Can you still drink if you have hepaitis C?

[PhilipJones]

Can you still drink alcohol if you have Hepatitis C?

[nygirl7]

If you do a search on this question in here you will get more threads than you can handle on this issue.

Generally it starts a brawl on the forum - it would be much wiser to just look up those threads than have anyone answer it on here.

That is the BEST advice I can give anyone on this issue.  :)

[portann]

The textbook answer is no, I believe. It hastens the liver's deterioration, which is already engaged in a full-time struggle with the virus.

That said, many people in this forum lived for decades with HCV before being diagnosed with it, so we had no awareness that it was contraindicated.  I personally drank occasionally over the decades I had it and on diagnosis, my liver wasn't that bad based on a biopsy.

Generally, promoting a healthy lifestyle that taxes your liver the least is your best bet.

[jmjm530]

In general, yes, but not more than one drink a day if a woman, or two if a man. In specific, see a good board certified hepatologist (liver specialist)  -- not your family doctor or gastro -- and ask him or her. You can also do further independent research either here or elsewhere.

-- Jim

[jmjm530]

Somewhat related, I just read that alcohol can shrink the brain but those that "google" alot have better functioning brains. Hopefully, at least in my case, things have balanced out since I've spent a lot of time googling to make sure it is OK to drink in moderation :)

-- Jim

[Trinity4]

Where as Jim's hepatologist advised one drink for a woman, two for a man - mine indicated that even if I clear the virus no drinking for the rest of my life unless it's a very special occassion.  Then only a glass of wine.  Two top hep docs with very different opinions.  Jim and I started with the same degree of liver damage also.  So you see how controversial this topic can be
Trinity

[jmjm530]

You might have more fun if you switch to my doc :)

-- Jim

[Trinity4]

You're right -  and surely I can find something special in each every day :)

[FlGuy]

I have come to believe that doctors, used car salespeople, thirteen year old daughters and politicians have one thing in common, they dramatically exaggerate on both the upside and downside on almost every topic. Before a sound reaches your ears there should be a little mental buzzer that's reminds you 'here it comes'. Although I choose not to drink alcohol (I get spontaneous headaches), I would not hesitate if I wanted. See, your doc planted an easy direction for you to observe - 'None'.  That's a whole lot easier to quantify than 'in moderation'.

[Kathy73]

What about alcohol during SOC?

[Isobella]

As a former wine lover (yummy!!)  I could not even imagine having a drink while on tx.  (I am doing #12 tonight.)

While I am looking forward to resuming drinking my occasional glass of wine when I am done and SVR (i was stage1/grade0), I could not imagine having any alcohol while txing..the thought turns my stomach and makes me even more tired than the usual exhaustion.

Just my thoughts, tho :-)

Isobella

[Kathy73]

Thanks for the info. I'm starting in two weeks and like an occasional drink or wine. It will be good to give my liver whatever rest I possibly can.

[nygirl7]

"Where as Jim's hepatologist advised one drink for a woman, two for a man - mine indicated that even if I clear the virus no drinking for the rest of my life unless it's a very special occassion.  Then only a glass of wine. "

Exactly what mine said too and is common sense logic.

***********However remember ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY NO ALCOHOL WHILE ON TREATMENT IF YOU WANT A CHANCE AT CLEARING THE VIRUS.*****************

(I didn't want to post but somehow that needs to be brought up big time so people don't misunderstand in any way how crucial it is to be alcohol free during SOC)

[jmjm530]

NYGirl: I didn't want to post
---------------------------------
We all know you tried to resist but that pull from the dark side can be mighty strong :)

[nygirl7]

HA As you know........I've been there on the dark side too long - I've been REALLY good lately and just wanted to show that I wasn't as perfect as people think!  ;-P

[jmjm530]

NYG: just wanted to show that I wasn't as perfect as people think!  
---------
Thanks for clearing up the confusion :)

[FlGuy]

With the decreasing price of gasoline it's once again almost afforable to throw some gas on a fire.

[Wilful1]

Thank goodness for the sense of humor that most of you retain in the midst of such misery while tx at times.  It keeps me going forward, and I miss my wine at times too.
Wilful

[Debbie223]

Well as petty as this might sound I have had a really tough time thinking that I can never have wine again. I enjoyed that part of my life. I have never had a drinking problem and would never ever drink on tx...how foolish that would be. I do hope to someday be able to have a glass of wine..... accepting not being able to will be hard but not the end of the world.....

Peace

[eureka254]

Some like to throw gasoline... but some like to throw crude oil.  

[Rockerforlife]

Why stop with the drinking....may as well slam some coke and heroin too...dont forget the crystal meth.

[springfever]

stop wining

[GoofyDad]

I was scrolling down to the text window to commend you on your silence when there at number 12  it was. SPLAT.

:)

[mikesimon]

Resveratrol May Help Treat Fatty Liver
from WebMD —

Kelley Colihan

October 16, 2008 — Scientists looking for ways to help treat fatty livers have discovered that an ingredient in red wine can help protect from -- and possibly even be used to treat -- fat buildup in the liver that goes hand-in-hand with chronic alcohol use.

This study zoned in on resveratrol.

You've likely heard about the antioxidant found in red wine, grapes, berries, and peanuts. Resveratrol has previously been linked to health benefits for cancer and heart disease.

It may seem counterintuitive to think that a main ingredient in something like red wine could actually help to protect the liver from damage, but that was one of the key findings.

The study, led by Joanne M. Ajmo at the University of South Florida Health Sciences Center in Tampa, looked at the effects of resveratrol in alcoholic fatty livers of mice.

Researchers found that alcohol-fed mice given resveratrol had less fat in their livers and the fat broke down more quickly than alcohol-fed mice not give resveratrol.

The researchers note that resveratrol has been shown to activate molecules that are also important in fat metabolism in the liver. Chronic alcohol abuse inhibits these molecules.

In this study, alcohol-fed mice treated with resveratrol also had enhanced activity of these molecules.

"Collectively, these results demonstrate that resveratrol treatment protected against the development of alcoholic [fatty liver] in mice," they write.

The authors write that alcohol along with "concentrated resveratrol could be a more potent and efficient way" of getting the health benefits of resveratrol alone.

The study appears in the October issue of The American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology.

SOURCES:

Ajmo, J. The American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, October 2008; vol 295: pp 833-842.

News release, American Physiological Society.

[portann]

Hi Mike,

Glad you posted that.

Heart disease is something  to which so many people are prone, including people with a 'liver'  situation'. And it's almost mainstream thinking that a glass of wine a day may be better than none to protect your heart. It's tough to navigate between liver and heart, especially for me, since I have  hypertension.

Anyway, for now, I stick to red grape juice but it's hard to believe it's just as beneficial as wine. Heck, with your study to argue my case, I can now look forward to red wine after tx, even though I'm not a mouse.