INTRODUCTION THREAD: People affected by Hep B

[ThomasTu]

Hi @Daylen,

Welcome to the forum. Apologies for being a bit slow with the response, I have been travelling and dealing with some personal issues. Thank you for sharing your story and kind words about our community. I’ll try to answer your questions as best as I can:

@Daylen

#1 is the 90%-95% ‘functional cure’ thing real? because my doctor said there was no such thing as acute/chronic hep b, all hep b is chronic and you have to medicate it for the rest of your life, because from what i read after the 6 month markup (which i still don’t know the exposure date) i was hoping i would get rid of the virus and only do 3 months check ups to see if i need an intervention

There is definitely acute infections that are distinct from chronic infections. Indeed, as you mention correctly, ~90% of people exposed to hep B as adults end up clearing the infection within 6 months.

@Daylen

#2 in terms of lifestyle changes, i already don’t drink much and cut that out completely, reducing my smoking and with the current plan i should cut out cigarettes in a week, my diet is now whole grains, chicken and fish all cooked without oil in a pressure cooker, green juices, turmeric, ginger, my main concern is with working out, my doctor advised that i cut out the gym completely aside from cardio, i have some muscles and i don’t mind cutting back a bit but not entirely, is it true i can’t workout any longer

I am not aware of any data showing that working out is bad for your health or clearing hep B. Indeed, I (and many others on the forum with hepatitis B) work out regularly with no issue.

@Daylen

#3 i take supplements in terms of multivitamins, b complex, d3-k2, magnesium, pro biotics, omega 3-6-9, milk thistle, and now the doctor advised i take another ‘forte’ milk thistle supplement, i cut out protein powder and creatine, is that ok or are protein powder and creatine not harmful for the liver?

This has been mentioned in other parts of the forum (e.g., Working out, daily protein intake and HepB and Lifestyle changes, nutrition, and supplements for hep b - #17 by NeptuneJ). Essentially there’s no good data that it will help, and supplements in general are not regulated (so there’s no telling what’s actually in them).

@Daylen

#4 as i said i do not know the exposure date and im not sure if im the first or final stages of the hopefully ‘acute’ phase, i haven’t experienced major side effects aside from fatigue, but i already have a cold so i hope it’s that, but i want to do anything possible to avoid or prevent jaundice, as i can’t cope with the stigma of it, are there any ways to help with that?

The best approach is to maintain monitoring as mentioned by your health professional (even better, someone with more experience with hepatitis B management).

@Daylen

#5 i am currently taking ozempic, 0.5 every two weeks, i know it doesn’t work on the liver, but i just want to be safe, my concern for cutting it out, is that im afraid i will have blood sugar spikes that will affect recovery, is that reasonable?

I am not aware of any studies around ozempic and hepatitis B, so I don’t think this is knowable at the moment.

@Daylen

#6 in terms of antivirals, i know they do not work on the acute phase (again i don’t know if im in this phase) but is it possible to take just to help even a little bit?

There is data showing that antiviral treatments doesn’t help clearance during an acute infection, though they would be recommended if your ALTs were spiking.

@Daylen

#7 in terms of future tests, i see people posted to do tests every 3 months, and at the same time seeing fluctuations in liver functions happen over the course of a week, is it reasonable to keep doing the tests every week or two weeks?

This is something you would have to discuss with your health professional.

Hope this helps,
Thomas