Hepatitis

[RWONE]

Have hep c---doc trying to convince me to take Pegintron/ribavirin  (interferon)
I know there is a lot of side effects.....My genotype is 1A....Liver in stage 1...
feel no down sides to the virus....6 months ago ALT was 54 now 109--AST was
71 now 103.....ALB from 3.8 to 4.4---As you can see it appears that all the signs
are going up.    Would like to do some other type treatment instead----Does anyone have any suggestions?

[Trish77]

More details here on drugs in the pipeline also.  Lots to read.  Make coffee first and settle in for a read.  Good for your liver. :)

http://www.hivandhepatitis.com/hep_c/hepc_news_alter.html

Clinical trials going on are posted at clinicaltrials.gov - use HCV as search criteria and you can narrow it down from there.

The key is to get educated and keep an eye on how you're doing.  Understand what treatment involves and what's coming along so that you can make good decisions for yourself.  Good that along with a recent diagnosis, you are early stage.  Good luck with this.

Trish

[Mary4now]

Where do you get your information?
type 1 achieving cure almost nil.  I guess you should just tell all the research labs to forget what they're doing cuz you know geno 1 chances of cure are nil.  
not nice to spread bad information.

[jonney4141]

Hi there, I was genotype 1a and i am svr after treating for 48 weeks!!!!! For me it was rough, but I stayed on here alot, and got alot of good advice from people in here, and i learned all i can about hep c , the side effects, depression etc.etc. I was a mess, but made it and you can too!!!!There are many medications out there to help with depression, I am also depressed and had to have my meds upped. I almost gave up a few times, but for what? I was determined to beat it and move on. If you are going to wait make sure you don't drink or abuse drugs even over the counter drugs.
good luck......

[RWONE]

?

[evangelin]

Hi friend,
  Here is the link    http://******************.********.com/
-Donna

[RWONE]

My wife who was a nurse at a hospital for 35 yrs passed in 2008--liver transplant patient---had hep c.......not sure how long Ive had it, just find out last year.

[tashka]

Everybody here provided you with very good advice. I just wanted to add that albumin going up to 4.4 from 3.8 is a good sign. Having high albumin numbers means your liver performs its functions well. ALT and AST can fluctuate month to month.

Could you tell us what are your platelets? And how long do you think you had hepatitis C?

[Bill1954]

Many HCV patients will have a AFP level in excess of the reference range; this isn’t necessarily indicative of cancer.

There are a number of STAT-C (specifically targeted antiviral therapy) drugs in development. Initially, they will all include the current interferon/ribavirin mix, though. Perhaps in 5 or 10 years there will be interferon-free therapy available?

Here’s a link to HCV drugs in various stages of development:

http://www.hcvdrugs.com/

Good luck-

--Bill

[RWONE]

Any one know anything about the       AFP,Serum TUMOR marker?   Should be 0.0 to 8.3
Mine at 22.8.

[RWONE]

What is this stat-c ( it attacks the virus instead of altering the immune system) and when is it available?

[RWONE]

I have had a thyroid problem  a couple of times--one about 5 or 6 years ago--clear now.
My mother had lupus--is it not true that this interferon as any medicine could/would attack
your weakest organ/gland ect.?   If it would weaken  your immune system it seems that it
could allow the virus to become more aggressive?  I know seems farfetched but I am just grasping.

[nygirl7]

and if you are in stage 1 and the disease is not active, "

If you are in stage 1 then the disease is active. In 'most' people it will advance = some more quickly than others but it does seem as we age it progresses faster.

50% odds are not bad - shoot ask me if I knew my chances of winning the lotto were 50% if I'd buy a ticket every week for 48 weeksk - the answer would be yes!

The new meds will increase the odds but it's always going to be a crapshoot as there is no guarantee.  Even if there was a 99% guarantee if you are the part of that 1%.........but you have  to be in it to win it.

[Diane12855]

There are good doctors out there that unfortunately don't keep up with the latest info about hep c. This is a relatively new disease... as far as medical knowledge is concerned. 1992 was the first year they finally figured out how to screen blood for the virus, so it took a while for text books to get printed with up to date info... and they are learning more every year. All of this being said... that is why you need a hepatologist if at all possible, or at least a gastroenterologist that has treated a lot of hep c patients.

Diane

[pjhep80]

the genetic test is IL28b, the outcome of the test predicts how you will respond to current treatment... www.med.upenn.edu/gastro/documents/GeneticVarianceofIL28bandspontaneousclearanceofhepc.pdf

your dr i s not much of a dr if he is telling you to treat now with standard TX and if he is not aware of this test...

[Cory255]

Looks like you ALT levels are elevated.  This is a sign that liver cells are being damaged by HCV, alcohol, or certain drugs.  Persistently elevated levels mean their is ongoing damage to the liver, if elevated over a long period of time, indicate ongoing fibrosis progression.  But it is important to know that people with persistently normal ALT levels can also have fibrosis progression, although the risk is much lower.

[Bill1954]

The two Direct Acting Antiviral (DAA) drugs that are closest to approval are ‘Boceprevir’, and ‘Telaprevir’. They were both formally submitted to the US FDA last year (November ‘10?) and to my knowledge have applied for fast track approval.

Here’s an inventory of HCV products in various stages of development; last I checked, the list hadn’t been updated since late last summer, so be sure to verify any info independently of this list:

http://www.hcvdrugs.com/

Good luck-

Bill

[RWONE]

What are the meds that is suppose to come out this spring and summer?---SOC without the genetic test means?    everything new --- sorry.

[pcds]

With your liver condition you should wait for your best shot at getting rid of hep C with meds we are waiting for to be approved this spring and summer.  Also, any doc today that suggests SOC w/o the genetic test is not a good MD.

[justfinethanks]

the side effects of tx are nothing compared to what the disease will do to you

[RWONE]

He is a Gastro----will do and thanks.

[fretboard]

We would all like to try a different tx but there just isn't any.  You have time to wait, but you need to keep an eye on it.  good luck

[R Glass]

You said Hep C Doc. Is he a Hepatoligist or Gastro? I am confused about why he is pushing you to start treatment when you are Gen Type1 and Stage 1. New meds are just around the corner that will increase your odds for SVR. At Stage 1you don’t need to rush into anything. Maybe you should discuss this with him.

I posted this on your other thread
The first response for several of us was Alternative Medicine. I wasted a lot of money on “Snake Oil”. Peg/Riba is the only treatment available.  Don’t be taken in by these “Snake Oil Salesmen” (may there be a special place in Hell for them). If you are Gen. Type1, new meds will be soon coming out but they will be added to Peg/Riba. If you don’t have major liver damage and Gen. Type1, I suggest you discuss with your Dr. the possibility of waiting.

[RWONE]

thanks guys----

[James10500]

Hep C type1's chances are 50% hardly nil.  Many 1's have achieved SVR. How can someone have hep c for 30 years and not have researched this.  Kind of like Pamela Anderson telling people it's not curable.  More mis-information about Hep C. Sad.