can I drink alcohol after hepatitis c treatment?

[swoloby]

i wonder if when i finish the treatment and pass the six months, can i drink alcohol again as a young man (I'm 19 years old)? how much time is necessary to recover my liver ?

[Macdaddy3]

If you ask a your specialist/hepatologist this question there obviously going to tell you to stay away from all alcohol period. It's their obligation as your care provider and have taken an hippocratic oath to do no harm. They would also tell you never to smoke, do drugs and not have unprotected sex and don't get sunburned and stay away from fatty foods. I got Hep C in the early 70's doing stupid things but luckily I grew up. I didn't know I had it til I was 50. I drank periodically but heavy when I did. I slowed down in my early 30's getting drunk 2-3 times a year and drinking a few on the weekends and smoking a little weed in the evenings. When diagnosed I had very little damage but a fatty liver. I quit drinking at 48 just cause I had a wife that became a drug addict on prescription Oxycontin and did my best to save her by not doing anything possibly addicting, just not worth it to me and I didn't need it. If your cured you probably would get by with moderate use, like a few beers on the weekend and a good drunk once or twice a year and be fine. A lot depends on how bad your liver is actually. I would give your liver rehab time of a year though, or start smoking a little weed if you just need an occasional buzz at night if not drug tested at your job. Just my opinion. Just finished my treatment and giving my liver a rest of about 6 months before having a occasional drink, after a year maybe a bit more like 3-5 beers but only 3-4 times a year as my ex wife lost her battle with addiction so me having an occasional drink would not be a problem for me now. gl and be well.

[dan275]

Just completed 24 weeks of treatment and what I found to be the biggest challenge was reading the enormous amount of uneducated, unqualified and unfounded opinions, comments and remarks on these various forums. There are a lot of people diagnosed with Hep C annually and each 1 of them is an individual with VERY DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES in regards to their diagnosis, treatment, liver damage and what is best for them pre, during and post treatment.
Physical side effects during and post treatment can vary as well as psychological ones and the different unprofessional pieces of advice offered on these forums are frustrating to say the least.
The biggest piece of advice I would give anyone with any concerns relating to their treatment or indeed after it is to listen to your qualified health care professionals and voice any concerns you have with them and not with uneducated unqualified people on here who seem to mostly comment on their own experience and only give you their personal opinion which I find completely counter productive!
Before starting treatment I was made aware of possible side effects some of which sounded very harsh, fortunately for ME I had very little to no side effects but this is not the case for everyone as each INDIVIDUAL reacts DIFFERENTLY!!
If somebody wants to consume alcohol after treatment then discuss your INDIVIDUAL circumstances with your qualified specialist and take their advice as only you and they know what effect/damage Hep C has had on YOU, once you have received this qualified advice then make a decision YOURSELF!!

[zoda53]

Really, you want to drink because you are young?  Do yourself a favor and no matter what the results of the hep c are, stay away from alcohol.  Alcohol has long term results and not in your favor.  

[ppmguy]

          you got a lot of perspective here.  you got answers from the scientific perspective, and you got feedback from those that see it as a problem.  but only you can answer that question.  good luck with whatever decision you make

[can-do-man]

If you do treatment and become cured (SVR) and really do only have minor liver damage you will be the same as everyone one else out there. so instead of "preaching" the honest answer is having a few drinks won't make you any different then anybody else..... Remember "Moderation is the key"...... Good luck

[getnby]

good herb helps so much....quality not quantity

[getnby]

why would you even think like that... I am NOT being judgemental in any way or in anything I say.  I really just haven't thought about drinking again. Seems to me I have many other much more serious and pertinent to the art of survival kinda stuff to even ......I just really don't know what to say or think about that question....Good Luck & God Bless

[still_above_dirt]

I thought the whole idea of having treatment was to avoid undergoing a slow horrible death from end stage liver disease...

[keepuwondering]

i thought the whole idea of having treatment was so you could have a normal life afterwards, if you cant drink while you've got it and you cant drink after you have treatment, what has the treatment achieved. I have had hep c for over thirty years I drank most of that time as I didn't know I actually had it. I have minor liver damage and am thinking of having treatment, but if I am going to be worse off what is the point. I will be defiantly finding out from doctors if my liver will be worse after treatment.

[Hepwarrior]

Smoke weed instead , I hear your only 19
But if you already damaged your liver
Maybe consider drinking in moderation
After a long healing period
Good luck

[uncledudeness]

like dear old mom said...."everything in moderation"....but in your case super moderation.....you have to live life, it's a quality thing...but as the previous posters said......way after SVR.

be smart and only drink on your birthday. one drink.

[jpv1]

Why drink?? What do you REALLY get from it? What value does it have in life? Use your time to enjoy life instead of dullin it and being numm. Hope this helps sounds like youve been through enough to do the right thing Good luck John

[mremeet]

It all depends on two things:

1. What level of liver damage you had before achieving SVR (assuming you do achieve SVR).

2. Whether or not you have a propensity for alcoholism.

If the answer to 1 is anything worse than stage 2 fibrosis, I would abstain from drinking indefinitely. I haven't kept up with the latest liver grading technology, but a needle biopsy was the gold standard and probably still is.  Not sure I would trust an important decision to drink or not drink on fibroscan alone. On the other hand, if all you're going to do is have a beer or two once in a while, I wouldn't worry about it. if you SVR your liver should heal over time and a few beers every now and then (like maybe 4 beers a week or less) is not going to hurt anything.

The important thing you have to consider is how long have you had Hep C? You may not know and that can be a very dangerous thing. I've encountered the parents of several people here with HCV+ kids younger than you that had cirrhosis. Some of them have died from it. They were born with Hep C or contracted it very young due to transfusions. Make sure you don't fall into that category, because if you do, you may have much more liver damage than you realize. Under those circumstances, absolute abstinence is the only answer. Being young alone doesn't necessarily inoculate you from the danger of severe liver disease, so think carefully about your decision.

Regarding 2: If you have a problem with, or a propensity for, alcohol abuse, just stay away. It's not worth it for very obvious reasons that needn't be explained.

[miked]

After SVR my doc told me the following good advice about drinking again, "It's about quality not quantity".  I do so enjoy a glass of quality Merlot.

[ceanothus]

I think the key is moderation. An occasional drink should be, but not an occasional full-on night of drinking, nor a steady pattern of light drinking several nights per week. If you are the sort for whom it is a slippery slope then you'll be much happier and healthier if you abstain completely. When I was diagnosed with HCV I was told it was okay to have a drink on special occasions only. I really enjoy wine with dinner and it was amazing how easy it was for me to twist that limited permission into drinking 1-2 glasses of wine about 4-5 times a week. I paid dearly, as it pushed my liver disease and I rapidly developed cirrhosis nine years ago. That finally made me recognize my denial, and in the last 9 years I've taken a taste only now and then, probably to talking one glass of wine in all 9 years. I think this change alone is why my cirrhosis has remained compensated all this time and I've now completed my third tx and achieved SVR! I'm hoping, against the common wisdom, that my liver might regenerate to some degree, so I'm not going to go back to drinking wine regularly – though I might permit myself to have those little sips slightly more often. I'm thinking maybe accumulative total of one glass per year. I have found that drinking fizzy water with lime feels slightly festive and makes me feel less of an outsider when out to dinner with friends who love wine. You can also find some excellent non-alcoholic beers these days. Forget O'Douls, look for St. Pauli Girl NA or next best, for Clausthaulers (sp?). Don't waste your money on non-alcoholic wine however, I believe it can't be made to taste good. Best wishes for achieving and hanging onto good health for life!

[Idyllic]

This is always a controversial topic.


I would have a biopsy though. I mean stage 2 at 19 years old.

[bear5849]

I asked my Doctor that very question. The answer was " Not a good idea, the treatment does do more damage, you will never heal 100%".  That's all I needed to hear.  

[can-do-man]

"How many posts have we seen that they were 'cured" but it came back"

Uh none.......Good grief!!!

[copyman]

You are young. After 6 months SVR drinking shouldn't be a problem. Go enjoy life.

[heart_in_the_keyes]

Good Grief....NO>NO>NO>NO>NO.  If you are so desperate to drink have you ever thought you can get cirrhosis, heart disease, and diabetes to just name a few....if you continue to drink and smoke....STOP...

Can't believe those of you have told him "okay...maybe...if"....maybe you need to search for websites on the dangers of alcohol and the liver itself...  He was on treatment...he is stage 2 . We are not doctors on here!  Good Grief!!! Who is to say what is safe or not...structual, mental, physical. Does one beer lead to a 6 pack just this "one time".....it doesn't matter if he is 19 or 59...sure it's sad...the kid wants to drink...come on people.....if he is already worring about it now there might be a problem in the future. How many posts have we seen that they were 'cured" but it came back.

I agree.....you hopefully dodged a bullet but do you even understant the bullet you dodged.  As simply a I can put it ...your liver interferons are destroyed were destroyed by Hep C..  They no longer exist.  Interferons are the cleaning agents for your liver.  Even if you are successful on a treatment...the interferons do not magically reappear.  So what is going to filter out the poisons that you want to start injesting again?

Hey learned posters...if he is successful on treatment and his liver starts to regenerate do the interferon regenerate too.  Anyone got a real answer?

People lucky enough to have done this therapy and be successful on it realize that you did dodge a bullet but you can't go back to bad habits. Your life has changed....the experience that you just went through changed you. Get a grip...save a transplant...for someone who really needs it and is willing to go through all the steps necessary to avoid and maintain a healthly life style.  

If you need transplant info let me know and I'll send you a couple of websites.  Remember posts are just personal opinions....check with you Hepatogolist for your individual circumstances.  

[SurfsideGal]

What the heck are liver interferons? I go to most conferences and have never heard one researcher talk about liver interferons. Sorry, but your info is wrong. Where did you see this?

[alijee]

Wait at least for 6 months to know whether you are SVR or not.

[swoloby]

F2 with fibroscan

[sammyandb]

If youve already dodged a bullet, why would you even want to?

[swoloby]

i have F2 with fibroscan