Snorted cocaine - hep c risk?

[MrWorried22]

Hey guys,

I snorted cocaine the other night, don't remember sharing straws as I'm usually cautious. I remember using my own straw to snort once and rubbed 2 more lines in my gums. Although i don't think we shared straws, we shared the same surface to snort off.

Curious to know what my hep c risk is?

Cheers

[MrWorried22]

Hello again!

I got tested for hep c because I was more concerned about another cocaine related risk a while ago.  However I did not realise the incubation period was so long. How reliable is a negative result at 2 months and 15 days after exposure?

[willbb]

I would possibly be less concerned about the reliability of the tests you have and more concerned about  possibly someday contracting HCV from this practice....or even ,as important, not knowing you are infected and spreading to others.
"Never"  share works!

Maybe if you have a minute
you will find this article of interest

.http://addiction-dirkh.blogspot.com/2009/04/snorting-drugs-may-give-you-hepatitis-c.html

[MrWorried22]

Since the new year i've decided to pack in alcohol and any other drugs. I'm aware of the risks and Im gonna give the article as I really don't want to add to my anxiety

[flyinlynn]

That amount of time should be fine.

It isn’t truly an incubation period.  Primarily the wait is to allow for enough time for sufficient antibodies to develop in order to be detectable on the antibody test. Often there will be enough antibodies sooner than 12 weeks the wait insures good results.

Three months and 15 days is basically 11 weeks.

Congrats on your decision and best wishes with your sobriety

[flyinlynn]

Any risk would come from possible hep c blood on the snorting device being transferred into the blood stream of an uninfected person when inserting into the nose. The  nasal membranes are thin so it is a possibility that a contaminated bill or straw could carry infected blood which could pass through the nasal membrane or maybe cause a small cut allowing infected blood to enter the blood stream.

As you are a drug user who snorts drugs unless you are absolutely sure you have never shared your tools (including someone borrowing your tools that you may not have noticed) you should consider getting tested for antibodies just to be sure. You should wait at least 3 months post this incident to be tested.

The risk from sharing snorting tools is relatively small but not zero.

There should be no risk from sharing the work surface.

Hep c is a blood borne virus. Hep c infected blood must enter the blood stream of an uninfected person.