alcohol and treatment

[katla]

Hi all,

Someone I know from another forum asked me for a link to an article that shows alcohol actually interferes with treatment, ie that somehow it makes interferon less effective.

I am not looking for a discussion or lecture on the evils of alcohol. And he's obviously aware that drinking is NOT liver-friendly and can cause one to forget to take their meds, etc.

He's specifically looking for scientific evidence that shows that drinking alcohol in moderation will less one's chances of clearing the virus.

Thanks...Katla

[swhep]

I am not sure about the evidence, but I can tell you what my doc said before starting the treatment. Among many things like not having children during the treatment, eating fat, having ontime labs and doc office visits, abstaining from alcohol was top in his list.I told me that if I do not follow these items in the list I can choose to drop from the treatment. It is well known that alcohol helps the virus to spread and survive, why does anyone want that risk during the treatment.

I was told about HCV six years back, I chose not to do treatment until this year as my condition was not serious and there was only 50% chance of cure until we had incivek. During these six years I totally avoided alcohol.

[orphanedhawk]

      I know I felt like an angry rhino stomping around here some days while doing tx.
When you get screamed at it could be more about the person being on meds, than about what you asked, something important for all of us to remember here.

[MeWithC]

I understand that maybe....I've been the subject of asking innocent questions & getting the runaround, even screamed at.......here there & everywhere......trolls everywhere.....
And then I still don't get a straight answer.

I can use the internet & look up answers as well....sometimes I'm much better off.

[coraggio]

May your friend live long and prosper.  I'll toast to that.

[orphanedhawk]

BTW: I notice you focused on those not answering the question without acknowledging that I did just that.
I don't care whether you acknowledge me or not. I only mention this to encourage you to look at your own reaction.

[orphanedhawk]

Sigh. the OP did the new orals~ she was lucky but she doesn't know what it's like to be doing interferon based treatment.

I think it's important to remember that many people are on treatment and react with extreme emotion and not a whole lot of patience. It's tough being on these meds and if you haven't done them, you don't have a clue.

The other thing is that when you are faced with liver disease, it's easy to become very emotional about this topic.

It's true, I found my links by doing a couple of searches but no, not everyone is as good at this as others. We can't assume things just because we are good at one thing or another.

The links I believe were the proof the OP wanted to show her friend about alcohol.
Sadly being creatures of habit, some are hopelessly addicted.