Liver Transplants

When it comes to treating Hepatitis C, there are few options. In fact in traditional Western medicine, we really have only variations on the same course of drug therapy.

The therapy consists of a once weekly injection of the drug interferon and a twice daily dose of ribavirin which is an antiviral agent.

The psychological and physical side effects can be so severe that patients may be taken off the medication altogether. As a result, there are a number of factors that must be taken into account when making the decision to begin therapy.

The psychological side effects are by far the most serious in terms of influencing the patients desire to complete the course of medication. Serious depression and an increased desire to abuse alcohol and drugs are the unspoken yet most common psychological effects of the medication. Concentrating on the most familiar tasks may be difficult and this may affect job performance.

Physically, one can expect extreme fatigue. Do not expect to be able to engage in the same atheletic activities at the level of intensity previous to beginning the medication.

Factors to consider when making the decision to begin interferon/ribavirin therapy…

1) what is the extent of damage to the liver as a result of the Hepatitis C Virus? Can the treatment be postponed until better therapies are developed?

2) Are there other factors contributing to the liver damage such as alcohol, drugs, cancer, or a disease that may compromise the effectiveness of the treatment?

3) Patients need to be in relatively good physical condition as well as psychologically stable.

4) Are there any major personal or family issues that would make undertaking the course of treatment even more difficult than it is without these contributing factors?

The bottom line is that today’s medication can be effective against the Hepatitis C Virus and even work to make the virus undetectable in the blood…in effect cure. However, we must remember that this happens only under the best of circumstances and much like the search for the cure for AIDS, there is still a long way to go.

Share the Reality Check movie with students, patients and their families.