If you were treated for hepatitis C and IV, please answer

[cduggles]

I’ve been attending conferences about Hepatitis C, and a physician quickly mentioned that IV drug users changed their IV-related substance use behaviors because of getting cured of Hepatitis C.

I’m curious if anyone who has been treated for Hepatitis C here did change IV-related behaviors once they got treatment.

Please elaborate in a post if you’d like. Thanks!

 

[Jabberwocky]

I got Hep C over 20 years ago before there were anti-virals. I contracted it sharing a cotton when shooting cocaine with a hooker. My doctor told me the only option was Interferon which he thought I might not be able to handle the side effects of because I was already suffering major depression. I delayed doing anything for about 6 months but when I went back to start on the Interferon my bloodwork showed I was one of the approx 20 % of people who spontaneously clear Hep C without treatment.

I felt this was such a miracle and a sign the universe had plans for me beyond being a junkie. I did quit IV for quite some years. However, when I picked up again I was scrupulous and preventing any contamination of another users blood and mostly chose to use alone.

 

[JessFR]

I'd already gotten on methadone and quit heroin for a year by the time I got the epclusa hep c cure. So it's a little hard to say how it might have affected my behavior.

I never did determine how I actually got hepc. There's several people I might have gotten it from. One in particular springs to mind but only because we used with him a lot and he woulda prolly used with lots of other people.

Never worked it out though. I hadn't shared any needles, so I'd say shared spoons are the most likely way I got it.

 

[Joey]

I was diagnosed and treated for Hep C throughout 2018-2019. I have absolutely changed the amount of risk I take using IV. I haven't been 100% perfect, can think of one time I shared a vial drawing a syringe, but I honestly didn't give a fuck when this wouldve happened before (daily IV heroin 2016-2017 and going from mid '17 on to early 2018 and lots of meth IV... shared way too much shit. I haven't been rediagnosed and have been tested several times since.

I was pretty devastated when I found out I had hep c. It changed my style in regards to IV use quite a bit. I haven't used IV as much since then either, overall. It's not my preferred ROA anymore and not doing it at all right now.

 

[JessFR]

I was diagnosed and treated for Hep C throughout 2018-2019. I have absolutely changed the amount of risk I take using IV. I haven't been 100% perfect, can think of one time I shared a vial drawing a syringe, but I honestly didn't give a fuck when this wouldve happened before (daily IV heroin 2016-2017 and going from mid '17 on to early 2018 and lots of meth IV... shared way too much shit. I haven't been rediagnosed and have been tested several times since.

I was pretty devastated when I found out I had hep c. It changed my style in regards to IV use quite a bit. I haven't used IV as much since then either, overall. It's not my preferred ROA anymore and not doing it at all right now.

It's interesting how different people react.

I wasn't affected much when I was diagnosed at all. I was a little upset. but I was in such a bad place at the time that I mostly didn't care. I cared in the sense of not wanting to infect other people. But as for myself, if anything I started taking more risks. The only time I shared a needle was after I got hep C, under the feeling like I was screwed anyway and wasn't likely to live long enough for it to matter.

When I got cured of hep c Id already quit, but I think I probably would take more care now if I relapsed and were using around other people again, so as to try and not be reinfected.

 

[cduggles]

Thanks for the replies.
It’s always interesting to compare what a physician thinks (he’s a hepatologist and specializes in transplants, so he’s seeing quite advanced liver conditions) to the perspectives of people who have actually been treated.

 

[Speedballl]

I've been diagnosed with hep c for almost a year now. I've started to believe u could eventually obtain heptic encephalopathy which could be life changing. Its hard to change straight out of a lifestyle but I've been really start recommend it

 

[Imaginarium]

Hey @cduggles!

When you say

I’ve been attending conferences about Hepatitis C, and a physician quickly mentioned that IV drug users changed their IV-related substance use behaviors because of getting cured of Hepatitis C.

What kind of IV-related behaviour changes did the physician say they were seeing? Change in injection frequency? Change in primary substance injected?

We are currently using the Xpert® HCV Viral Load Fingerstick test, a point-of-care test which runs on Cepheid’s GeneXpert System (For more info see INHSU’s Intervention Toolkit) to provide mobile HCV RNA testing. We aim to be a one-stop shop where you can get tested for active infection, receive your results in 60 minutes, and then if HCV RNA positive, have the opportunity to initiate treatment using pan-genotypic DAAs the same day.

I’d be interested in hearing about what sort of IV-related behaviour changes occur. It’s definitely something I’ll chat about with colleagues, peers and other affected community members.

 

[moonyham]

Well my mate got Hep C from a dodgy tattoo in thailand. His 'needle habits' changed after that and he doesn't get dodgy tattoos anymore haha.

I was blown away by the huge box of drugs he had to take. It was some 'new' treatment(this was 3 or so years ago?). Sooooo many pills he had to take, it was insane.

Question for you guys, how did you find out you had hep C? My friend went to donate blood and they were like bro, umm.. yeah you've got hep c. Thats how he found out.