the improvment is for all the organs especially from fibroguard

[Dimidine]

So, did you live with that discomfort after stopping or you resumed the drugs and the discomfort disappeared again?

I want to know how to manage the effects of stopping? Will the discomforts go itself or will I have to resume another round of Heptech? Or can I continue forever to avoid the effects(discomfort) of stopping?

[Dimidine]

So, did you live with that discomfort after stopping or you resumed the drugs and the discomfort disappeared again?

I want to know how to manage the effects of stopping? Will the discomforts go itself or will I have to resume another round of Heptech? Or can I continue forever to avoid the effects(discomfort) of stopping?

[stef2011]

when i stopped i felt bad i mean very weak and general disconfort like less energy, slower movments, foggy brain and so on.
so i guess it wont be resume of liver pain since inflammation require a lot of time to resume but a general disconfort

[Dimidine]

Thanks very much. I can afford the drugs. I have bought one set(one month dose already). $300 is not too much, especially since no amount of money will be able to help again if it gets out of hand. I dont mind cutting my expenditure in less relevant activities for my health.

Thanks for that. I will watch out.

Meanwhile, when you said, after stopping the drugs for 1 to 2 months, the pains may resume.
Does that mean that after the trial period, I will have to continue the drugs for life, since stopping means resuming of the pains/inflammation?

[stef2011]

HBV DNA 992 IU
Hbsag - 5,700
ALT - 19

well these are very good baseline results anyway, you should see liver to reach normal size (this might reflect low inflammation) and no more pain around liver area

another sign is you wont feel the pain and feeling much better than before, n easy way to see if take for 1-2 months and then stop suddenly this way you are able to feel the difference

your situation might be no damage and just enlarged liver because of inflammation or f2-f3 firbosis, in both situations heptech products are active...in the first case they will prevent fibrosisliver damage in the second they will regress that

if the products are expensive for you it is better to know the real liver damage, if you can afford them easily they can do only good to your health

[Dimidine]

Hi Stef,
Pls how do I measure the working of Heptech products I just started using:

I have not done any fibroscan because it is not available in Nigeria here, but pre-use of HepTech, I have these information:

Liver size - Enlarged, 16.6 cm
Pains( higher than mild) in the abdominal regions
HBV DNA 992 IU
Hbsag - 5,700
ALT - 19


What and what is expected to change if HepTech works for me? In other words, how do I know it works for me?

Thanks

[Dimidine]

Hi Stef,
Pls how do I measure the working of Heptech products I just started using:

I have not done any fibroscan because it is not available in Nigeria here, but pre-use of HepTech, I have these information:

Liver size - Enlarged, 16.6 cm
Pains( higher than mild) in the abdominal regions
HBV DNA 992 IU
Hbsag - 5,700
ALT - 19


What and what is expected to change if HepTech works for me? In other words, how do I know it works for me?

Thanks

[stef2011]

Statin and Diabetes Drug Show Activity against Hepatitis B V…

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(text/plain)


Author: [email protected]
Date: 2009-12-04 14:54 +100
To: hbv_research
Subject: Statin and Diabetes Drug Show Activity against Hepatitis B Virus in Laboratory Studies


HIV and Hepatitis.com Coverage of the
60th Annual Meeting of the American Association
for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD 2009)
October 30 - November 3, 2009, Boston, MA

Statin and Diabetes Drug Show Activity against Hepatitis B Virus in Laboratory Studies

SUMMARY: Simvastatin (Zocor), a medication used to lower blood cholesterol, had a synergistic effect against hepatitis B virus (HBV) when combined with antiviral drugs in a laboratory study, researchers reported last month at the 60th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD 2009) in Boston. In another study, the diabetes drug rosiglitazone also demonstrated in vitro activity against HBV.


By Liz Highleyman
Typically, drugs studied for hepatitis B treatment were designed or selected for their antiviral activity, but researchers sometimes also test other types of commonly used agents.
Simvastatin
In the first study, investigators from the University of Oklahoma and Georgetown University Medical Center looked at interactions between simvastatin -- which is widely used to manage elevated cholesterol -- and the nucleoside/nucleotide anti-HBV drugs lamivudine (Epivir-HBV), adefovir (Hepsera), entecavir (Baraclude), and tenofovir (Viread).
Combinations of these agents were tested in a laboratory study using cultures of 2.2.15 cells. The combinations were designed to deliver equipotent (equal potency), though not equimolar, concentrations of each agent, based on the EC90 (90% effective concentration) of the drugs when used as monotherapy.
The researchers found that simvastatin interacted favorably overall with all 4 anti-HBV drugs, especially at dose ratios that resemble combinations likely to be used clinically. As the relative concentration of simvastatin increased to an excessive level, however, the favorability of the interactions progressively decreased.
Simvastatin demonstrated approximately equal degrees of synergy with tenofovir (3:1) and adefovir (10:1), and the highest degree with the 300:1 combination of simvastatin plus entecavir; interactions with lamivudine (100:1) were the least favorable. In all combinations, the addition of the nucleoside/nucleotide agents did not increase the cytotoxicity (propensity to damage cells) of simvastatin.
Rosiglitazone
In the second study, researchers from Tohoku University School of Medicine in Sendai, Japan, evaluated the suppressive effect on HBV replication of bezafibrate, used to treat elevated blood lipids, and rosiglitazone (Avandia), used to manage diabetes.
Prior research has indicated that peroxisome proliferator activated receptors (PPARs) -- which play a role in glucose and lipid metabolism -- may also influence immune response against viruses; therefore, agents that activate PPARs may stimulate this response.
In this laboratory study, the investigators assessed the effects and toxicity of bezafibrate (a PPAR-alpha agonist) and rosiglitazone (a PPAR-gamma agonist) added (24 hours later) to cultures of HepG2 cells infected with a genotype HBV genome with no mutations in the core promotor or precore regions.
The 50% cytotoxicity concentration of rosiglitazone was almost 150 mcM and that of bezafibrate was almost 250 mcM; lamivudine demonstrated no cytotoxicity at concentrations less than 1 mcM.
HBV DNA levels decreased when the bezafibrate concentration was greater than 200 mcM, but at this level it had considerable cytotoxicity. In contrast, rosiglitazone decreased HBV DNA at 5 mcM with no cytotoxicity. On this basis, the EC50 (50% effective concentration) of rosiglitazone was calculated as 9.8 mcM. Rosiglitazone also suppressed replication of HBV strains with core promoter and/or precore mutations in addition to the wild type strain.
"In this study, it was suggested that the replication of HBV was inhibited by rosiglitazone," the researchers concluded. "The mechanism is uncertain and is being investigated now."
12/4/09


References
T Bader, B Korba, and M Bronze. Simvastatin has significant antiviral synergism in vitro with anti-HBV drugs. 60th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD 2009). Boston. October 30-November 1, 2009. Abstract 408.
Y Wakui, J Inoue, Y Ueno, and others. Rosiglitazone suppresses the replication of hepatitis B virus in HepG2 cells. 60th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD 2009). Boston. October 30-November 1, 2009. Abstract 444.

[stef2011]

"Cholestatic hepatitis, hepatic cirrhosis, rhabdomyolysis and myositis have been reported in patients receiving the drug chronically"
I got the above quote from my wikipedia search on Simvastatin: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simvastatin

that's all ******** to stop the use of simvastatin because it is too cheap and generic now.sim has shown to cure end stage cirrhosis with portal hypertension and to prevent liver cancer...quite the opposite.
they just used very rare cases of people that never checked alt and got these severe diseases, actually it is not even proven it was sim to do that, but in any case if you fall among the extremely rare cases where there is an alt rise you have to rethink use of sim.the rise of alt is not even proven to be liver damage....see liver specialists and researchers report (the other claims were by ignorants on liver)

Statins Are "Remarkably Safe," Says New Review

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Author: [email protected]
Date: 2007-06-20 08:12 +200
Subject: Statins Are "Remarkably Safe," Says New Review
Statins Are "Remarkably Safe," Says New Review CME/CE
News Author: Sue Hughes
CME Author: Laurie Barclay, MD
Disclosures

Release Date: June 11, 2007

from Heartwire ? a professional news service of WebMD

June 11, 2007 ? A new review of the safety of statins has concluded that
these drugs are well tolerated, with their main adverse effects ? myopathy
and rhabdomyolysis ? occurring very rarely at standard doses.

"With a few caveats and while awaiting good quality randomized data for the
newer drugs, statins seem to be a remarkably safe group of drugs when used
at their usual doses," the author, Dr Jane Armitage (University of Oxford,
UK), concludes.

The review, published online in The Lancet on June 7, includes all papers
published between 1985 and 2006 on the safety, efficacy, and side effects of
statins. Armitage notes that since statins were first approved in 1987,
their ability to reduce the risks of vascular death, non-fatal MI, stroke,
and the need for arterial revascularization has been shown by several large,
high-quality randomized trials. But she adds that hopes that statins might
protect against fractures, dementia and macular degeneration have not been
supported by evidence from randomized trials.

Myopathy
Armitage says the only well-documented, consistent adverse effects
associated with statins are muscle toxicity, including myopathy and
rhabdomyolysis, and effects on liver enzymes. She states that all statins
occasionally cause myopathy which could progress to rhabdomyolysis but she
estimates that myopathy occurs in fewer than one in 10,000 patients at
standard doses of statins; and while the risk increases with higher statin
doses, it remains very low with atorvastatin 80 mg. Myopathy or
rhabdomyolysis are usually reported in association with concomitant use of
interacting drugs (especially fibrates), the review notes, adding that this
side-effect is most likely to occur within a few months of starting statin
treatment, or of increasing the dose, although some cases have been reported
even after some years of apparently stable statin treatment, usually as the
result of starting an interacting drug.

Armitage points out that muscle pain is common in middle-aged patients (and
often believed to be due to the drug because of product warnings), but is,
nevertheless, unlikely to be due to statin treatment. Measurement of
creatine kinase in such patients can exclude myopathy and allow safe
continuation of treatment, she says. Importantly, any risks of myopathy and
rhabdomyolysis can be kept to a minimum by knowledge of potential drug
interactions and the vulnerability of particular groups of patients, she
adds.

Transaminase Increases
The review reports that a small percentage of patients taking statins
experience an increase in liver enzymes (in particular, alanine and
aspartate transaminases), generally seen in the first 6 months of treatment.
These are asymptomatic, are reversible on stopping the statin treatment or
with dose reduction, and there is no convincing evidence from the statin
trials that increases in either transaminase are associated with liver
damage, Armitage writes. She adds that the effect on transaminases seems to
be dose dependent, and effects on other liver enzymes and bilirubin also
emerge with higher doses, but unlike with myopathy, the effects might be
because of a greater fall in LDL cholesterol. But even at high doses, these
liver enzyme increases have not been associated with hepatitis or liver
failure.

She notes that routine monitoring of liver function after starting statin
treatment is no longer recommended for simvastatin, pravastatin, or
lovastatin up to 40 mg daily, but remains recommended for the other statins
and higher doses. If transaminases are more than three times the upper limit
of normal in an asymptomatic patient with no other liver abnormalities, the
enzymes should be checked within a week and statin treatment stopped
temporarily if alanine transaminase is still at this level. Increases to
between two to three times the upper limit of normal in an asymptomatic
patient necessitate monitoring, but will often resolve while on treatment.

The review also examines the safety of statins in several vulnerable groups.
It says that no adjustment of dosage is needed for the elderly, since people
aged up to 80 years were recruited in the various trials, but that the very
elderly may be at increased risk of myopathy. It also reports that there is
no evidence to suggest people consuming excess alcohol are at greater risk
of side effects from statin use, although many such people were excluded
from statin trials. Warfarin users may need to adjust the amount of the
anticoagulant when statin treatment begins and again when it ends, it adds.

Lancet. Published online June 7, 2007.

[stef2011]

What's the commercial drug name for simvastatin? Is it something I can walk into any good pharnacy and purchase?

it has thouzands of generics, just choose the cheapest with simvastatin content 40mg, try this dose and if no sides increase to 80mg
sim can make muscles pains because it depletes coq10, if this happens you can use coq10 (a vitamin antioxidants contained in muscels, liver, kidneys) at 200mg a day, if no sides you can save this money

Is it something I can walk into any good pharnacy and purchase?
yes

[4est]

Hi Stef, Hi  Dimidine,

sorry that I step in your discussion, but i want to ask Stef some more details regarding cholesterol and vitamin D.

You say that the latest news say that low cholesterol and high vitamin D make HBV weak and improve liver healty, and I wnat to ask you a link or some information were I can read this news (studys).

(I'm also a HBV carrier, recently diagnostic, and now I'm looking for the latest news )

Thank you!

[Dimidine]

"Cholestatic hepatitis, hepatic cirrhosis, rhabdomyolysis and myositis have been reported in patients receiving the drug chronically"

I got the above quote from my wikipedia search on Simvastatin: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simvastatin

I'm curious for your enlightenment on the above statement, as if I get it right, doesn't it mean that Simvastatiin itself can cause hepatic Cirrhosis?

[Dimidine]

Many thanks. Your enlightenment here has, as usual, been immeasurably helpful.
I wouldn't have known anything as HepTech if not for you in this forum. Now I have them in my bag, having shipped from USA, and praying it works for me as it has been working for people.

Also, I will look for simvastatin and vitamin d, as advised.

What's the commercial drug name for simvastatin? Is it something I can walk into any good pharnacy and purchase?

[stef2011]

hbsag itself is harmless, it cannot even infect, it is used by hbv to block immune system.my hbsag has ranged from min 2200iu/ml to max 7000iu/ml, entecavir and hbvdna undetactable made it as high as 7000iu/ml

it goes up and dwon ebtween 5000-6000iu/ml, last check in march and new check in august to see if gcmaf made it low/und

HepTech products can block liver fibrosis and rgress all liver damage even if you get other viruses like hdv or hcv
i guess only very advanced cirrhosis can t be reversed but only mantained

i suggested simvastatin and vitamind d sicne they might lower hbsag

[Dimidine]

Also pls, since when has your hbsag around that region?

[Dimidine]

Also, in addition to above question, can HepTech products, which i just started, help me in avoiding/slowing progression to Cirrhosis/Fibrosis, given that high Hbsag.

[Dimidine]

Thanks.

So does that mean this is how I will watch this Hbsag so high, and probably rising?

What can I do now?

Also, you said your hbsag is also about that quantity, did you watch it rise so high? Was it ever higher/lower? Or can you tell the history of your hbsag?

Also, with this high Hbsag, does this mean Fibrosis and/or Cirrhosis is inevitable to me?

What measure can I take now? I want to fight this Hep B within my means by God's grace, I don't want to take chance as I don't want to die young. I'm 29 now.

[stef2011]

Simvastatin doesn't appear available in Nigeria.

impossible, check carefully it is one of the oldest and cheapest anticholesterol drugs.simvastatin is the ingredient, not the commercial drug's name

PEGASYS

it is useless to think about it now, it has no response with hbsag so high as yours, it needs low hbsag to clear hbv
it makes also a lot of damage, it makes sense only if it clears hbv, too many sides.wait for better drugs or for interferon lambda to be available

[Dimidine]

Stef, many thanks.

Another question pls:

I'm looking at beginning anti-viral.
I have spoken with ROCHE guys in Nigeria and they are talking about what they call PEGASYS(If I get the the spelling, we spoke on phone)

Now, what do you know about this anti-viral? Simvastatin doesn't appear available in Nigeria.

[stef2011]

How do I test for this?

these are easy routine blood tests, vitamin d was tested for oseoporosis in the past but now everybody is checking it, at least in italy, since the discovery of it immune modulating properties and lipids/sugars regulation.

vitamin d is a hormone, not a vitamin, the test is vitamin d 25OH, it is measured in ng/ml or nmol/l.the ranges in the labs are uncorrect, especially for deficency, since the new levels are out from many years.
a study just confirmed that those with hbvdna undetactable have high vitamin d, the optimum levels are 50-100ng/ml

another study confirmed that cholesterol is used by virus to assemble the antigens inside cells and loss of infectivity at low intracellular cholesterol.simvastatin has been shown to be the most potent on hbv, it is thought the simvastatin changes ldl so that virus cannot use it to assemble viral antigens
while hdl, which is the part of cholesterol that lowers ldl, has been found to be antiviral against hbv, so the higher the better

the best ranges are the same for prevention of arterosclerosis or heart diseases:
tot chol <150mg/dl
ldl60mg/dl
any lab check for cholesterol and vit d

[Dimidine]

Thanks Stef.

But pardon my ignorance, can you enlighten me on this your statement:

"be sure to have serum vitamin d more than 50ng/ml and cholesterol tot less than 150, ldl less than 70 and hdl more than 60"

How do I test for this?

"please suggest other members where to get hbsag qant in nigeria, this is the most important test for cronic hbv"

I don't know whether they did it in Nigeria or sent sample to India, but the outfit is:
MECURE DIAGNOSTIC CENTRE,
OSHODI INDUSTRIAL ESTATE,
LAGOS,
NIGERIA

Also, I still have not done Fibroscan due to non-availability in Nigeria. I still don't know the level of damage, if any, till now. Although I have started using HepTech products.

[stef2011]

using simvastatin it is necessary to keep checking alt/ast before and after use of it, although extremely rare it may happen that sim increases alt/ast and if increase is too much (alt>100) it may be necessary to stop it

using vitamin d, although extremely rare it is better to check serum calcium every 3-4 month together with vitamin d 25oh, the max range of vit d is 100ng/ml

if expensive you can skip calcium and just check vit D after 6 months

[stef2011]

by the way have you checked the latest news on cholestero and vitamin d?

they are both correlating to liver damage and to hbv life cycle, they are not able to clear hbv but a low chol and high vit d makes hbv very weak and liver much more healthy