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can I drink alcohol after hepatitis c treatment?
i wonder if when i finish the treatment and pass the six months, can i drink alcohol again as a young man (I'm 19 years old)? how much time is necessary to recover my liver ?
Given your age severe liver damage doesn't seem to be a problem, once your SVR drinking in moderation should not be a problem... Good luck
Alcohol is like gasoline to your liver, so if you do drink after svr do it in moderation and responsibly, your liver is not ever going to be the same, although it will heal. In my opinion (depending on severity of liver damage) you should wait at min. 8mo-1yr just to give yourself ample reagenerative growth time, remember these med are also very hard on you..
AFTER SVR THE BELOW RULE STILL FOLLOWS
Drinking too much alcohol can lead to three types of liver conditions - fatty liver, hepatitis, and cirrhosis. You are unlikely to develop these problems if you drink within the recommended safe limits detailed below. For all types of liver disease caused by alcohol, the main treatment is to stop drinking alcohol completely.
AFTER SVR THE BELOW RULE STILL FOLLOWS
Drinking too much alcohol can lead to three types of liver conditions - fatty liver, hepatitis, and cirrhosis. You are unlikely to develop these problems if you drink within the recommended safe limits detailed below. For all types of liver disease caused by alcohol, the main treatment is to stop drinking alcohol completely.
Good Grief....NO>NO>NO>NO>NO. If you are so desperate to drink have you ever thought you can get cirrhosis, heart disease, and diabetes to just name a few....if you continue to drink and smoke....STOP...
Can't believe those of you have told him "okay...maybe...if"....maybe you need to search for websites on the dangers of alcohol and the liver itself... He was on treatment...he is stage 2 . We are not doctors on here! Good Grief!!! Who is to say what is safe or not...structual, mental, physical. Does one beer lead to a 6 pack just this "one time".....it doesn't matter if he is 19 or 59...sure it's sad...the kid wants to drink...come on people.....if he is already worring about it now there might be a problem in the future. How many posts have we seen that they were 'cured" but it came back.
I agree.....you hopefully dodged a bullet but do you even understant the bullet you dodged. As simply a I can put it ...your liver interferons are destroyed were destroyed by Hep C.. They no longer exist. Interferons are the cleaning agents for your liver. Even if you are successful on a treatment...the interferons do not magically reappear. So what is going to filter out the poisons that you want to start injesting again?
Hey learned posters...if he is successful on treatment and his liver starts to regenerate do the interferon regenerate too. Anyone got a real answer?
People lucky enough to have done this therapy and be successful on it realize that you did dodge a bullet but you can't go back to bad habits. Your life has changed....the experience that you just went through changed you. Get a grip...save a transplant...for someone who really needs it and is willing to go through all the steps necessary to avoid and maintain a healthly life style.
If you need transplant info let me know and I'll send you a couple of websites. Remember posts are just personal opinions....check with you Hepatogolist for your individual circumstances.
Can't believe those of you have told him "okay...maybe...if"....maybe you need to search for websites on the dangers of alcohol and the liver itself... He was on treatment...he is stage 2 . We are not doctors on here! Good Grief!!! Who is to say what is safe or not...structual, mental, physical. Does one beer lead to a 6 pack just this "one time".....it doesn't matter if he is 19 or 59...sure it's sad...the kid wants to drink...come on people.....if he is already worring about it now there might be a problem in the future. How many posts have we seen that they were 'cured" but it came back.
I agree.....you hopefully dodged a bullet but do you even understant the bullet you dodged. As simply a I can put it ...your liver interferons are destroyed were destroyed by Hep C.. They no longer exist. Interferons are the cleaning agents for your liver. Even if you are successful on a treatment...the interferons do not magically reappear. So what is going to filter out the poisons that you want to start injesting again?
Hey learned posters...if he is successful on treatment and his liver starts to regenerate do the interferon regenerate too. Anyone got a real answer?
People lucky enough to have done this therapy and be successful on it realize that you did dodge a bullet but you can't go back to bad habits. Your life has changed....the experience that you just went through changed you. Get a grip...save a transplant...for someone who really needs it and is willing to go through all the steps necessary to avoid and maintain a healthly life style.
If you need transplant info let me know and I'll send you a couple of websites. Remember posts are just personal opinions....check with you Hepatogolist for your individual circumstances.
1 Comments
What the heck are liver interferons? I go to most conferences and have never heard one researcher talk about liver interferons. Sorry, but your info is wrong. Where did you see this?
"How many posts have we seen that they were 'cured" but it came back"
Uh none.......Good grief!!!
Uh none.......Good grief!!!
I asked my Doctor that very question. The answer was " Not a good idea, the treatment does do more damage, you will never heal 100%". That's all I needed to hear.
This is always a controversial topic.
I would have a biopsy though. I mean stage 2 at 19 years old.
I would have a biopsy though. I mean stage 2 at 19 years old.
I think the key is moderation. An occasional drink should be, but not an occasional full-on night of drinking, nor a steady pattern of light drinking several nights per week. If you are the sort for whom it is a slippery slope then you'll be much happier and healthier if you abstain completely. When I was diagnosed with HCV I was told it was okay to have a drink on special occasions only. I really enjoy wine with dinner and it was amazing how easy it was for me to twist that limited permission into drinking 1-2 glasses of wine about 4-5 times a week. I paid dearly, as it pushed my liver disease and I rapidly developed cirrhosis nine years ago. That finally made me recognize my denial, and in the last 9 years I've taken a taste only now and then, probably to talking one glass of wine in all 9 years. I think this change alone is why my cirrhosis has remained compensated all this time and I've now completed my third tx and achieved SVR! I'm hoping, against the common wisdom, that my liver might regenerate to some degree, so I'm not going to go back to drinking wine regularly – though I might permit myself to have those little sips slightly more often. I'm thinking maybe accumulative total of one glass per year. I have found that drinking fizzy water with lime feels slightly festive and makes me feel less of an outsider when out to dinner with friends who love wine. You can also find some excellent non-alcoholic beers these days. Forget O'Douls, look for St. Pauli Girl NA or next best, for Clausthaulers (sp?). Don't waste your money on non-alcoholic wine however, I believe it can't be made to taste good. Best wishes for achieving and hanging onto good health for life!
After SVR my doc told me the following good advice about drinking again, "It's about quality not quantity". I do so enjoy a glass of quality Merlot.
It all depends on two things:
1. What level of liver damage you had before achieving SVR (assuming you do achieve SVR).
2. Whether or not you have a propensity for alcoholism.
If the answer to 1 is anything worse than stage 2 fibrosis, I would abstain from drinking indefinitely. I haven't kept up with the latest liver grading technology, but a needle biopsy was the gold standard and probably still is. Not sure I would trust an important decision to drink or not drink on fibroscan alone. On the other hand, if all you're going to do is have a beer or two once in a while, I wouldn't worry about it. if you SVR your liver should heal over time and a few beers every now and then (like maybe 4 beers a week or less) is not going to hurt anything.
The important thing you have to consider is how long have you had Hep C? You may not know and that can be a very dangerous thing. I've encountered the parents of several people here with HCV+ kids younger than you that had cirrhosis. Some of them have died from it. They were born with Hep C or contracted it very young due to transfusions. Make sure you don't fall into that category, because if you do, you may have much more liver damage than you realize. Under those circumstances, absolute abstinence is the only answer. Being young alone doesn't necessarily inoculate you from the danger of severe liver disease, so think carefully about your decision.
Regarding 2: If you have a problem with, or a propensity for, alcohol abuse, just stay away. It's not worth it for very obvious reasons that needn't be explained.
1. What level of liver damage you had before achieving SVR (assuming you do achieve SVR).
2. Whether or not you have a propensity for alcoholism.
If the answer to 1 is anything worse than stage 2 fibrosis, I would abstain from drinking indefinitely. I haven't kept up with the latest liver grading technology, but a needle biopsy was the gold standard and probably still is. Not sure I would trust an important decision to drink or not drink on fibroscan alone. On the other hand, if all you're going to do is have a beer or two once in a while, I wouldn't worry about it. if you SVR your liver should heal over time and a few beers every now and then (like maybe 4 beers a week or less) is not going to hurt anything.
The important thing you have to consider is how long have you had Hep C? You may not know and that can be a very dangerous thing. I've encountered the parents of several people here with HCV+ kids younger than you that had cirrhosis. Some of them have died from it. They were born with Hep C or contracted it very young due to transfusions. Make sure you don't fall into that category, because if you do, you may have much more liver damage than you realize. Under those circumstances, absolute abstinence is the only answer. Being young alone doesn't necessarily inoculate you from the danger of severe liver disease, so think carefully about your decision.
Regarding 2: If you have a problem with, or a propensity for, alcohol abuse, just stay away. It's not worth it for very obvious reasons that needn't be explained.
Why drink?? What do you REALLY get from it? What value does it have in life? Use your time to enjoy life instead of dullin it and being numm. Hope this helps sounds like youve been through enough to do the right thing Good luck John
like dear old mom said...."everything in moderation"....but in your case super moderation.....you have to live life, it's a quality thing...but as the previous posters said......way after SVR.
be smart and only drink on your birthday. one drink.
be smart and only drink on your birthday. one drink.
Smoke weed instead , I hear your only 19
But if you already damaged your liver
Maybe consider drinking in moderation
After a long healing period
Good luck
But if you already damaged your liver
Maybe consider drinking in moderation
After a long healing period
Good luck
i thought the whole idea of having treatment was so you could have a normal life afterwards, if you cant drink while you've got it and you cant drink after you have treatment, what has the treatment achieved. I have had hep c for over thirty years I drank most of that time as I didn't know I actually had it. I have minor liver damage and am thinking of having treatment, but if I am going to be worse off what is the point. I will be defiantly finding out from doctors if my liver will be worse after treatment.
I thought the whole idea of having treatment was to avoid undergoing a slow horrible death from end stage liver disease...
why would you even think like that... I am NOT being judgemental in any way or in anything I say. I really just haven't thought about drinking again. Seems to me I have many other much more serious and pertinent to the art of survival kinda stuff to even ......I just really don't know what to say or think about that question....Good Luck & God Bless
If you do treatment and become cured (SVR) and really do only have minor liver damage you will be the same as everyone one else out there. so instead of "preaching" the honest answer is having a few drinks won't make you any different then anybody else..... Remember "Moderation is the key"...... Good luck
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