Aa
To Start Treament or not
20003 I was at level zero. Today I am at level 1. I have heard a lot of bad things about the side effects. I have been told there is a 75% success rate. My question is "Should I go for it and take the treatment or will I come up short after a year of feeling bad and all this for nothing?
Please Advise
Please Advise
Best Answer
It depends on your viral genotype (1a,1b, 2a, etc) and your own genotype as expressed on the IL28B test (cc/ct/tt, aa,ag,gg, tt/tg,gg). Also biopsy scores are usually expressed as stage and grade rather than level 1, so it would be helpful to have that broken down. Do you have copies of any of your lab work?
Yes..many many people have success getting rid of the virus.to a degree of Undetected by sensitive PCR blood test.
The percentages of that success depend on many factors,the most important predictor being what Geno type you have. You mentioned you think you are Stage1 and you are going to get a copy of your lab reports. When you get those.. re post the results if you need any clarification and your question can be answered more specifically.
Also ....yes there can be different degrees of long term side effects ,as with any drugs,altho long term effects of liver disease need to be weighed into your decision making.
WILL
I do have a question. Are there any people out there that have had success of completely getting rid of the Hep C virus? If so "How is life after reatment? Are there any long term effects? I have not been advised about ant such things after treatment only during. Please advise, Thank You!
I really made a mess of that post. My brain to typing connection is not the best for some reason. I would like to blame it on the treatment I just completed, but I am not sure that's the problem. I hope you understood what I was trying to say.
- Dave
- Dave
"the current for previously untreated people with genotype 1"
meant:
the current treatment for genotype 1
meant:
the current treatment for genotype 1
I assume you are genotype 1a or 1b from what you have mentioned, is that correct? the current for previously untreated people with genotype 1 is 48 weeks of interferon and ribavirin the success rate is about 45-50%.
The new treatment which your doctor talked to you about should be available in the next couple of months and has a success rate about 70-75%. You would be adding either telaprevir or boceprevir (direct anti viral medications) to the current med (interferon and ribavirin). Depending on your response to the drugs once you started, treatment would last between 24-48 weeks.
The next generation of drugs after telaprevir and boceprevir will probably have higher success rates then 75%, might have even shorter treatment time then 24 weeks and may not need interferon to increase their effectiveness. Those drugs are being researched currently but most likely won't be available to the public for a few more years.
Interferon currently is a very important part of successful treatment, but it also has the most potential of the current medications to cause side effects during treatment and long term issues. Not to scare you away from treating.
The majority of us who have treated, except a few people in some of the current trials have used interferon and the majority of us don't have problems. That's really no consolation for those who have suffered from it's effects though
Those drugs are being researched currently but most likely won't be available to the public for a few more years.
Because you have minimal damage to your liver you have a lot of options before you. Educate yourself about the disease and treatment so you can make the best decision for yourself about how to proceed.
- Dave
The new treatment which your doctor talked to you about should be available in the next couple of months and has a success rate about 70-75%. You would be adding either telaprevir or boceprevir (direct anti viral medications) to the current med (interferon and ribavirin). Depending on your response to the drugs once you started, treatment would last between 24-48 weeks.
The next generation of drugs after telaprevir and boceprevir will probably have higher success rates then 75%, might have even shorter treatment time then 24 weeks and may not need interferon to increase their effectiveness. Those drugs are being researched currently but most likely won't be available to the public for a few more years.
Interferon currently is a very important part of successful treatment, but it also has the most potential of the current medications to cause side effects during treatment and long term issues. Not to scare you away from treating.
The majority of us who have treated, except a few people in some of the current trials have used interferon and the majority of us don't have problems. That's really no consolation for those who have suffered from it's effects though
Those drugs are being researched currently but most likely won't be available to the public for a few more years.
Because you have minimal damage to your liver you have a lot of options before you. Educate yourself about the disease and treatment so you can make the best decision for yourself about how to proceed.
- Dave
Get written copies of everything and keep your own files. It'll help you to make informed decisions about your own treatment.
Good luck.
Good luck.
Thank You all so very much. I am certainly torn between riding myself of this virus and bad sid effects I've be told of. My Dr. says that I am a good candidate for a study in the near future but I'm not sure I'll even qualify for any of them. I'm not sure about my insurance coverage but will be checking into that as well. I thought my Dr. at Northwestern Memorial Hospital was telling me of a future durg combination that would only take 6 months with a higher success rate. Unless I misunderstood him. Everything seem overwhelming and I may have gotten some things confused. Thank You all again.
"I have been told there is a 75% success rate."
What has your health care professional told you about treatment? You've asked the anonymous crew on the internet. How about your doc?
What has your health care professional told you about treatment? You've asked the anonymous crew on the internet. How about your doc?
You have to weigh the pros and cons of triple therapy treatment.
One the one hand, you may clear the virus as a result of the treatment, thus arresting the harmful effects of the virus, and you may do that without side effects during treatment or long term that cause major problems. Evaluating your IL28b alleles and IP-10 level may be helpful in assessing the likelihood of achieving SVR with triple therapy, particularly after the retrospective study results are released at EASL.
On the other hand, you have to consider the possibility that triple therapy might not knock out resistant strains, in which cae treatment now may lower the possibility of successful treatment later. Drugs in the pipeline (such as including a polymerase inhibitor as well a protease inhibitor) may reduce the persistence of resistant strains and also may have fewer side effects and otherwise be more efficacious.
Given these considerations, the less pronounced the liver disease, the more the scale may tip toward deferring treatment.
BTB
One the one hand, you may clear the virus as a result of the treatment, thus arresting the harmful effects of the virus, and you may do that without side effects during treatment or long term that cause major problems. Evaluating your IL28b alleles and IP-10 level may be helpful in assessing the likelihood of achieving SVR with triple therapy, particularly after the retrospective study results are released at EASL.
On the other hand, you have to consider the possibility that triple therapy might not knock out resistant strains, in which cae treatment now may lower the possibility of successful treatment later. Drugs in the pipeline (such as including a polymerase inhibitor as well a protease inhibitor) may reduce the persistence of resistant strains and also may have fewer side effects and otherwise be more efficacious.
Given these considerations, the less pronounced the liver disease, the more the scale may tip toward deferring treatment.
BTB
If my liver was stage 1 there is no way I would start treatment without Telaprevir or Boceprevir. Wait until those new drugs are readily available. JMO
How long do you suspect you have had hcv? Good to hear you have such minimal damage.
New meds are being developed at a rapid pace these days. They will have even higher success rates and probably shorter treatment time then the drugs that will be available in the next couple of months.
Much of the new development is also aimed at eliminating interferon from the treatment which would be a great advancement.
welcome to the forum-
Dave
New meds are being developed at a rapid pace these days. They will have even higher success rates and probably shorter treatment time then the drugs that will be available in the next couple of months.
Much of the new development is also aimed at eliminating interferon from the treatment which would be a great advancement.
welcome to the forum-
Dave
Hi there....below is a site that will explain your level of liver damage by the Metavir score.
If it is indeed stage 1 then it is considered mild ,it may be a good idea to wait to do treatment , there are better meds coming out that will have better degrees of success with posibly shorter treatment times.
Good Luck WILL
http://hepatitis.about.com/od/diagnosis/a/Metavir.htm
Stage one of four would make sense. If that's the case, you probably have plenty of time to wait for other tyes of treatment to be developed and approved if you choose..
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