The most effective hepatitis drugs: from a doctor's prescription or your own kitchen

Hepatitis is a condition that causes inflammation of the liver. Most patients with hepatitis B and C suffer from chronic cases, so they require treatment from a doctor. This aims to reduce the risk of complications, such as liver failure. So, what are the options for the hepatitis medication that the doctor prescribes?

Choice of hepatitis drugs based on type

Actually, hepatitis symptoms can be controlled in simple ways, such as getting more rest and increasing fluid intake. However, these home methods are only effective for the treatment of acute hepatitis.

Meanwhile, chronic hepatitis patients need drug therapy. The drugs below aim to treat hepatitis by stopping HCV infection and inhibiting liver damage.

Even so, how to treat hepatitis on this one should not be done carelessly. The doctor will prescribe various drugs based on the type of hepatitis you have.

1. Hepatitis A

Hepatitis A is a type of hepatitis that is classified as mild. This means that there is no specific treatment for this one liver disease. Sufferers will recover on their own. The reason is, the body will clean this virus by itself.

In most cases of hepatitis A, the liver will recover within six months without lasting damage. That's why hepatitis A patients will focus on symptom control.

For example, a hepatitis A patient who has a fever may be given a fever-reducing medication, such as paracetamol.

The remaining way to treat hepatitis A may be to rest more and avoid risk factors, such as avoiding unsanitary snacks, washing hands before eating and others.

2. Hepatitis B

If hepatitis A will disappear with simple treatment, not for hepatitis B, especially those who have entered the chronic stage. Hepatitis B patients generally need treatment for the rest of their life. Therefore, you should do hepatitis B immunization from infancy to prevent the onset of this disease in the future. In addition, having safe sex and avoiding sharing needles can prevent this disease.

Hepatitis B treatment aims to reduce the risk of complications from liver disease, such as cirrhosis, and prevent transmission of the infection to other people. Doctors will usually prescribe drugs to treat hepatitis B, such as:

Antiviral drugs

One way to deal with hepatitis B is to use antiviral drugs. The use of antiviral drugs can help fight the virus and prevent liver damage. Reporting from the Hepatitis B Foundation, there are several drugs used to treat hepatitis B, including:

• Entecavir
• Tenofovir
• Lamivudine
• Adefovir
• Telbivudine

Interferon injection

Apart from antiviral drugs, interferon injections are also used to treat hepatitis B. These injectable drugs are artificial substances that are actually produced by the body to fight infection.

Interferon alfa-2b (intron A) injection is usually used for younger patients who want to avoid long-term treatment. Keep in mind that these medicines should not be used during pregnancy.

3. Hepatitis C

For those of you who have hepatitis C and it has been going on for more than 6 months, treatment from a doctor may be needed. Some people who experience hepatitis are not aware they have been infected with the virus several years ago.

If the scarring of the liver (cirrhosis) is severe, the doctor will recommend drugs to treat hepatitis, such as antiviral drugs and protease inhibitors.

Nucleoside analog antiviral drugs

One of the antiviral drugs used to treat hepatitis C is a nucleoside analogue. These drugs help prevent the spread of infection by stopping the formation of nucleosides in infected cells.

Ribavirin is the only drug used to treat HCV infection in this class. Even so, Ribavirin requires combination with interferon injection to fight infection.

You need to be careful when using this medicine. The reason is, Ribavirin can trigger the risk of birth defects and suppress growth in children. This risk can be transferred from the man to the female partner at conception.

Protease inhibitors

Protease inhibitors are oral hepatitis drugs that work by preventing the spread of infection. This drug also slows down the production of the virus in the body. The types of protease inhibitor drugs include:

• Telaprevir
• Boceprevir
• Paritaprevir

These three drugs are only used in combination with other HCV infection therapies. For example, Telaprevir is taken twice a day, while boceprevir is taken three times a day.

The most common side effects of this medicine are anemia, diarrhea, fatigue, headache, nausea, and vomiting.

Polymerase inhibitors and drug combination therapy

Polymerase inhibitors are designed to prevent the formation of the hepatitis C virus. The drug, including polymerase inhibitor Sovaldi, works by blocking the RNA polymerase used by the hepatitis C virus to replicate RNA.

This drug is also sometimes combined with ribavirin for 24 weeks. Keep in mind that polymerase inhibitors must be used with food and must not be destroyed. Common side effects include:

• nausea,
• itchy,
• insomnia, and
• sense of weakness.

4. Hepatitis D

Although rare, hepatitis D is more dangerous than other types of hepatitis. However, the hepatitis D virus can only interfere with liver function in hepatitis B patients.

Until now, Hepatitis D does not have specific drugs to fight the viral infection that causes it. However, patients with hepatitis will be given drugs that are not much different from other types of hepatitis.

Interferon alpha (IFN-α)

Interferon alpha is one of the hepatitis D drugs that has shown results that appear to be effective. In fact, the IFN-α results also appeared to be more potent in chronic hepatitis D patients than in cirrhosis patients.

However, this drug has a short-term effect, so it needs to be given daily or 3 times a week for 6 months to 1 year. Unfortunately, interferon alfa is also starting to be abandoned, including in Indonesia.

This is because this hepatitis treatment has side effects, but is not effective enough to fight infection. The side effects of using interferon alfa include:

• nausea and vomiting,
• fatigue and fever,
• anemia and headaches,
• high blood pressure, and
• anxiety disorders to depression.

If the disease has entered its final stages, the doctor may recommend a liver transplant as a last resort for hepatitis.

5. Hepatitis E

Similar to hepatitis A, hepatitis E can heal on its own with simple home care. In addition, there is no specific drug to fight hepatitis E virus infection.

However, hepatitis E virus infection that is already in the chronic category requires treatment from a doctor, such as:

• Ribavirin, and
• other antiviral drugs.

What about alternative drugs for hepatitis?

Current technological advances have enabled experts to research various plants as herbal remedies. In fact, many alternative medicines are used to relieve symptoms of liver disease, including hepatitis.

Although there are safe appendages, you need to check with your doctor before consuming them. The reason is, these drugs will later be processed by the liver, so that it could backfire for patients with liver disease.

Some alternative medicines can damage the liver and make the condition worse. That is why, always discuss with your doctor before using alternative medicine to avoid these risks.

If medications and treatments from a doctor do not show optimal results, the doctor may recommend a liver transplant. However, this liver transplant procedure requires certain terms and conditions before it is performed.

If you have further questions, please contact your doctor to get the right solution.

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