Hepatitis C is a viral infection that attacks the liver and triggers chronic inflammation.[1] Most people who have hepatitis C don't notice any symptoms until it damages their liver — typically after many years. Due to it's destructive nature over time, hepatitis C is often considered more serious than hepatitis A or B infections. The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is usually passed between people via contaminated blood, commonly from sharing needles during illegal drug use. Antiviral drugs are the main treatment for HCV, although prevention and lifestyle changes are important also.
EditSteps
EditGetting Medical Treatment for HCV
- Consult with your doctor. Symptoms of hepatitis C infection don't often show up for about 3 months or later, and typically include: fatigue, mild fever, nausea, muscle and joints aches, reduced appetite, abdominal pain, dark-colored urine and yellowish discoloration of the skin and eyes.[2] If you notice any of these symptoms, especially if you're an illicit drug user or have received blood products in the past, then make an appointment with your doctor for an examination and testing.
- More advanced symptoms of HCV infection include: fluid accumulation in your abdomen (called ascites), swelling on your legs (called edema), itchy skin, spider veins on skin, bruising, reduced clotting ability of blood, unexplained weight loss, drowsiness, confusion and slurred speech.
- Your doctor will order urine and blood tests that look for HCV and high levels of liver enzymes, which indicate liver damage.
- In more advanced cases, your doctor may recommend a liver biopsy — taking a small sample of liver tissue (via a long, thin needle) and looking at it under a microscope for evidence of injury.
- Be honest about your drug use. When consulting with your doctor, it's important to be honest about a past or current history of injecting illicit drugs, such as heroin, because it's the biggest risk factor for catching hepatitis C and many other types of infections.[3] Doctor-patient confidentiality will typically prevent you from getting in trouble with the law, unless you're putting your child or other people in direct harm from using or selling.
- Depending on your family situation and history of drug use, social services may be informed and have to get involved.
- If you're pregnant and using illicit drugs, your doctor may feel compelled ethically or forced by law (depending on the state) to force addiction treatment on you so your baby is not harmed any further.[4]
- Getting treatment for your drug addiction is just as important, if not more so, than dealing with hepatitis C infection. Seek addiction treatment immediately.
- Talk to your doctor about antiviral drugs. Once it's established that you have hepatitis C, the primary (and only) medical treatment is with antiviral medications that are meant to clear the HCV from your body.[5] Commonly used older antivirals for hepatitis include: pegylated interferon (Roferon-A, Intron-A, Rebetron, Alferon-N, Peg-Intron), ribavirin (Rebetol), lamivudine (Epivir-HBV), adefovir dipivoxil (Hepsera) and entecavir (Baraclude).[6]
- Newer types of antivirals tailored specifically for HCV are classified as either protease inhibitors or polymerase inhibitors and include: boceprevir (VictrelisI), telaprevir (Incivek), simeprevir (Olysio), sofosbuvir (Sovaldi) and daclatasvir (Daklinza).[7]
- The goal of antiviral treatment is to have no HCV detected in your body at least 3 months after you finish the medication(s).
- Although drugs to treat hepatitis C have gradually improved over the decades, they still have serious side effects, such as flu-like symptoms, debilitating fatigue, hair loss, depression and destruction of healthy red and/or white blood cells.[8]
- Take the antivirals as directed. Older antiviral medications were typically taken daily and for up to 72 weeks to be able to rid the body of HCV, but side effects were a common concern due to toxicity. Newer antiviral drugs tend to be more effective at killing HCV, so they can be taken for shorter periods of time (daily for between 12-24 weeks) and consequently lead to less serious side effects.[9] As such, follow your doctor's instructions very closely to avoid unwanted side effects.
- Sometimes combining newer anti-viral medications with existing ones (ribavirin with interferon, for example) can be more effective than solo drug therapy.
- Interferon therapy is given by injection by tour doctor, but most other antivirals are taken orally as pills at home. It's best to always take antivirals pills with food or after meals.
- Regimens and dosages of antivirals vary depending on the hepatitis C genotype, extent of liver damage and other medical conditions.
- Consider a liver transplant as a last resort. If your liver is severely damaged and it's not functioning properly, then a liver transplant becomes a possible option.[10] During a transplant, the surgeon removes as much of your damaged liver as possible and replaces it with a healthier liver from a deceased donor or a portion of healthy liver tissue from a living donor. Liver tissue actually grows relatively quickly and can regenerate itself better than other organs.
- Realize that a liver transplant is often not a cure for hepatitis C, as treatment with antiviral drugs typically must continue.
- In approximately 50% of the patients with chronic hepatitis who get a liver transplant, the HCV infection recurs and causes liver injury again.[11]
- The 5-year survival rate after a liver transplant is between 60-80%, depending on the surgical expertise, health of the new liver tissue and lifestyle of the patient.
EditTrying Alternative Therapies for HCV
- Talk to a herbalist or naturopath. Taking herbal remedies and/or supplements for infections and other diseases is often confusing and difficult to understand their potential effectiveness. Your doctor is not likely to know much about herbs / supplements and medical websites don't often mention them, so you need to seek out a knowledgeable health professional. Licensed herbalists, naturopaths or even chiropractors might be a great way to start.
- Spend quality time online researching various herbs / supplements that can positively impact hepatitis C. Unfortunately, specific dosage information is rare to come by because so many variables are involved.
- Always tell your medical doctor if you're taking or thinking of taking herbs / supplements because some may interact dangerously with medications.[12] In most cases, herbs and medications can be taken concurrently.
- As a general guideline, you can use herbs as dried extracts (capsules, powders, teas) or tinctures (alcohol extracts).[13]
- Unless otherwise indicated, make herbal teas with 1 tsp. of dried plant material per cup of very warm water.
- Steep covered for up to 20 minutes, especially if you're using the roots of a plant.
- Drink between 2-4 cups of the herbal tea per day.
- Take milk thistle supplements. Milk thistle extract has been used to treat liver problems for many centuries. The most helpful compound in milk thistle is called silymarin, which has been shown to protect the liver from various viruses, toxins, alcohol and many drugs. The studies are mixed, but milk thistle (silymarin) seems to have the potential to reduce the symptoms of chronic hepatitis and improve quality of life, although it may not always improve liver function tests or reduce HCV levels in the blood.[14]
- Look for standard silymarin extracts that contain 70% silybin for best results, as they seem to be the most effective.
- Silybin is a strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory that can stimulate the immune system, which is why it's helpful for all causes of hepatitis and cirrhosis.
- People with ragweed allergies should be cautious with milk thistle products. Milk thistle can also have estrogen-like effects, so people with hormone-sensitive conditions (breast cancer, for example) should be careful too.
- The effective dose to help with hepatitis C is not known, so some experimentation is needed.
- Consider taking SNMC (Stronger Neominophagen C). SNMC is a liquid supplement that contains glycine, glycyrrhizin and cysteine in a 20:2:1 ratio all mixed in a saline solution.[15] SNMC is helpful for reducing hepatitis symptoms, improving liver function (based on enzymes in the blood) and healing liver tissue, but it doesn't directly kill HCV.[16]
- SNMC solution is often administered via daily intravenous (IV) injections, although some recent studies suggest that oral forms (drinking it) may be just as effective for chronic hepatitis.
- Typical formulations of SNMC are 2,000mg of glycine, 200mg of glycyrrhizin and 100mg of cysteine all mixed in a 100cc IV bag of saline solution.
- Glycyrrhizin is the main active compound in licorice root, which has also been used to treat liver disease for centuries.
- Try Cordyceps mushrooms. Cordyceps are types of mushrooms commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat liver diseases. Some studies show Cordyceps mushroom can stimulate immune function and improve liver function in patients with hepatitis B, so it may be worth a try also for hepatitis C.[17] Cordyceps mushroom supplements typically come in capsules, but also liquid extracts. An ideal dosage for hepatitis C is not known, so some experimentation is needed.
- Cordyceps may slow down blood's ability to clot, so be cautious if you're on blood-thinning medications. Always tell your doctor about all supplements you're taking so there's less risk of a negative reactions with drugs.
- Another type of mushroom that helps with chronic hepatitis B infection and may also be helpful for hepatitis C is Reishi mushroom.[18]
- Experiment with high doses of vitamin C. Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) isn't a direct treatment for hepatitis C infection, but high doses can help stimulate the immune response to eliminate viruses from the bloodstream.[19] Vitamin C is also a strong antioxidant that has some antiviral abilities, so it might be worth experimenting with for HCV due to its relative safety and lack of expense.
- High dosages of vitamin C range from 3,000mg to 10,000mg daily, spread out over the day. The vitamin can be taken as capsules, muscle injections or IV bags.
- The effective dose to help with hepatitis C is not known, so some experimentation is needed.
- It's best to build up to higher daily doses and not take more than 1,000mg at a time because it can trigger loose bowels and short-term diarrhea.
- High doses of vitamin C has not actually been proven to increase the risk of kidney stones, despite its reputation for doing so.
- Learn about SBEL1. A newly discovered and tested Chinese herbal compound called SBEL1 seems to have the ability to inhibit and kill HCV by about 90%, at least in lab studies on human liver cells.[20] Research on patients with HCV is next, so learn more about SBEL1 and remember it for potential future use against hepatitis.
- SBEL1 is extracted from a medicinal herb found in Taiwan and Southern China normally used by local populations to treat sore throats and inflammation.
- Scientists are excited that SBEL1 can make a big impact on hepatitis C worldwide, as it's estimated to affect 150-200 million people and cause more than 350,000 deaths each year.[21]
EditPreventing Hepatitis C
- Don't share needles. Hepatitis C (and B) are transmitted through contact with infected blood, so illicit drug users who share needles to inject are at greatest risk.[22] As such, either stop the drug use altogether (ideally) or always use clean, unused needles for injecting.
- In addition to needles, don't share any drug paraphernalia, such as syringes, containers or any preparation equipment — they can all be contaminated with infected blood.
- Heroin users are particularly at risk due to the greater likelihood of using needles and syringes to deliver the drug directly into the bloodstream.
- Practice safe sex. Having unprotected sex with someone who is infected can also pass on hepatitis causing viruses, although it's much more common with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) than HCV for reasons that are not entirely understood.[23] Regardless, always use condoms for sexual activities, even with people you think you know well.
- Unprotected anal sex has the highest risk of transmitting STDs and other blood-born viruses such as HCV.
- Up to 40% of HCV infections are of unknown cause, although a good percentage of those cases are due to secretive drug behavior from spouses and significant others.
- Be cautious with tattoos and piercing. Although they are not common methods of spreading viral infections, there still is risk with piercing and tattooing because they use needles to puncture the skin. As such, be cautious about body piercing and tattooing and always choose a reputable shop that's been there for a while.[24] Ask the service provider how they go about cleaning their equipment and preventing the transfer of contaminated blood.
- If the shop or beauty parlor seem evasive or hostile to your polite questioning, go somewhere else.
- Make sure the service providers always use sterile or new needles. Consider buying your own sterile tools and giving them to the employee to use on you..
- Cut back on alcohol. Reducing your alcohol consumption (or stopping completely) is not a method for directly preventing hepatitis C infection, but alcohol (ethanol) is toxic to the liver and speeds up the progression of every liver disease.[25] As such, limit your consumption to no more than 1-2 drinks daily if you're healthy, but stop immediately if you have any infection that impacts your liver.
- Binge drinking (more than 3 or 4 drinks in an evening) is especially damaging to your liver, particularly if you have any type of hepatitis.
- Grain-based alcohol (vodka, whiskey) is much worse for your liver than red wine, which contains some health benefits due to the antioxidant content. Beer is between the two in terms being damaging.
EditTips
- Follow up your antiviral treatment with regular blood tests to monitor HCV in order to help your doctor know whether you need to continue on drug therapy.
- Blood and blood products used for transmission are tested for both hepatitis B and C, but some recipients still get infected, so the safety process is not perfect.
- Healthcare workers need to practice precautions when handling blood and other body fluids. Always wearing gloves is a must.
- Contrary to any rumors, there have been no reports of hepatitis infection passed on from acupuncture therapy in the U.S.[26]
- Just to be on the safe side, don't share personal items, such as toothbrushes and razors, with other people.
EditWarning
- No vaccine is currently available to protect you against HCV.
EditRelated wikiHows
- Recognize Hepatitis C Symptoms
- Prevent Hepatitis C
- Overcome Hepatitis C
- Recognize Hepatitis B Symptoms
EditSources and Citations
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