Question About Eligibility... Hep C

I'm currently going through Hep C treatment. It involves interferon (same as cancer treatment) and on a weekly basis I'm faced with severe flu symptoms.

Approaching my treating physician I was told that Marijuana is not an option.

I know that I would be a Category 2, however there is no way that my specialist will sign the forms. I'm already into treatment, so finding another specialist is out of the question... This treatment is bad enough as it is, I don't want to start it all over again.

Am I SOL? or is there a way around this?

Thanks

Three options are available to you. Find a Dr that will sign (ie BC online docs) Continue to approach your Doc (as I did) until they take you seriously. or Buy it on the street. My sister used Mj for her Symptoms of Hep C treatment. She was unable to get a script until long after she was finished the chemo and shit. I wish you the best of luck.

Thanks. I'll look into online doctors.

I don't have connections so buying off the street isn't an option. Last I smoked was over a year ago with a buddy.

Right now I'm attempting a grow... Obviously it will take months, but so would getting a license...

HazeyBee said:

I'm currently going through Hep C treatment. It involves interferon (same as cancer treatment) and on a weekly basis I'm faced with severe flu symptoms.

Approaching my treating physician (or his nurse rather) I was told that Marijuana is not an option and to basically suck it up.

I know that I would be a Category 2, however there is no way that my specialist will sign the forms. I'm already into treatment, so finding another specialist is out of the question... This treatment is bad enough as it is, I don't want to start it all over again.

Am I SOL? or is there a way around this?

Thanks

Click to expand...

Pot is not going to help your symptoms or your treatment. Your doctor is trying to fix your liver.

So you're saying... Marijuana, taken orally (via baked goods, or synthetic)... is not going to:

• Stop my persistent headaches
• Decrease my nausea (near inability to eat anything solid for 3 days)
• Extend my sleep from 3 straight hours to something better
• Help me deal with the severe aches I get after Interferon treatment weekly

Do you understand how frustrated, depressed, and irritable these symptoms can make you when you have to experience them consistently week after week?
Now don't you think that this stress would have a negative effect on a persons mental and physical (immune) health after a while?

So it would be logical that a substance which can help me cope with the majority of these effects could have a broader benefit.

Some research indicates increased liver damage. Other research indicates decreased liver damage. More research indicates a better sustained virological response when marijuana is used along side treatment. There is no research to suggest that marijuana decreases the effectiveness of HCV treatment.

The fact of the matter is that my liver is being damaged so long as I am infected with Hepatitis C. Treatment further strains the liver while fighting the virus.
It's hard enough to maintain a positive attitude through all of this when I have a history of diagnosed depression which is exacerbated by the severe effects of this treatment.

If my liver has to sustain marginal damage (not even proven) due to minimal (0.5g) Marijuana use 3 days a week --- to help me get through treatment and see that I am able to take my medication with the required 20+ grams of fat 3 TIMES DAILY ... then the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks.

I would love to see you handle an injection of interferon and have to throw back fatty foods when the sight and smell of food is putting you on the verge of vomiting.

Yes, my doctor is trying to fix my liver. With a treatment that is extremely difficult to stick with.

Who are you to say it won't help with symptoms? Do you have any experience or credentials you can back up that opinion with?

Doesn't matter, he's wrong. Mj is VERY effective at treating the symptoms caused by Hep C treatment.

HazeyBee said:

I'm currently going through Hep C treatment. It involves interferon (same as cancer treatment) and on a weekly basis I'm faced with severe flu symptoms.

Approaching my treating physician (or his nurse rather) I was told that Marijuana is not an option and to basically suck it up.

I know that I would be a Category 2, however there is no way that my specialist will sign the forms. I'm already into treatment, so finding another specialist is out of the question... This treatment is bad enough as it is, I don't want to start it all over again.

Am I SOL? or is there a way around this?

Thanks

Click to expand...

Next time you can inform the nurse he's incorrect. How you approach that is your call.

If you find a compassionate doctor you're good to go. This is the difficult part and your doctor may not sympathize.

I have hep c and am using pegasis inerferon treatment 1needle a week and 7 pills daily, my doctor sighned no problem 4 grm a day so my license is for 120 gr a month and I can grow 20 plants, i can sleep now eat now no more headaches and nausea, did you get government assistance with your treatment cuz they said I make to much income and I'm stuck with a 1800 $ bill every month for eleven months, not very happy about that also what geno type are you I'm a geno type 1,

GODOFBUD, I'm on triple drug therapy.

1 Injection Interferon Weekly
4 Ribavirin Daily ($20,000 / 6 mo)
6 Telaprevir Daily ($30,000 / 6 mo)

Geno Type 1

I get government assistance as I'm pretty well minimum wage. Plus I was infected due to a blood transfusion so my medical costs are covered.
I just saw you're from Yorkton, that's cool. I'm only a few hours away -- Regina.

Is your specialist in Yorkton?

No regina my doc is didi but the rn pam does mostly everything, mabe I've even met you but unlike you I brought hep c on myself by banging morphine in my younger days but eventually I got on methadone and have been clean for over 4 years now, my liver is kinda fucked since I lived without any clue that I was infected for a long time, I work in yhe oilfield on a rig so to the government assistance was a issue but the bill at the end of the month still hurts, I can get you a good doctor to see inbox me and ill help you out

Most Hepatologists are trying to reduce the load on the liver while it is fighting the infection. Marijuana is not going to help in that regard.

HazeyBee said:

So you're saying... Marijuana, taken orally (via baked goods, or synthetic)... is not going to:

• Stop my persistent headaches
• Decrease my nausea (near inability to eat anything solid for 3 days)
• Extend my sleep from 3 straight hours to something better
• Help me deal with the severe aches I get after Interferon treatment weekly

Do you understand how frustrated, depressed, and irritable these symptoms can make you when you have to experience them consistently week after week?
Now don't you think that this stress would have a negative effect on a persons mental and physical (immune) health after a while?

So it would be logical that a substance which can help me cope with the majority of these effects could have a broader benefit.

Some research indicates increased liver damage. Other research indicates decreased liver damage. More research indicates a better sustained virological response when marijuana is used along side treatment. There is no research to suggest that marijuana decreases the effectiveness of HCV treatment.

The fact of the matter is that my liver is being damaged so long as I am infected with Hepatitis C. Treatment further strains the liver while fighting the virus.
It's hard enough to maintain a positive attitude through all of this when I have a history of diagnosed depression which is exacerbated by the severe effects of this treatment.

If my liver has to sustain marginal damage (not even proven) due to minimal (0.5g) Marijuana use 3 days a week --- to help me get through treatment and see that I am able to take my medication with the required 20+ grams of fat 3 TIMES DAILY ... then the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks.

I would love to see you handle an injection of interferon and have to throw back fatty foods when the sight and smell of food is putting you on the verge of vomiting.

Yes, my doctor is trying to fix my liver. With a treatment that is extremely difficult to stick with.

Who are you to say it won't help with symptoms? Do you have any experience or credentials you can back up that opinion with?

Click to expand...

Go for it............

[h=3]Cons[/h]Ever since the results of the 2006 California study were published, experts have been expressing concern about the health implications of Hepatitis C patients using marijuana. A French study of untreated individuals with Hepatitis C (those not taking interferon therapies) showed that, compared with occasional or non-users of the drug, people who used marijuana daily were:

• more likely to have severe liver fibrosis
• at a higher risk for rapid fibrosis progression.

At the 2007 42nd Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver in Barcelona, Spain, the same French research team reported on a study linking marijuana use and liver steatosis. These researchers noted that marijuana binds to two receptors, CB1 and CB2. Recent experimental data suggests that activation of CB1 receptors increases steatogenesis (liver fat accumulation). Stimulation of the CB1 receptor is assumed to be the reason daily marijuana smoking is associated with the development of significant hepatic fibrosis.
In addition to the discovery that smoking marijuana accelerates liver fibrosis, concerns remain about its impact on the immune system. Experts explain that the use of marijuana may suppress immune function. Cannabinoid receptors are confirmed to be present on the surface of immune cells, and when the cannabinoid molecules from marijuana bind to these receptors, the person’s resistance to disease is compromised. Therefore, various studies have concluded that using marijuana can enhance the disease process.
[h=3]To Use or Not to Use[/h]While the decision to use marijuana with Hepatitis C is highly personal, taking these facts into consideration can help clarify its proven impact on those living with this disease. In particular, advocates suggest that medical marijuana laws and programs who specify its use for patients with specific conditions such as AIDS and cancer should also include people with Hepatitis C. Additionally, if you have Hepatitis C and are currently struggling with side effects of interferon therapy, it may be worth your while to investigate medical marijuana use in your area. Whether it’s breaking the law or not, any person with Hepatitis C considering smoking this drug should be aware that marijuana has been linked with increased liver fibrosis and possibly with decreased immune function. Whatever you choose to do, make your decisions based on what you believe will enhance your odds at fighting the infectious virus, not on what will hamper them.

http://www.hepatitis-central.com/mt/archives/2007/06/the_pros_and_co.html

ChesusRice said:

Most Hepatologists are trying to reduce the load on the liver while it is fighting the infection. Marijuana is not going to help in that regard.

Click to expand...

Think pros and cons need to be weighed out here...
And number of pros probably outweighs the cons.

SnakeByte said:

Think pros and cons need to be weighed out here...
And number of pros probably outweighs the cons.

Click to expand...

Already know the Pros
Most Hepatologists also know the cons

I do regular checks of my liver my specialist is okay with my cannabis use in aid of my hep c don't you guys really think if these "cons" were so bad they would let me countiue to use cannabis

Most Hepatologists are trying to reduce the load on the liver while it is fighting the infection. marijuana is not going to help in that regard.

Click to expand...

Funny that my doc has already said It's okay for me to drink moderately... throughout my treatment. I've chosen to not drink at all to give my liver it's best chance.

My problem is not eating the required foods, in that I physically can not eat without wanting to vomit. If my medication isn't being absorbed in fat, it won't do its job... So in the big picture, if I can find something to stimulate my appetite, then I'm coming out on top.

Remember... Marijuana does not need to be smoked which is the main concern. Taken orally, it can be less intense and last longer providing me a general low stimulation that will help me get through this.

GODOFBUD said:

No regina my doc is didi but the rn pam does mostly everything, mabe I've even met you but unlike you I brought hep c on myself by banging morphine in my younger days but eventually I got on methadone and have been clean for over 4 years now, my liver is kinda fucked since I lived without any clue that I was infected for a long time, I work in yhe oilfield on a rig so to the government assistance was a issue but the bill at the end of the month still hurts, I can get you a good doctor to see inbox me and ill help you out

Click to expand...

I sent you a PM. I think I have the same nurse, just different doc.

Thats bullshit man, hope you find some luck. Dont listen to anyone saying its not going to help, otherwise there would be no such thing as medical marijuana.

achaser87 said:

Thats bullshit man, hope you find some luck. Dont listen to anyone saying its not going to help, otherwise there would be no such thing as medical marijuana.

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This is true. Thanks for the support.

SIT-REP:
I've found a clinic and have sent away all my paperwork to have medical records reviewed. I am hoping to consult with the doctor by the end of next week and have my application sent away the following week. The sooner the better, Interferon sucks ass.

Juicing plants seems like it might prevent some of the binding action that seems to negatively affect the liver. Definitely it can suppress immune function, so if you are acutely ill it should be considered. HazeyBee however has a pretty good point. If he's constantly so sick he can't eat, it's highly unlikely the negatives outweigh the positives. Other anti nausea meds have serious side effects as well. They also don't work as well for some people.