hi oz,if you want to save your liver,i wouldnt drink any acohol.i have heard ,although i am not a doctor ,that acohol,weakens the tx.also,if you have hepc,it is like putting a match to gasoline.you need to be careful what you put into your body.this is a great support site.you will find a lot of good advice here.good luck on your journey.....

Hi oz. My doctor told me that is you drink while taking tx that it will make you very sick. I have taken my pills with and without eating and I can not tell any difference. I was sick to my stomack for the first 6 to 8 weeks and could not eat or even smell food, but it has gotten better. Still do not get hungry. My mother makes me eat alittle everyday. I have been on tx for 13 weeks and have lost 25lbs. Good luck.

Any recreational drugs or alcohol will compramise your immune system leaving you with a less than average chance at having a sustained virological response. The success with interferon is low enough as it is and I don't know a single person who drank, smoked weed, etc. who had a SVR. They all relapsed.

I did not read any of the other replies to your question because I have a firm belief that you should NOT DRINK now.

The day I received my diagnosis, I completely QUIT drinking anything with alcohol in it. I don't even allow myself to consume an item that was cooked using a bit of alcohol. Why?

Because it makes your liver work harder, hurts your liver, and if you were honest with yourself, you just don't need it in your life or especially in your body.

You realize that alcohol plays a BIG part in hurting your liver? So does it really matter if you can find a dr who will go along with your wish to "just have one or two drinks"?

Now before you go off thinking that I was not a drinker at all, so it's easy for me to be like this, but you're wrong!

I am a beer drinker from waaaaaay back. I do love my beer but was never a HUGE drinker. On the weekends I would have a handful of beers, if I went to a club or even if at home watching a hockey game. I absolutely LOVED my guinness and so much so that I have a couple of email address with guinness in them!

But I quit. Why? Because I love my liver and refuse to do something consciously that I know for a fact will be a harm to my liver.

But you do what you like. Go ahead and have that "one small glass" at that special occasion. Your liver is not my concern.

Don't like my reply? That's ok, don't listen to me.

Your liver will thank you if you do listen though.

Now, I will answer your other question.

Many medications work better when taken with food, or don't upset your stomach if taken with food.

I have had some rx where they are specific to say take 1hr before eating or 2hrs after eating! My guess on that one is to have an empty stomach.

I never really question the why because there is usally a valid reason like the two above I mentioned, so it's no big deal.

I agree with JustBlue...

Any alcohol or drugs etc.. makes it harder on you so it is up to you to decide if the "fun" outweighs your health or not. You could choose to do nothing and live as clean as possible and still get run over or die of something else long before your liver gets bad enough to kill you but the other side is you could live a long time with Hep C if you take care of yourself...

It is all a gamble and only each person can decide what is best for themselves.

Medications can be bad on liver as well but sometimes they are necessary ie: antidepressants so you don't suicide... HIV meds, etc.. some things are just vital and you have no choice which is why I believe in cutting out all the things that are not vital that could harm my liver. I have had a lot of friends die from Hep C and HIV together because it is a fragile balance between taking the meds to control the HIV and not taking the meds to keep liver Hep C safer... most of the time they put you on a schedule where you take meds for say 3 months and then not for 1 month (medication holiday I think is what they call it).

I was told by my GI I could NEVER DRINK AGAIN AFTER TX OR ON TX. I would relapse. Most people who do go back to their normal routine after TX of social drinking or whatever do relapse. I quit drinking 7 yrs ago the writing was on the wall. I definitly feel much better without the alcohol and drugs. As for the meds...I have to eat before I take the riba...I can feel when that dose hits me...the food slows down the impact. That drug is hard on your body..makes you weak. I wish you luck with your TX.

hello Oz13, my advice is plain and simple "Don't drink but Do Eat!!!!!!! The reason why is bigger than you and I. "LIFE" You drink with Hep C and you will surely die a quicker death and that is no B.S. Take it one day at a time!!!!!

Hello Oz, you have gotten lots of good advice here. Alcohol is poison to your liver. If this was not true then there would be no such thing as long term Alcoholics developing cirrhosis of the liver and eventually liver cancer. If you truly want to beat your HEP C and I'm sure you do, DON'T DRINK. Personally, I look at it like this. I would not put myself through the unpleasantness of tx, spend all this money, time and energy only to compromise it for a little alcohol. I liked my beer occassionally, but I love my family and life more. Its your choice.

As far as the doctor who says it is ok, well I question his medical knowledge & ethics. I can't imagine why he would tell you that and to be honest I would consider finding another doc. One that wants to see you succeed in your journey back to good health.

As for medication, you didn't say what it was you are taking. I can only speak for my ribavirin that I take. The information provided to me says take with or without food, UNLESS taking with Peg-interferon take with food. It does not say why the difference. The other important factor to remember is to take it at the same time everyday and the same way every time. If it is prescribed to take more then once daily, space your doses evenly to keep medication at a constant level in your body. Whatever medication you are/will be taking, you should be given a drug information sheet by the pharmacy that fills the prescription as well as the information provided by the drug manufacturer. Take care of you.
Lots of hugs.
Mtnstar

TREAT YOUR BODY LIKE A TEMPLE, DO NOT PUT ANY THING IN IT THAT IS NOT GOOD FOR YOU. DRINKING WILL DO MORE DAMAGE TO YOUR SICK LIVER. YOU ARE TRYING TO HEAL IT NOW ANDPRAY THAT THE TX WILL DO WHAT IT IS SUPPOSED TO DO, BUT YOUR BODY IS A GIFT THAT GOD GAVE YOU AND HE ALSO GAVE US CHOICES TO MAKE IN ORDER TO TAKE CARE OF IT. IT WILL BE YOUR CHOICE TO DRINK OR NOT DRINK, PLEASE MAKE THE GOOD CHOICE...LOVE...HELEN

Hi Oz13. My ole'man can't drink--he says he's an alcoholic so he's abstained since 1989. I'd encourage you not to do anything that will stress your liver, and drinking stresses the liver. I notice your profile says you're taking Ribovirin. So's Harry. He has a very poor appetite and nausea issues, so he makes sure to have something in his stomach, even dry toast or a half banana or a glass of milk works for him, too. There's less chance of him losing the Ribovirin then. Good luck, kiddo. It's all about choices, remember that!! Stay strong . . .

Thanks...
argh - that's gonna be the hardest part of all with this treatment, not drinking!!! I take the replies seriously though & certainly DO want to beat this, so no more booze :(
I slipped up once last weekend at a wedding... felt very bad, kept thinking i'm poisonsing myself!! Okay from now on fun without alcohol. Thanx again...

PLEASE DONT DRINK IF YOU WANT TO HEAL YOUR LIVER!!!!! TX OR NOT

all the advice you've been given is good advice and from ppl that know what they're talking about cos they've been where you are and can speak from personal experience and knowledge they have collected over their years of suffering from the dragon. the general concensus is that you should not drink any alcahol if you have any type of liver disease. so if you love life, dont.
good luck with your tx oz. keep us posted how you're doing, stay strong and keep smiling cos smiling lightens the burden and brightens your day.
we're here for you