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

[orphanedhawk]

Alcohol is known to increase replication of the virus, therefore it seems counterproductive to use it when trying to do the opposite.
Would you water and feed a plant that you're trying to kill ?

http://www.thebody.com/content/art28723.html
Alcohol Ups Hepatitis C Virus Replication
From U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

July 23, 2003
Alcohol increases the replication of hepatitis C virus and interferes with the effectiveness of interferon used to treat hepatitis C, according to a recently published study

http://experts.kumc.edu/works/12655
Alcohol metabolism increases the replication of hepatitis C virus and attenuates the antiviral action of interferon
                           *                     *                      *
I thought I saw alcohol among the very long list given to me of drug interactions.

I did a search and came up with this:

http://drugsaz.about.com/od/drugs/interferon-alfa-2a.htm

The following drugs may interact with Interferon Alfa-2a:
•alcohol
•antiviral medicines for HIV or AIDS
•theophylline


http://www.drugs.com/food-interactions/interferon-beta-1b.html

MANAGEMENT: The risk of hepatic injury should be considered when beta interferons are used in combination with other agents that are potentially hepatotoxic (e.g., acetaminophen; alcohol; androgens and anabolic steroids; antituberculous agents; azole antifungal agents; . . .

[maybe368]

I guess that I was not the only one that felt this way...

[Dannyboi7]

I don't want to seem skeptical also,but from my personal experience it is sometimes hard to reason with an alcoholics even when their lives depends on it.That said maybe your friend is not an alcoholic,From the studies I've read alcohol consumption during treatment does affect the rates of SVR.Tell the guy google is his friend and to use it wisely.

Best wishes with your situation

Dannyboi7

[Idyllic]

Since another person said this already I will go ahead and agree it sounds like your friend wants an excuse to drink. He somehow managed to put you up to the task of doing his research to keep you off his back. As someone in recovery for 15 years I couldn't have done a better job myself :)  :)

There are articles and studies all over this forum. Most of the articles I see are actually related to how alcohol interacts with Interferon. I was slogging through the Ribavirin drug monograph the other day and read something about it.

* I doubt there is much literature or studies on the all oral meds that treat without the Ribavarin (at this point).


Impact of alcohol on hepatitis C virus replication and interferon signaling
World J Gastroenteroly. 2010 March 21; 16(11): 1337–1343.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2842525/


It looks like all of us found this article!!
Alcohol increases hepatitis C virus in human cells & alcohol inhibits the anti-HCV effect of interferon-alpha (INF-alpha)therapy
http://scienceblog.com/community/older/2003/F/20034141.html

[katla]

@maybe368 - Wow. I try to be polite here but your post was ignorant and offensive beyond belief. You know NOTHING about this person and yet you state that "what he really wants is to drink" and that he's in denial. Both of those statements are patently false. Some people have an intellectual curiosity about things and are interested in the science behind. You clearly do not.

Thanks can-do and 8-nickers.

[8nickers8]

Here is an article entitled: Alcohol May Affect Progression of Hepatitis C and Interferon Efficacy.  

http://www.natap.org/2003/june/063003_6.htm
It is posted by N.I.H. (National Institute of Health)

Nuff Said