Transcript PPT

Treatment
General Information
• Which drugs are used depends on the type of
hepatitis C virus (called genotype) you have, how
much damage you have in your liver, and any
previous treatment for hepatitis C you may have
had.
• For all patients with hepatitis C, pegylated
interferon and ribavirin are recommended.
• If patients have genotype 1 hepatitis C, then they
could also use telaprevir or boceprevir in addition
to the pegylated interferon and ribavirin.
• For patients with genotype 2 or 3, only pegylated
interferon and ribavirin are used.
Pegylated Interferon
Ribavirin
Telaprevir
Boceprevir
Interferon
• Interferon is a medicine that helps your body’s
immune system to attack infected liver cells
and to protect healthy liver cells from new
infection.
• Pegylated interferon is taken by injection once
a week.
Ribavirin
• Ribavirin is a medicine that can fight certain
viruses, though, by itself, it does not work
against hepatitis C.
• It is taken in pill form and in combination with
pegylated interferon.
Telaprevir and Boceprevir
• Telaprevir and boceprevir are anti-viral drugs.
• They work directly on the hepatitis C virus
itself to stop it from replicating.
• These drugs need to be used in combination
with pegylated interferon and ribavirin.
How long does treatment take?
• In general, treatment lasts 24 to 48 weeks.
• Treatment duration depends on the genotype
of your hepatitis C virus, the severity of your
liver disease, prior hepatitis C treatment
response, and how you respond to the
treatment along the way.
• If the treatment is not working or if you have
too many side effects, your provider may stop
your treatment early.
How effective is treatment?
• Your response to treatment depends on several
factors, such as what genotype you have, age,
race, weight, extent of liver damage, amount of
virus in the blood (viral load), whether you have
HIV infection, and whether you were treated in
the past and did not have a successful response.
• In general, all patients treated for the first time
have around a 40-60% chance of being “cured.”
Benefits of Treatment
• Anti-viral treatment for hepatitis C is
successful if there is a permanent absence of
the virus after treatment is completed. The
medications may also benefit you even if you
do not permanently clear the virus – they may
still:
– Decrease the amount of liver damage
– Slow the progression of liver disease
– Reduce the chance of liver cancer
Side Effects
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Fatigue
Flu-like symptoms
Nausea or vomiting
Decreased appetite
Weight loss
Depression
Irritability
Hair loss
Problems sleeping
Dry, itchy, or irritated skin
• Shortness of breath
• Changes in vision
• Decreased red and white
blood cells and platelets
• Sore throat
• Thyroid problems
• Rash
• Bad taste in the mouth
• Diarrhea
Alternative Treatments
• Currently there is not enough research to tell if
alternative treatments really help people with
hepatitis C.
• In fact, some herbal supplements can be dangerous
for people with liver disease.
• Various forms of relaxation through meditation or
yoga can have an overall positive impact on your
health and well-being.
Taking Medications
• If you start hepatitis C treatment, then it is
important to take your medication as directed.
The treatment can be difficult and has some
unpleasant side effects.
• If you are concerned about these, talk with
your health care provider. Skipping injections
or not taking your pills properly can greatly
reduce the chances of clearing the virus.
Herbs to Avoid
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Artemisia
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Atractylis gummifera
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Bush tea
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Callilepis laureola
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Chaparral leaf (creosote bush, •
greasewood)
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Comfrey (Symphytum officinale)
Crotalaria
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Germander
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Gordolobo yerba tea
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Heliotropium
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Jin-Bu-Huang
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Kava
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Kombucha mushroom (tea)
Ma-Huang (Ephedra sinica)
Margosa oil
Mistletoe
Pennyroyal (squaw mint oil)
Tansy Ragwort (variation of
Ragwort)
Sassafras
Senecio aureus
Senna
Skullcap
Symphytum
Valerian root