would methadone interfere with treatment if I can get the treatment

[thissuks88]

my doctor said that I may not need treatment cause my panel looked good, why? And would taking methadone from a clinic which is where I found out that I have hep c interfere with getting treatment?

[thissuks88]

Like your name, you a quitar player? Anyways thanks for the advice. So, do you think that the methadone may have made tx a lil bit easier? I guess methadone is not to awful bad for the liver either? Im sure nothing like that is good, but just wondering what they might have said about it to you. I will remember about the dosage part as well but I still got to get into the doctor, so far its just the methadone clinic that says ive tested positive. So, I dont even no what kind of test it was or anything. Everything else looked good but that dont mean nothting so I hear. Im hoping like heck I just tested positive for the antibodies and I fought the virus off but I doubt it, my luck *****. But thanks again, I apprece!

[fretboard]

I was on tx in 11/08 while on methadone and I didn't have any problems related to the methadone at all!!  They accepted me at a clinical trial and everything.  That said, I did have many other problems with my job and my hemoglobin which I will not go into b/c it's really not related to your question.  Also, I found out afterwards that b/c the tx drugs are what they are, and with all the water you have to drink that I should have raised my methadone dose.  Keep that in mind and do not forget, I totally believe that it would have helped me alot as far as energy and hemoglobin went.  You will want to raise you methadone dose up accordingly, JMHO.  good luck  

[nygirl7]

You're right I will PM you so we dont hog up the forum!  :)

[thissuks88]

hey , and your very welcome. You seem alot like me, but please dont give in and be free forever of them opiates. I cannot wait for that day. I may never be free of the benzos, but that doesnt scare me nowhere as bad as being hooked on opiates cause the benzos are so much cheaper and ive been without them alot and I survive, but opiates is a whole other story. Anyways, just dont give up! Let me know when you are going to go down some more. Does your dr. suggest you go down to a half of mg and then to nothing? Thats what I would do. Just do it really slowly and if it was me, I get me a zanex or two to help make sure I could get through the week or two after you completly stop the sub. But dont take many of them, just when you have to and you want get hooked on them. It takes more than a few, and if it makes sure your completly done with the sub withdrawels, then great! Your free of that demon forever and ill be here to support you! Man I wish I was there like that, down to 1mg, Im so so happy for you! And I found out today that my liver enzymes where only elevated to 40 and thats probably due to my cholesterol. Its sky high. Im gettin on cholesterol meds next wk. Its genetic cause I eat healthy and now im eating very healthy. And high cholesterol will make ur enzymes go up. And they are just 40 so im hoping that means good things. Also, my platelets are in the normal range, 182, so thats good to hear.  What do you think? Im trying to get as healthy as I can. Im working out, drinking water, eliminating all caffeine. Now I just got to quit smoking. I smoke like a half of pack a day, no more but thats enough. And im juicing for breakfast, lunch and dinner, so im really trying to get as healthy as I can before I do tx, if I do it anytime soon. I dont know. The nurse told me today, that some people harbor it but it doesnt do any damage to them, and thats the samething the dr. said to me. And that place has so many patients that they deal with, so im sure they know a little bit, hopefully but I know I need to get to a hemotologist asap. Im working on some health insurance now. Is most health insurances good about paying for tx? Or atleast the majority? I know I wrote a long post and im asking for alot of questions to be answer or just your opinion on alot of things but I appreciate all your time. I seem to have a connection with you! Try not to have a bad bad day, God loves you girl and thats enough to be exstatic about hey?? I know things are hard, boy dont I, but we must not give in to the devil and thats what he wants us to do. I hate that mother ****** and he knows it, and its been a huge fight between me and him for a long time now. Thats how I like to look at it, lmao, basically its the truth though. He got my friends souls but I put up a hell of a fight for a long time before I let him have her, and now he wants me, and he came close a few times but I keep fighting him and I always will! How you like that? lol Anyways ill be looking forward to your response! Hey do you mind me asking what you do for a living? You can send me a private msg if you want. Im looking for someone to help me with something?

[nygirl7]

The virus is always active unfortunately - whether it's causing a great amount of damage at the time or not is the question and we do tend to look towards liver enzymes to see if we can tell by how high they are (every time a liver cell dies it releases the enzyme so the higher the number the more damage going on).   Unfortunately, it doesn't always work out that way though and people with what are low enzymes now might have been higher in the past......so it's still all really a guess.  The biopsy is the best way to tell but just because it took say 20 years to get to stage 2 doens't mean it wont take another 20 years to get to stage 4...it could happen in just a couple years.

So damn much we dont know but what we do know is we all have it and are in the same boat no matter how we got there.

You just continue to do what you have to do and live as healthy a liver life as you can.  In the end the best we can do is just that and God knows it's not perfect ;)

Some folks recover from treatment right away and seem just fine.  Some get zero side effects and breeze though. Some have it really hard and have lots of problems. Some don't feel back to normal for a long time. Unfortunately, you can't know until it's you. I know that answer ***** when trying to help but it's just the way it is.

I treated for a long time (72 weeks) and was left with my thyroid being shot (which is ok it's just taking a pill a day for life it's not like losing a leg or something really drastic!) and I doubt  I'll ever feel 100% like normal again. But of course, this was now 6 or 7 years ago before i started and I'm not as young as i was.  Plus as you can imagine I have had many other issues which have led to my  health and body not being as put together as they should be.  Like when my back hurts I can't blame treatment because I've had several major accidents. But it is easy to blame everything on hep and it's treatment.

Thanks for your good words - I was having a really hard day today and they made me remember why  I am still in here.

AS for the subs yes I will be off them soon it's the end part that is the scariest if you know what i mean ;)

My best to you!

[thissuks88]

what was it you took, antidepressent that you say helped with your anxiety? Thats a big issue for me at the time. And GREAT for you that you are down to 1mg!! Thats so awesome and you can do it and you may feel some mild mild withdrawels once you stop the 1mg but dont you dare give in to them, they will pass and they will come and go for a few days due to the long self life of suboxone, and they may even be really uncomfy, but I doubt it, trust me, I was on 24mg a day and I just quit cold turkey. The withdrawels lasted a long time but there where not as severe as other things but the length is what can get you. But since youve tapered down, you will not be no where near as bad as me. And im so so happy for you and please dont give in and be strong. Its what you really want, so get it girl. Dont let nothing or no one, including a bad day get you!! I wish I could say that. Im on 135mgs of methdaone and ive got a long long road ahead of me coming off that stuff. Arent you glad your not me? LOL!! Anyways, I like your advice and the things you say..so if you dont mind, im going to tell you everything that I find out and ask for your opinion on what you would do ok? I know that its just your opinion and I will not hold you responsible so to speak for anything. Im a big girl but I like how you said that you and some others step outside the box and so you got some knowledge so to speak! It maybe a little while befor I find out anything anymore so for the time being im doing the home remedies that im hearing about and just trying to get and stay in the best possible health. Is it possible to go through tx and get back to your old self again or better? So much negativity, scares me? And the other question, is it possible to have the virus and it be inactive so to speak and it not be causing any damage? Thats what the dr. that told me I had the virus said he thought about me, that it wasnt active??? I know I got to do a biopsy to see how much damage I got but just wondering if its possible. Almost a yr ago my liver enzymes where elevated to 80, and so the dr. didnt even test me for it cause he said it wasnt high enought to worry about and then now this time, and he said I had it but it was inactive?? I may have told you all this before so sorry bout that!! Thank you for your time and thanks for everyones help!

[nygirl7]

i have been on it for many many years and am down from 24 mg a day to 1 mg a day.  It's a slow process but I dont want to lose this fight. It's certainly been a huge fight to not take pain pills when the doc offers them for a root canal or something but I really have to make sure not to get caught out there again.  It's not really a secret or anything and if it helps anybody they are fine - they helped me I could not afford to lose my job but wanted to get off the other stuff so it has worked so far.

Getting off them and staying off is the hard part though.

I took antidepressents on treatment even though I was not really ever depressed because the meds can in themselves cause severe depressin. In my case (with my bizarre life) the doc thought it was better not to chance it. It seemed to help me a lot and actually did help with my anxiety issues rather than taking xanax which I could easily have developed a habit for with my personality.

No you dont have to select a best answer thing most of us dont do it because we think there are too many good answers and too many folks who take time out of their day to try and help. Plus once you select a best answer what if a better one comes along later?

:)

[thissuks88]

and the select as best answer thing, is that something that i should do? I know that may be a crazy question but you never know. Whats the deal with that cause im not trying to offend no one or nothing like that! Im sure I will be talking frequently and I will enjoy all of you guys so just wondering about that.

[thissuks88]

Are you done with the suboxone? I took it too for like 5months and then quit it and everything cold turkey and made it for like 2months, got through the worst of it, but my life was way to jacked up too keep clean. It was a mistake to ever get on the suboxone, just in my case, not speaking for everyone, but anyways are you done with it?If too personal, dont answer, no biggie, just curious? And when you told me that you had no symptoms, and you had stage three scares me quite a bit? My luck is terrible and I used it all up a long time ago, or so it seems. Im almost to scared to go out of the house anymore, if its not things like this getting me, its haters and the law, and everything that can **** with me will! Murphys law at its finest!! Thanks for the answers though! Can your liver heal itself once it gets that far? Im willing to do whatever as far as trying my danmdest to be healthy, like alcohol, never again and excercise ill do and drink and eat vegatables, but medicines scare me. I have bad anxiety and if they cause anxiety I will freak out. And the trial drugs, they dont even know what they do really so ..do you know if the regular treatment drugs cause any anxiety? I hate it, but I have it bad, so bad I think ill die of a heart attack before anything gets me. LOL! No one knows it unless they know me well or I tell them but its just debilatating to me. Im trying my best not to get on the benzos but its not looking good. What do the doctors think if your prescribed benzos when it comes to treatment? If im on methadone already and it looks like im may need to get back on something for anxiety like benzos, do you think it will stop me from getting treatment? Im doing anything else, nothing at all! I know I have bad anxiety but im not depressed at all, no where near it!! I actually love life and love living it, it just dont like me but things could be worse, although this is hardly all ive been having to deal with and its huge! Thanks for everyones advice!

[nygirl7]

Its almost the same thing I took suboxone for all 72 weeks of my treatment and I did SVR.  There was a study done years ago that siad it was harder for us to get cured but I dont think it was a very big study or very valid. If you stumble across it just dont pay it too much attention - a lot of folks in here have made it through.

They certainly wont let you treat if you are not on the methadone and are using so I think that would be the preferred way to go to any doctor by far.

And yes the biopsy is really nothing. I might go get another one to see where I stand now - four years after being cured and I like everyone else refused to believe it would not be painful but really it's more just nerve wracking then you go 'oh that was it they were right".

You really do need to know where you stand, how much liver damage you have already developed. The liver panel will not tell you this. I had no symptoms at all and when I was diagnosed I was already at stage 3, meaning I had already used up 3/4 of my healthy liver and was on the verge of cirrhosis to put it simply.  

It's best to know to make educated decisions and believe me your doctor will mean well but many of them do NOT know nearly as much as some folks in this forum It's like what they learned way back when in college is all they know and they dont realize the great advances that have been made.

Always ask whatever questions you have you'll learn enough to make good decisions that way.

Good luck.

[Bill1954]

The biopsy is really the least of the problems, but you probably won’t believe it until afterward; a good technician does hundreds of them every year.

Clinical trials are usually sponsored by a pharmaceutical company; they are ‘trialing’ their new drugs and determining safety, dosing, etc. The care is generally cutting edge and free; sometimes they even reimburse for travel expenses, etc. There are a number of folks in the forum that are currently participating in various trials. However, these are new drugs and considered experimental by the FDA; there is some level of risk involved.

Many side effects from the treatment meds can be managed with ‘rescue’ drugs like Procrit (red cells) and Neupogen (white cells); depression can be ameliorated with antidepressants. However, they can’t catch everything, and some things like headaches and fatigue are problematic despite best efforts to avoid them.

Good luck-

Bill

[thissuks88]

Thanks to all for the answers. If im one of those people that doesnt need treatment, that also means that I cant get rid of it either. That seems weird to me but I guess if you dont need treatment, you just dont need treatment. I dont know when they are going to get me in the clinic, im still waiting to hear from my methadone clinic, but I didnt understand what clinical trials are and what is good about them. Im going to go to that website to see if I can learn what they are and how it can help me maybe. Im sorry I just dont know much yet, but I learn fast, lol!! And thanks again. Sounds like most people where under some type of anthestesia when they had the bx done. Since im goin to a free clinic, they may not do that for me because of the cost ya know and they might just numb me. I hope not, I dont do to good with things like that. I have some bad experiences in the past with hospitals stuff and my anxiety gets bad very fast! My anxiety is bad now just thinking about it. Anyways, im sure that while they are giving the treatment and if your sick bad from it, they dont give you anything (meds) to make it any easier, do they?

[Trish77]

" am sure I will be asking more questions, like is it ever possible to get rid of it completely, like to the point that you cannot pass it on to others, completely free of the virus all together?"

Yes - Blondie gave you some abbreviations.  SVR means no detectable virus at six months after your treatment ends - at that point you're considered cured and don't have any Hep C to pass along to anyone.  Tiny window of possibility for relapse of around 2% at most within 4 years after end of treatment, I think it is...beyond that, zero chance of relapse and nothing to pass on to anyone.  Cured, finished.

Good luck with this.

Trish

[blondie717]

   I like your name. Ha ha...hey what bill told you was right all right...infact Ive seen clinical trials that deal with methadone and hep c treatment.  Who knows maybe some of those trials include soc (standard of care) which is interferion/riba...along with a study drug and the methadone? those trials can be found @ www.clinicaltrials.gov  
     As far as the biopsy goes. I was scared too. but I dont remember it , I did not feel it. it was actually a piece of cake. I would of done it sooner if I had known it would be so easy.... Here are a few of the abreavations that come to mind... oh dont let the biopsy scare you.
   treatment = Tx   biopsy = Bx   SOC = standard of care aka interferion and riba   Und means virus undetected   SVR = sustained viralogical responce or cured... SX= side effects from meds.  And there are a few more, but I cant remember them... Good luck to you...oh by the way. Lots of folks here did not have any bad side effects from treatment... gin

[thissuks88]

My methdone clinic is getting me in with a place thats just for this. Its a free clinic though, I hope that doesnt mean it will be rough if ya know what I mean? I will probably be a little freaky during the biopsy because of some of the other things that have happened to me in the hospital, bad experiences so I hope they will make it easy on me but since its a free clinic, I dont know? Thanks everyone for the advice!! I apppreciate it and am sure I will be asking more questions, like is it ever possible to get rid of it completely, like to the point that you cannot pass it on to others, completely free of the virus all together?

[SusieS2010]

HI. Whsat Bill says is true. Methadone does not interfere with treatment. However, your doctor telling you that normal labs means you don't need treatment may not be true. i/3 of hepatitis C patients have normal labs. It is not uncommon. It also doesn't tell you too much about the state of your liver. See a specialist if you can.

[thissuks88]

Im trying to get this forum thing figured out so excuse my confusion, lol!! Any info would be appreciated and thanks Bill for your swift answers to my questions. Im not up on all the lingo yet so I dont know by what you said how you are doing. So hope you are doing well.

[thissuks88]

Thanks!!

[Bill1954]

It’s up to the treating doctor, but many HCV patients treat their disease while on methadone maintenance.

--Bill