HCMSG - Hepatitis C Mentor & Support Group, Inc.
Search
  • About Us
    • Our Mission
    • Board of Directors
    • Medical Advisors
  • Resources
    • COVID-19
    • Harm Reduction
    • Hep C Risks
    • Hep C Facts & Stats
    • Medications and Treatments >
      • Patient Assistance Programs
    • Reading
    • Links
  • Programs/Training
    • The Circle Model >
      • THE CIRCLE Registration
      • Group and Facilitator Guide
      • Circle Sites
    • Hepatitis C Online Training
    • The Hepatitis C Education and Support Group Assistance Program
    • Healthcare Provider Training
  • Newsletter
  • Blog
  • Support Us
  • Contact Us

VIGILANCE NEEDED DURING HCV TREATMENT

3/26/2015

0 Comments

 

Nicole Cutler L.Ac.

March 19, 2015

Improve your chance of success and prevent drug resistance by religiously sticking to your Hepatitis C dosing schedule.

Just a few decades ago, antibiotics were revered as wonder drugs because they were so effective at curing deadly diseases. While a majority of Americans have benefitted from some form of antibiotics, the evolution of drug resistance has reduced antibiotic effectiveness and created even more dangerous strains of bacteria.

Drug treatment for Hepatitis C is approaching the same miraculous status as antibiotics used to occupy. New drug combinations are eliminating the Hepatitis C virus in record numbers; however, resistance to these medications is yet to be fully realized.

The antibiotic era began in 1929 with Alexander Fleming’s observation that bacteria would not grow near colonies of the mold Penicillium. Following this discovery, penicillin drastically reduced deaths from bacterial diseases. Many lives were saved by this medical marvel. But, eventually, drug resistance began to emerge. The sexually transmitted disease gonorrhea exemplifies this change:

  • In the 1960s the antibiotics penicillin and ampicillin were able to control most cases of gonorrhea.
  • Today, more than 24 percent of gonorrheal bacteria in the U.S. are resistant to at least one antibiotic.
  • Today, 98 percent of gonorrheal bacteria in Southeast Asia are resistant to penicillin.
The pharmaceutical industry is well aware of the problem of drug resistance, the ability of microbes to mutate and grow in the presence of a chemical (drug) that would normally kill or limit its growth. A challenge present in most healthcare settings today, MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is a type of staph bacteria that is resistant to several antibiotics. Likely a result of decades of overprescribing antibiotics and the evolution of superbugs, an estimated two percent of the population now carry MRSA – a severe and very difficult to treat infection.

Considering how stubborn the Hepatitis C virus is, and how long it has taken to create effective treatments, clinicians are rightfully cautious about Hepatitis C drug resistance. Just like humans, microbes will evolve (mutate) to escape their demise. As such, there is a risk of drug resistance when attempting to annihilate any pathogen. In general, there are three concepts heeded to minimize Hepatitis C drug resistance:

  1. Full Strength – Take the prescribed medications at full strength to prevent viral survivors. Any particles that survive a mild drug dose are likely to be somewhat resistant.
  2. Combinations – All of the current Hepatitis C drug regimens rely on a combination of drugs to improve effectiveness and reduce the chance of drug resistance. Combining medications applies different types of pressure to the virus, doing a better job of causing their extinction, not their evolution.
  3. Dosing Schedule – Each Hepatitis C drug treatment has its own dosing schedule; whether it is taking one pill once a day, three pills three times a day, or six pills daily with a weekly injection. Regardless of the schedule requested, it is vitally important to adhere to it. Missing a few doses could give the virus enough forgiveness to develop drug resistance.
Up to 90 percent effective, the newer Hepatitis C drugs stop the virus from making more copies of itself. These drugs have fewer side effects and need to be taken for a shorter duration than previous treatments. However, forgetting to take the medications poses the biggest threat for halting progress and allowing the virus to mutate. Most people would not knowingly take a lower dosage or just pick one medicine out of three prescribed for Hepatitis C treatment. Unfortunately, human error does occur. Especially if feeling overwhelmed or having issues remembering, accidentally skipping medications is a reality.

The new medications for Hepatitis C have not been used long enough to pinpoint how drug resistance will arise. Although it is relatively rare, studies have documented mutations of the Hepatitis C virus resulting from treatment. Just like with all microbe-killing drugs, the more people treat, the greater these incidences will become.

If dose skipping seems like a possibility, utilize pill counters or reminders to stick with your treatment regimen. The new drugs for eliminating the Hepatitis C virus are the result of millions of dollars in research, countless trials and medical perseverance. By reducing the emergence of drug resistance, we have an opportunity to wipe out Hepatitis C before it mutates into an even harder to kill pathogen.
http://www.hepatitiscentral.com/news/vigilance-needed-during-hcv-treatment/?eml=hepcen226
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Privacy Policy