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TOPIC: Herbs and liver safety

Herbs and liver safety 4 years 4 weeks ago #3028

zhuk Offline Platinum Member Posts: 551 Thank you received: 502 Karma: 3	Came across this the other day and thought it might be helpful...list of herbs in relation to their liver-safety and also potential interaction with meds. For example, I'm a vegetarian and soy was something I did NOT know about! Herbal dietary supplements glossary Also handy pdf for printing http://hcvadvocate.org/library/Herb_Glossary.pdf
	GT1a since 1988, diagnosed 1990 F0, tx naive VL 262,000 ALT 40 AST 26 GGT 13 Fibroscan 04/12/15 - 2.9 Started Mesochem sof/dac 12 weeks 01/01/2016 11/02/2016 - 6 weeks UNDETECTED AST 26 ALT 26 The administrator has disabled public write access. The following user(s) said Thank You: DrJames, Joy, LondonGirl, pat1, Chejai, Lynne-Francis-facebook, Tina-Hill-facebook, LisaP, Annasnow

Herbs and liver safety 4 years 3 weeks ago #3161

Jimmy6429
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Hey zhuk also noted this on wiki on the sofosbuvir page, st johns wort is an old remedy for liver complaints, hence a lot of hep c sufferers use it, its definetly not to be used with sof, I would cease use of the herb st marys thistle or any st johns wort remedy preferably weeks before using the new DAAs
from wiki on Sof:

Interactions
Sofosbuvir is a substrate of P-glycoprotein, a transporter protein that pumps drugs and other substances from intestinal epithelium cells back into the gut. Therefore, inducers of intestinal P-glycoprotein, such as rifampicin and St. John's wort, could reduce the absorption of sofosbuvir.

may be mentioned elsewhere here but thought it worth reiterating,
jim

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Herbs and liver safety 4 years 3 weeks ago #3170

zhuk
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Yep jim I'd heard about St John's Wort before, and its contraindications with sof. Not sure about milk thistle - I've been taking it for years and am pretty sure my ALT levels have been a bit lower since. According to this interactions check it seems OK with Harvoni, but since I've only got about 1 week's supply left, may be well stop them now in preparation for treatment. Which will be soon, hopefully!

http://www.drugs.com/drug-interactions/harvoni-with-milk-thistle-3567-16903-1633-0.html

Edit: Conflicting info, again Lucinda Porter...better to be safe than sorry

Attention for Liver Disease: The Hepatitis C Antiviral Long-Term Against Cirrhosis (HALT-C) study reported that silymarin was associated with reduced symptoms, but not reduced liver inflammation when used by hepatitis C patients. Milk thistle may lower liver function tests. Because it appears to interact with cytochrome p-450 metabolized substances, do not take milk thistle during HCV treatment.

Safety Information: If used as recommended, milk thistle is generally safe. Reported side effects are mild laxative, gastric complaints, itching and lowered blood sugar levels. Safety has not been established for children, pregnant or nursing mothers.

Interactions: May interact with any cytochrome p-450 metabolized substances. Silymarin has the potential to interact with many drugs, herbs and dietary supplements. A few are hormones, methadone, antibiotics, anti-seizure, antidepressants, antipsychotics, antihistamines, organ transplant-rejection, cardiac, lipid-lowering drugs and sleeping pills.

http://www.lucindaporterrn.com/hepatitis-c-and-milk-thistle/

GT1a since 1988, diagnosed 1990
F0, tx naive
VL 262,000 ALT 40 AST 26 GGT 13 Fibroscan 04/12/15 - 2.9
Started Mesochem sof/dac 12 weeks 01/01/2016
11/02/2016 - 6 weeks UNDETECTED
AST 26
ALT 26

Last Edit: 4 years 3 weeks ago by zhuk.

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Herbs and liver safety 4 years 1 day ago #5148

flyingfox66 Offline Elite Member Posts: 172 Thank you received: 213 Karma: 0	So I better not eat any more Aloe Vera...hmmm....some people recommend it specifically for Hep C. At least I can keep drinking my Dandelion tea during treatment. Big question is though what about "medical" marijuana with the tx? Is that contraindicated? Seems like it would help with a lot of the reported sides.
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Herbs and liver safety 4 years 1 day ago #5150

LondonGirl
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i have heard shoul avoid Valerian, it's in a few 'promote sleep teas'.

re med Marijuana, didn't I read many US states offer HepC patients this as the norm?

GT1a Dec14 F2/8.7 VL 900000-2.5M
Jan16 Hepcivir-L MonkMed/Redemption
Baseline: VL 913575 Alt 76 Platelets low
Wk2 VL1157 Alt 23
DET Wk 8 VL 32 Alt19 'In the slow lane'
June16 Fibro 5.7 F0/1 LIF 1.5
Wk 11 VL<12 Alt 13 Det/Unq
Extending tx 12 wks Mylan Sofo/Dac MonkMed
Wk 14 VL <12 Det/Unq
Wk 16 VL UNDETECTED
Wk 22 + 4 Wks Sunprevir FixHepC
Wk 24 UNDETECTED Alt 13
Wk 12 post tx SVR12 Wk 26 SVR24
Thank-you Tim, Dr Debasis @ MonkMed & Dr Freeman @ Fix HepC

Last Edit: 4 years 1 day ago by LondonGirl.

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Herbs and liver safety 4 years 1 day ago #5152

Tina-Hill-facebook Offline Platinum Member Posts: 733 Thank you received: 1602 Karma: 8	Thanks Zhuk I will be printing this out and its back to regular milk for me for the time being anyway.
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Herbs and liver safety 4 years 1 day ago #5153

flyingfox66 Offline Elite Member Posts: 172 Thank you received: 213 Karma: 0	Really? I hadn't heard that. I wish Australia would get with the times on that front. Ashwagandha is a good knock out herb for sleep issues. I wonder if thats a problem too. I hate insomnia!
	F49HepC25ysGT1a "mild" Harvoni 12 wks Brisbane, Australia The administrator has disabled public write access.

Herbs and liver safety 4 years 1 day ago #5156

LondonGirl
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There is also almond milk?

GT1a Dec14 F2/8.7 VL 900000-2.5M
Jan16 Hepcivir-L MonkMed/Redemption
Baseline: VL 913575 Alt 76 Platelets low
Wk2 VL1157 Alt 23
DET Wk 8 VL 32 Alt19 'In the slow lane'
June16 Fibro 5.7 F0/1 LIF 1.5
Wk 11 VL<12 Alt 13 Det/Unq
Extending tx 12 wks Mylan Sofo/Dac MonkMed
Wk 14 VL <12 Det/Unq
Wk 16 VL UNDETECTED
Wk 22 + 4 Wks Sunprevir FixHepC
Wk 24 UNDETECTED Alt 13
Wk 12 post tx SVR12 Wk 26 SVR24
Thank-you Tim, Dr Debasis @ MonkMed & Dr Freeman @ Fix HepC

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Herbs and liver safety 4 years 1 day ago #5157

LondonGirl
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I know, medical marijuana in the form if something a bit like an ecig I believe!

GT1a Dec14 F2/8.7 VL 900000-2.5M
Jan16 Hepcivir-L MonkMed/Redemption
Baseline: VL 913575 Alt 76 Platelets low
Wk2 VL1157 Alt 23
DET Wk 8 VL 32 Alt19 'In the slow lane'
June16 Fibro 5.7 F0/1 LIF 1.5
Wk 11 VL<12 Alt 13 Det/Unq
Extending tx 12 wks Mylan Sofo/Dac MonkMed
Wk 14 VL <12 Det/Unq
Wk 16 VL UNDETECTED
Wk 22 + 4 Wks Sunprevir FixHepC
Wk 24 UNDETECTED Alt 13
Wk 12 post tx SVR12 Wk 26 SVR24
Thank-you Tim, Dr Debasis @ MonkMed & Dr Freeman @ Fix HepC

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Herbs and liver safety 4 years 1 day ago #5159

flyingfox66 Offline Elite Member Posts: 172 Thank you received: 213 Karma: 0	can't expect a compromised liver to deal with actual smoking
	F49HepC25ysGT1a "mild" Harvoni 12 wks Brisbane, Australia The administrator has disabled public write access.

Herbs and liver safety 4 years 1 day ago #5160

Tina-Hill-facebook
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I use amitriptyline for sleep, I have the Hep I app on my phone and its okay with the Sof Led combination. The other benefit is it is non addicting and its also used regularly by liver clinic to help with sleep disturbances.
It also works well to relieve tension headaches and body aches. I take 1 10mg tab if I have trouble sleeping. You do wake up feeling dry however so drink heaps of water.
Please ask your after care specialist or nurse to see if this may be an option for you.

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Herbs and liver safety 4 years 1 day ago #5161

LondonGirl
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it's not actual smoking, no nicotine - more an inhaler, but it's like an ecig in appearance. it's similar to an ecig in that it's long & narrow and you inhale, medical marijuana is being offered to patients of quite a few conditions in the US i've read.

GT1a Dec14 F2/8.7 VL 900000-2.5M
Jan16 Hepcivir-L MonkMed/Redemption
Baseline: VL 913575 Alt 76 Platelets low
Wk2 VL1157 Alt 23
DET Wk 8 VL 32 Alt19 'In the slow lane'
June16 Fibro 5.7 F0/1 LIF 1.5
Wk 11 VL<12 Alt 13 Det/Unq
Extending tx 12 wks Mylan Sofo/Dac MonkMed
Wk 14 VL <12 Det/Unq
Wk 16 VL UNDETECTED
Wk 22 + 4 Wks Sunprevir FixHepC
Wk 24 UNDETECTED Alt 13
Wk 12 post tx SVR12 Wk 26 SVR24
Thank-you Tim, Dr Debasis @ MonkMed & Dr Freeman @ Fix HepC

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Herbs and liver safety 4 years 1 day ago #5163

flyingfox66 Offline Elite Member Posts: 172 Thank you received: 213 Karma: 0	Honestly taking these DAA's is for me a very rare foray into the world of prescription drugs. Generally speaking, me and pharma are not friends and not about to become so. On the good side I don't have serious health issues. The herbs have kept my liver function pretty good so I'm not expecting major sides. I'd much rather deal with it with herbs if possible.
	F49HepC25ysGT1a "mild" Harvoni 12 wks Brisbane, Australia The administrator has disabled public write access.

Herbs and liver safety 4 years 1 day ago #5165

LondonGirl
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I hear you FF, strongest thing I take on very rare occasions is a Paracetamol.
Still, we do what we have to do, I would prefer less precription drugs if possible,
but will keep an open mind as I am not on tx yet.

Meds are meds, just some are more toxic than others, herbs can also toxic,
One thing you can do, is just read up before swallowing anything and make an informed choice (my latest phrase he he)
that's my Philosophy anyway

GT1a Dec14 F2/8.7 VL 900000-2.5M
Jan16 Hepcivir-L MonkMed/Redemption
Baseline: VL 913575 Alt 76 Platelets low
Wk2 VL1157 Alt 23
DET Wk 8 VL 32 Alt19 'In the slow lane'
June16 Fibro 5.7 F0/1 LIF 1.5
Wk 11 VL<12 Alt 13 Det/Unq
Extending tx 12 wks Mylan Sofo/Dac MonkMed
Wk 14 VL <12 Det/Unq
Wk 16 VL UNDETECTED
Wk 22 + 4 Wks Sunprevir FixHepC
Wk 24 UNDETECTED Alt 13
Wk 12 post tx SVR12 Wk 26 SVR24
Thank-you Tim, Dr Debasis @ MonkMed & Dr Freeman @ Fix HepC

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Herbs and liver safety 4 years 1 day ago #5166

Tina-Hill-facebook Offline Platinum Member Posts: 733 Thank you received: 1602 Karma: 8	I was only trying to be helpful
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