smoking

[1fish2fish]

Will a cigar or a cigarette once and a while have a negative affect on tx ?

[Kristina538]

Yes: I smoked through tx;  Yes: I obtained RVR and SVR.   I DID change to tobacco to cut down on the toxins, and did roll and cut 'half' cigarettes,  but smoked as many of them that I felt I needed to - my only drug of choice during a prolonged prescribed drug six months.

[nygirl7]

addictive personality (which I totally have)."
You aren't the only one that is for sure.  ;)

[willbb]

I would agree the stress of quitting smoking while treating would be extremely hard ,.I imagine this is why the statement below seems to be prevalent in the medical community..

Best..
Will  

" It is advised to avert from smoking before embarking on therapy "

[Idyllic]

I agree 100% with this one. Trying to quit just about any habit while treating seems like it would be way to stressful both physically & psychologically.

Not that this is exactly the same thing but when I was I first started going to AA like back in the late 80's it was just understood to not try and quit smoking while you were in recovery. Ditto with losing weight. Beforehand, yes. After a few months of staying sober (maybe).

I always wondered if it had to with triggering behavior, relapse and/or maybe even just the psychology of an addictive personality (which I totally have).

[nygirl7]

My doctor told me not to even try when on tx. I tx'd for 72 weeks and have been SVR for years.

Good for you hell no but...different story.

[BoceprevirGal]

  Another man in my home group, who is Txing with SOC, was also told by his Treatment Provider, that it wasn't recommended,(to quit) because of the added stress, but he went on to try, anyway.
   I did quit smoking 2 months prior to Txing, rather then having to deal with that battle, during Tx.
   I have also read that Tx may exacerbate asthma,  and cause the sx of a cough .  I do notice a weird little dry cough, and a sore-throat, every nowand again. Smoking is not good for ear, nose, throat or lung health
  

[can-do-man]

As a matter of fact, Dr. Kwo who was the principal investigator for Boceprevir recommenced not to even try to quit while I was treating.

[2mlbb]

If I must smoke, I take a few drags of an e-cig....

[angel216]

i was treated in 2008 with peg/copeg. i had quit smoking.  i was a non responder.  i am currently in my 2nd week of the triple tx. i am smoking now...slowly trying to quit.  I go for my first vl testing may 30.  im interested to see how it goes.

[can-do-man]

One would have to question why all trials would not include results as far as smokers and non-smokers, when they became und, and their SVR rate if there was much thought as to tobacco playing a role... All this data would be very easy to gather and include in the final results......... just my thoughts.

[can-do-man]

I was a smoker and und at week 6, my doctor didn't like the smoking bit but sure didn't think it would effect being cured... What would you expect from any study when it comes to things like that?

[BoceprevirGal]

I do notice other people in my local HCV support group, who still smoke, but I also noticed they took longer than I, to got Und. I think it is a really good idea to be really anal retentive about followign the Doctors orders on this Tx...and my Doctor happens to frown on marajuana smoking, so I did give that habit up,as well. I have had a couple slip ups, but all in all, feel like my lungs are much healthier, now that I dont smoke that stuff.
  Dont deprive yourself though, I try to substitute, by allowing myself to have other treats or "rewards"...like a juicy cheese-burger, or some strawberry short-cake : )

[1fish2fish]

Agreed, I smoked years ago. Every so often like yesterday while fishing on my boat I'll have one, I don't know why because they taste like sh*!. Helps me remember why I stopped. I guess I'm just one of those people who can do that without wanting to pick up that nasty habit again. Now as far as the cigar goes I do enjoy them but will hold back from smoking because of the tx . Just looking for thoughts about smoking and tx, something I have not seen discussed here.

[willbb]

Studies have shown that people who smoke  tend to have lower resonse to treatment compared to non-smokers. It is advised to avert from smoking before embarking on therapy

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




"Furthermore, tobacco consumption has been
associated with an increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma
(HCC) in patients with viral hepatitis[6-8]. A recent report has
found that cigarette smoking was associated with increased
fibrosis and histological activity in chronic hepatitis C (CHC)
patients. It suggested that cigarette smoking could influence
liver disease either by direct hepatotoxicity through its various
constituents or secondary to erythrocytosis, immunological
impact or synergistic effect with other factors such as alcohol[9].
The spectrum of liver injury in patients with CHC is broad
and many factors influence the severity and progression of
the lesion such as age[10], route of infection[11], genotype[12],
concomitant chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection[13] and
others.

A recent French
study has shown similarly that smoking favors progression to
cirrhosis in chronic HCV infection independent of other comorbid
conditions[9].
The impact of smoking on various liver disorders has been
extrapolated from experimental studies .It has been suggested
that tobacco induced liver injury is ascribed to oxidative stress
associated with lipid peroxidation[16,17]. In patients with CHC,
the reduction in the concentration of hepatic, plasmatic and
lymphocytic glutathione could favor the hepatotoxic effect of
smoking[18]. Data from experimental studies suggest that nicotine,
a major component of tobacco smoke, was rapidly absorbed
through the lungs and released into circulation. Thereafter, it is
mainly metabolized through the liver inducing lesions
characterized by steatosis and focal or confluent necrosis[19].
A recent study demonstrated that smoking was mainly related
to increased inflammatory activity but not to the stage of fibrosis[20],
whereas Pessione et al.[9] provided evidence that smoking
could worsen the degree of fibrosis in CHC independent of
other co-morbid conditions.
Advanced fibrosis adversely
affected the response to interferon therapy[21,22], but this could
not explain why smokers had lower response to interferon
therapy compared to non-smokers as patients in both groups
had comparable histopathological affection at entry of study.
Cigarette smoking could increase generation of oxygen radicals.
Chronic viral hepatitis patients who were cigarette smokers
tended to have lower levels of natural anti-oxidants compared
to non-smokers[23].
Smoking could induce a secondary form of polycythemia.


Will

[BoceprevirGal]

I'm on Triple Tx, so  have hemolytic anemia, so smoking makes me more breathless.
   Also, lots of people on Tx have dry coughs, so it would worsen your lung health

[Idyllic]

This ought to be interesting. I haven't found anything definitive on nicotine and/or carbon monoxide and hepatitis C treatment/medication and/or the liver.

Especially since you literally mean just *ONE* ever so often rather than routinely.

I do know the smell of cigarettes make me sick while I am treating. It's weird because the nausea is overwhelming.