Smokers

[CatLil]

Has everyone stopped smoking or does it have any affect on the treatment?

[pjhep80]

still smoking a bit but i cut back drastically on treatment, the shortness of breath helped and so did the fact that they just did not taste good anymore, i just was not enjoying them... went from about 1/2 a pack a day to 2-3 a day... as far as i know smoking has no effect on treatment

[Livinontheedge]

With my head hung down in shame I am still smoking.   I just did shot 24/24 post inc today and have a week of Riba left.   I certainly will say I had every intention of quitting during treatment, but enjoy it.   I developed Riba cough so bad and still didnt quit.   I dont know what it is going to take.    However,   Week 4 &12  I tested "Undetectable"  and will test again in a week.    I will say there were times that I was so nauseated from the nicotine where it would make me vomit.    So, I did manage to cut down , but still havent quit.   Good Luck :)

[johnny679]

Just quit it won help you will only hurt you , why continue doing something you will some day stop

[hrsepwrguy]

The interaction is a 35% increase in absorbtion caused by the incivek, the warning does not say do not take xanax it says if taking xanax the patient should be monitored.


Interactions between your selected drugs

alprazolam ↔ telaprevir
Applies to:Xanax (alprazolam) and Incivek (telaprevir)

MONITOR: Coadministration with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3/4A protease inhibitors, boceprevir and telaprevir, may increase the plasma concentrations of alprazolam. The mechanism involves inhibition of CYP450 3A4, the isoenzyme primarily responsible for the metabolic clearance of alprazolam. In 17 study subjects, administration of a single 0.5 mg dose of alprazolam during treatment with telaprevir 750 mg every 8 hours for 10 days increased the alprazolam systemic exposure (AUC) by an average of 35% compared to administration alone. Alprazolam peak plasma concentration (Cmax) did not change significantly. No data are available for boceprevir; however, a similar interaction is expected.

MANAGEMENT: Caution is advised if alprazolam is used in combination with boceprevir or telaprevir. The potential for increased pharmacologic effects of alprazolam, including central nervous system and respiratory depression, should be considered. The interaction is not expected to occur with lorazepam, oxazepam or temazepam, which are primarily metabolized via glucuronidation.

http://www.drugs.com/drug-interactions/incivek-with-xanax-133-54-3328-15346.html

[LookingForward12]

Good question. Benzodiazepams were one of the most contraindictated drugs for telaprevir because of its propensity to have increased action from taking the telaprevir. In other words, its action in the body was increased by 30% or so. I think my doctor just erred on the side of caution, there are several members on here who are taking Xanax and telaprevir and are just being monitored by their doctor. If your doctor is aware of your dosage and is fine with it then that should be okay. If you do a google search, you should find plenty of information on it.  You may just want to ask him about your dosage because you wouldn't want it building up in your system.

I was just not able to convince him to let me continue.it was a very tough withdrawal for me.

[JennLawrence]

Why did you have to give up Xanax??? I've been on Klonopin & or Xanax for 14+ years now & am on week 2 of Incivek, Ribasphere... Is there something my Dr. forgot to tell me???? He is aware os ALL my meds..

[80mecheng]

Well, I have continued to smoke thru treatment but I intend to quit this week.  Am 22 weeks into a 28 week cycle.  Beyond the obvious, smoking is bad during treatment since it triggers the coughing episodes caused by the Rib.

[ceecee444]

It's sad to say but  yes I still smoke I guess I'm not as strong as I thought I was.
I've been on treatments so long( (almost 2 years) it's all I have left (poor excuse) but being beat up everyday by all the drugs just took away my good times so I guess holding onto the cigarettes was an excuse to have one thing left that was not taking a way from me. I can smell it on my clothes in my house (whereas I never could before treatments) and it bums me out I don't like the smell, I would really love to quite but I told my doctor just one thing at a time, so after treatment I'm hoping to get the help to quit. I really would love to but it's just the last thread that I'm hanging onto for now. To be honest for me with the treatments and smoking the only difference I noticed was the taste and smell.

[CatLil]

Thanks for the info I really appreciate your comments.

[indy531]

I quit 4 wks into tx-the smell just made me gag! This time it's for good!

[confuzaled]

i never quit if anything i smoked more, i use to drink 4 coffees a day and bout 3 or more pops and only ate take out. i gave up all that and i could handle quiting smoking, no one can force u to quit its up to u, if ur not ready then theres no point in trying, i have a friend that had heart surgery and was told to quit but she never did and that was 5 years ago,

[printze]

I think for most people the intention is there and we all know the risks even without hepc however is quitting is extremely difficult , although I cannot compare it to quitting drugs or alcohol because I never had those issues it is still I believe the hardest of them all to quit. I will go weeks without then somedays the cravings are so bad I have to have one. I guess once in a while is better than everyday. Just my opinion.

[crigger]

You need to quit ! You do not want your next treatment to be chemo for you lung cancer

[charm27]

I was a light smoker just a few a day...when I started tx I couldnt smoke, it made me SICK. The smell alone did me in. Didnt smoke for 55 weeks.
BLEAH!!!!!

Best of luck.

[willbb]

or quit smoking a year or two before tx.. because to be pre occupied  during tx craving a smoke...that might be tough and make it harder to tx..
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes...that is why I thought this sentence below was the part of the article I would copy..

Will

"Chronic HCV patients should be advised to avert smoking before embarking on therapy"



http://www.wjgnet.com/1007-9327/10/2963.pdf

[printze]

I quit then relapsed over the holidays , I have a few occasionally . I know when I start tx I won't. It is really hard , I was good for 5 mths .  

[can-do-man]

CatLil, smoking will not effect your chances for SVR. Don't sweat it.

Working dog, all i can say is "Oh My"

[working dog]

will....i think a lot of statistics don't include general life style....not always but more often people that smoke may not have as healthy of lifestyle as the nonsmokers...i don't smoke...but i would think if someone does it may be better to cut way back during tx...maybe 3 to 5 a day...as a treat kind off...something to look forward to....or quit smoking a year or two before tx.. because to be pre occupied  during tx craving a smoke...that might be tough and make it harder to tx......just a thought.....maybe quit all the way after tx....billy

[willbb]

does it have any affect on the treatment?
-------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/largest-us-hepatitis-c-trial-provides-insight-into-optimizing-treatment-for-patients-56533387.html

The influence of cigarette smoking on SVR.
Cigarette smoking has been associated with increased inflammation and fibrosis in patients with HCV, but there is little data on the effect of smoking on SVR rates in patients with HCV. During enrollment of the WIN-R trial, investigators noted whether patients were cigarette smokers or nonsmokers. Among the subset of patients with available data, there were 893 smokers (31.3 percent) and 1966 nonsmokers (68.7 percent). Cigarette smokers with HCV genotype 2 and 3 had lower SVR than nonsmokers. However, SVR rates among smokers and nonsmokers with HCV genotype 1 were not significantly different. The lower SVR rates observed in smokers with HCV genotype 2 or 3 were not accounted for by stage of fibrosis, gender or pretreatment viral load. Researchers concluded that additional studies are need to evaluate the dose-related effects of cigarette smoking and the potential effect on SVR of smoking cessation prior to treatment.vi

Study from 2004 in Egypt:

http://www.wjgnet.com/1007-9327/10/2963.pdf


In conclusion ,smokers with HCV tend to have lower response to INF-a compared to non-smokers,however this deserves further evaluation in prospective study.
Chronic HCV patients should be advised to avert smoking before embarking on therapy"

[LookingForward12]

I still smoke. But have cut way back. They just don't taste the same. Also like hrsepwrguy I just didn't feel I could quit everything at once. Had to give up hormones, Xanax, and other things....having to lose this crutch was one thing too many.

[hrsepwrguy]

I still smoke, the doc ask me if I wanted to quit and I said yes but I would rather quit the hep first, I told him I didn't think I could handle the stress of quitting 2 things at once, he wasn't very amused but left it alone.

[suezeeque]

I would be driven to drink if I quit.  So....  Yeah...  ;)

[nygirl7]

I still smoke, know it's not a good thing but just haven't managed to quit yet.  :(  Lazy I suppose and need some gratification in life ;)

[jules2551]

Raising my hand slowly and reluctantly....I am still smoking but really cut back.  I know its not good enough but it's a start.  I haven't started tx yet but am letting the vampires take my blood due to hemocromatosis.  (the nurse in oncology told me to stop smoking).  I told myself I would quit before tx.  But then again I have told myself a lot in the past too!  lol.