hepatitis C and impotence

[brankox]

HI, i am 26 years old, from bulgaria.I have hepatitis C genotype 3 from 7 months.Since then i've become impotent , and unable to feel any kind ot satisfaction,i lost apetite and i am thinking of suicide.I wonder, will i be more  hapier , if i beat the desease.I mean, will my biochemistry go better, couse right now, theres something extremely wrong with my biochemistry.I wonder if i am the only case .Are others with chronical heepatitis c become impotent, and i wondder if i cure thee desiese , will i still be impotent . Thanks for the answers.I am reallly wondering if i should  begin the interferon.

[spectda]

I know your scared, but the truth is that hep c is probably not effecting you adversely after such a short time. Many of us didn't even know we had it until 20 or more years later because of a blood test or being turned down for life insurance. The drugs are advancing very quickly now, and you will probably be able to eliminate the virus either with the current drugs or in coming years with less toxic drugs before this disease ever effects you.
It's alarming to know you have hep c, but you get used to it. Definitely talk to your doctor about your anxiety and depression as other have suggested. Hep C has never had any effect on my ability to have sex, nor the many people that I know that have it. Being depressed and anxious about it and thinking you might give it to somebody could definitely  effect your sex drive though!
be well,
Dave

[jusjames]

get some viagra done ya neck

[Bali05]

SHBG is produced by the liver and binds your testosterone. You can have plenty
of tetosterone but if SHBG is high it will bind it and make it unavaiable.
It is a simple blood test and a possible cause for your problems.
You can rule it out by doing the test.
If your liver heals and regenerates itself to normal after virus elimination
all its functions should theoretically also normalize.

[nygirl7]

I've never heard of anyone having this problem from just having hepC especially for a young man who's only recently gotten this disease.

Therefore I agree with the others look at the potential side effects list for your AD and see if it is on there.  Depression could easily cause problems like this but also it could be the  AD and you could always change that (probably should if you are still having so much problem with the depression).  Until you get that taken care of treatment is not an option for you. Also you most likely have no liver damage yet so treatment is not urgent for you at this time and you could wait for the new drugs to come out with shorter treatment times and better results.

[jusjames]

antidepressants

[brankox]

what do you mean a/d related ?

[jusjames]

more likely a/d related , never heard anyone else with this problem caused by hep c , tx yes , hep c no

[brankox]

I havee genotype 3 .I am on antidepressants - i take 4 mg Spiridan .I went to the doktor and  he test my testosteron-it was in the norm -4,27 ng/ml,but if my shgb is hight, then i dont know if they can show mee weather its high or not , couse i dont think they make such tests in bulgaria .ANd yes, i thing my impotencce is related with hepatitis c .

[Marcia2202]

Well, theoretically, if this is caused by the hep c, it should subside when the hep c is gone. I think that most men have this problem while on treatment, as it is a side effect of the drugs. But they bounce back again after treatment.

Some antidepressants also cause this problem. Are you on antidepressants?

I think that it might be a good idea, if you would take Viagra or Cialis for the time being, maybe that would ease your mind.

You might also want to look into your diet. Is your fatty liver genotype related? About 70% of genotype 3 have fatty liver. What genotype do you have?

[jusjames]

its nothing to do with hep c , see a doctor

[brankox]

i doubt that only me depression can make me so impotent.I am almoust sure its becouse the hepatitis c.I found others like me, impotent with hepatitis c ,there must be some conection betwen them :( I alsou thing theres connection betwen impotence and ffat liver, the other guy with problems like mine had fat liver, just like me .If i know that if i cure the desease my libido will come bacck, then i wont be depressed, thats forr sure .

[Marcia2202]

You should get a handle on your depression, before starting treatment. As Co says, many people get clinical depression from the treatment drug. Most people I know of, including myself, had to be on antidepressant medication while on treatment. That worked really well for me and I came off the medication after completing treatment.

[CoWriter]

I really doubt that the Hep C virus could cause impotence on a young man only 26 years old who's had Hepatitis C for only 7 months.

But depression and being suicidal certainly can....and loss of apetite can also be a symptom of depression.

I agree with Marcia, I think you need to see a psychiatrist that can treat the depression.  That may be all you need.


" I am reallly wondering if i should  begin the interferon. "
-----------------------------

No....because interferon can make the depression worse and that can be dangerous.  

Co

[brankox]

Soo,if my SHBG is high, thats why i am impotent.But my question is, will it be ok, when i clean thee hepatitis from my liver, will my libido come back ?

[Bali05]

it can explain a low sexdrive and eliminate other causes.

if the test comes back normal shbg you know the low sexdrive has a different cause.

if it comes back shbg high and testosterone normal you know what is eating your free

testosterone.

best solution for the later is eliminating the virus.

unfortunately the liver has many comlex functions that can cause problems

when out of balance and the only way to improve is to eliminate the cause

[yodennis]

Thanks for the informative answer. but it does beg the question: What do you do with this information: Go "aha!" or do you supplement with depo testosterone if indeed you are found to have  an elevated SHGB. Before I take my usual path: Do the research and present it to the hepatologist I thought you might have an empirical answer. Thanks. dennis

[Bali05]

the liver makes SHBG (sex hormone binding globin)

it can get elevated with liver damage and what it does is it will bind your

free testosterone and make it unavailable. That will give you a low sexdrive.

Have a blood test checking SHBG and testosterone. If your testosterone is

normal but SHBG is high it will be an indication pointing towards the liver.

My general physician who diagnosed me put this test on my menu.

Every other MD I have seen since just shrugs their shoulders when I mention

SHBG. You can read about it on line . Not sure why nobody ever mentions this.

[Marcia2202]

I'm very sorry to hear about your problem. Unfortunately I have no idea why you are having this symptom. I do not think it is Hep C related. I think you should maybe get some psychological help. The impotence might be caused by the anxiety and depression you are experiencing.
Hep C is not the end of the world and it is curable. Educate yourself about hep c and treatment. Just being educated about your situation might take away your anxiety and you will feel better already.

Please do not despair. We all have gone, are going or have dear ones going through this. You will be able to receive a lot of help here.

It is now 2 years ago I found out I had hep c. I have treated and am now cured. Many things have happened. I must say that I feel physically much better than before I started treatment. I was very tired and now I have a lot of energy.