50% Chance!

[cliff1961]

As we can see a big difference in opinions originally coming from different Hepatologists and Doctors.
Not everyone is RIGHT!

Been diagnosed with Hepatitis C and Genotype 1, your treatment only provides you with a 50% chance of success!
I would DOUBLE CHECK with all Doctors and Hepatologist who is right and who is wrong?

Taking Milk Thistle could make a Big difference and be the reason why some patients do not cross the border of 50% chance in which to succeed our treatment!  

[Bill1954]

If you’re expecting much help from milk thistle in fighting HCV virus, you’ll be disappointed. While there have been several studies suggesting mild in vitro antiviral properties, these don’t seem to extend into clinical practice.

Here are some published, peer reviewed studies on milk thistle; very few, if any support the use of milk thistle as a successful adjunct to interferon therapy:

http://tiny.cc/pO9sP

Good luck,

Bill

[cliff1961]

I know fully well that it does nothing to cure hepatitis but just help to clear toxins out of your liver. This is my point i am trying to figure out!
According to a forum i started below

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Hepatitis-C/Milk-Thistle/show/1107074

Many patients receive different replies from Doctors and hepatologists when they should all be the same! Many hepatologists reply

1: It helps (Clear Toxins out of your Liver)
2: It does nothing for you
3: It can damage your Liver during course of treatment.

If it does damage your liver during course of treatment, why are there some Hepatologist stating yes it is OK ? This is wrong!  
It is like going through a clinical trial being used as a Guinea pig.

Been diagnosed with Hepatitis C and Genotype 1, your treatment only provides you with a 50% chance of success!
Everyone should DOUBLE CHECK with all Doctors and Hepatologist who is right and who is wrong?

Taking Milk Thistle could make a Big difference and be the reason why some patients do not cross the border of 50% chance in which to succeed our treatment!  

[Bill1954]

The statement:

“Taking Milk Thistle could make a Big difference and be the reason why some patients do not cross the border of 50% chance in which to succeed our treatment!”

implies that milk thistle can improve treatment odds. I contend that it doesn’t. I have no position on whether it helps improve or maintain hepatic histology.

Bill

[newleaf09]

The 50% is taking a lot of different groups and lumping them together.  The odds for geno 1's who are responsive to IFN and clear within the first 4 weeks are very, very high - in the 90's.  Add those statistics in with people who are unable to clear by 24 weeks and only have an SVR rate of around 18% or lower.  Put them all together with those who are at least partially responsive and end up with 48-50%.  It's all in the individual's response to IFN and that's pretty variable among those who have the most common genotype (1) in North America.  Milk thistle is not a variable.  If it makes you feel like you are taking an even more active role in your treatment, then take it.  It won't hurt your chances.  If you don't take it, know that it does not make a difference anyway and don't feel guilty about not taking it.  

Personally, I was on around 20 pills a day and 1-3 shots a week (when rescue drugs were involved).  I would not have added anything else to the mix and I hope I never have to take another pill for the rest of my life.

[Isobella]

Don't forget you have to add in another group that may be less than ideally compliant.  They are all added into those statistics.  And help lower them.  

Agree on the pill taking.......post-tx,  I can't bring myself to even take vitamins yet.