Do you have an upcoming appointment with your doctor soon? Ultimately, none of us on this forum can tell you whether or not to stop your medication, but given that you’re HBsAg negative for almost a year, you should certainly have a discussion with your doctor. According to the official treatment guidelines for HBV, you have met the criteria to stop antiviral medications. I would encourage you to bring up your concerns about cost of treatment and your cholesterol levels if your doctor is hesitant to let you stop.
Hi Gregory,
I think still testing negative for HBsAg all this time is great. My recommendation will be to discuss cessation of treatment with your doctor and the next steps for your care. You meet the recommendation of cessation, but your doctor is the right one to make that call with your input.
Thanks you and I’m very very happy about the test results, and by any means I’m not trying to play doctor or rush in stopping the therapy.
Just wondering what else its needed If I have crossed the required official guidelines ( I actually red it was 6 months for recommended therapy cessation, I did 1 year).
and what else is needed that would make my doctor deicide to stop the therapy, given the good results?
I’m also under pressure to resolve the issue since as I mentioned before Cvs Caremark is not providing vemlidy and rise in cholesterol levels, therefore I do need to resolve it .
Sure. I understand you, however, I don’t know but there may be reasons for this. That is why I recommended having a conversation with your doctor and sharing your concerns.
Its pretty clear that you have established HBV functional cure. Current guidelines indicate that NUC therapy can be safely removed with 6 months of follow-up showing repeated HBsAg loss and normal ALT and you have one year of follow-up.
Someone in your position should have their NUC therapy removed (with additional follow-up for 1 year, every 6 months) unless there is some special circumstance in your case. You want your gastroenterologist to keep follow you so please press him hard to justify why you should continue NUC therapy. Good luck.
Thanks you! I feel somewhat more reassured when it comes from the likes of your experience!
I would like to say that… Please I hope you don’t think I’m ungrateful, although I’m thankful and very happy about establishing a functional cure.
I have been having deep anxiety and fear of resulting positive again, at semesters follow-ups for the past year.I think that will be with me for a while……
its very hard to forget, I feel as I went through a dark tunnel, took a high toll emotionally and psychologically.
I Periodically check this Godsend forum. It’s impossible to forget your support, expertise and above all kindness. you all gave me strength, hope and knowledge in a very dark time in my life.
I feel an obligation to share my experience with you all on this platform, since its has been a source of strength throughout quite a painful time in my life.
But please don’t loose hope…. I’m the testimony of it.
Just need your prayers coz I see my life gone early. Not because of hep b its self but coz of stress and depression coz of how I see my workmate going through. He has lost too much weight, swollen stomach etc that his relatives were advised to bring him to any nearby health facility. This could be to avoid the cost of transporting the dead body.
Seeing all this, I see what am likely going to go through in few days, months or years ahead. I just pity what my two daughters and my wife will go through while am on my sick bed.
I’m sorry to hear you are going through some tough times, and I understand your feelings. But as you can see good things happens too.
I had some abdominal discomfort at the beginning, when I got diagnosed with the virus, in the acute fase.
I regained my weight, and strength!
I have been in therapy TAF since October 23rd 2023 ! I recently have been told by my doctor I can stop taking it since it has been a year with HBsAg loss and regular liver enzymes!
Please take your medications , eat well, not alcohol not smoking and exercise!
I’m so sorry to hear about your friend from work. However, please remember that no two HBV patients are the same. I used to worry a lot about my liver failing, or about dying young, but that was before I knew that treatment was available. I think I remember from some of your earlier posts that your viral load is low, and that your liver enzymes are normal, which carries a good prognosis. Please continue to be monitored, and remember that there is treatment available should you need it. Most of the people dying from HBV these days are either older people who had it for several decades before treatments were available, or people who were undiagnosed for several decades, and only got diagnosed when the disease reached an advanced stage. Thankfully, hepatitis B is a disease where early intervention can make a HUGE difference.
I’m very sorry you are depressed, anxious and worried. I understand this well.
And I’m sorry for your friend. That really makes things distressing, seeing this firsthand.I will pray for you.
I’m 65 years old, 66 soon. I am a testament you can live a happy successful life.
What country are you in. Maybe we could put you in contact with heath experts in your area.
I’ve been on treatment awhile. DNA is undetectable
Try and keep your mind on good things, family, helping others. doing the things that make you happy. As long as it’s not hurting your liver. :]]
Sometimes I think I’m going to die an early death. So, I make sure I’m doing all the things I want to do-spending time with family and friends. We can never know when we are going to die. Only God can. I know it’s still scary.
Thanks caralin, Am from uganda. I try getting strong and moving on with this conditions but just got off track when my colleague’s liver condition reached the climax just how I described earlier.
I will be grateful for any help just to get out of this depression
Hi @Opa,
We hear and feel your pain for your colleague. It is 2026, and heartbreaking that we continue to see situations like this still play out. It is difficult. About 3 years ago, I found myself in a similar situation where someone I knew was facing death from this disease. Within 2 months, this person had become unrecognizable, and all I could do was watch as they slowly slipped away. The sad part is that this person passed on my birthday. One of the worst days of my life. It took me a few days to get out of the funk (depression). Give yourself the time to process this. It is human to think about your own mortality in this situation. If you need to cry, please do. Scream, please do. Let it out, and you are allowed to feel what you are feeling inside.
What helped me was seeing how much suffering this person was going through come to an end. I convinced myself that it is over, and they are at a better place because they won’t be suffering any longer. At least that is what I told myself.
I also had the opportunity to speak with his mother, and hearing her cry as she spoke was painful. It was emotional, but healing at the same time. The one thing I am unable to forget is hearing his mother say, “That was my only hope taken away from me.” That hit me the hardest.
I don’t know how close you are to this person, but you can be a source of strength for the family as they face this challenge. You will be surprised by how much a small gesture, such as visiting them and introducing yourself as a colleague, will mean to the family. It is okay if that is not possible.
I totally understand what you are going through. We must find a way to live. Mine is supporting others in their journey, raising awareness, and educating people about this disease. This purpose keeps me moving forward and gives me hope to continue to live even when things get tough. I hope you can find something during this challenging time to keep you grounded and remain hopeful. We are with you, your colleague, and their family.
Please let us know how we can support you during this time. Bansah1.
I know depression and stress isn’t easy. I think it’s human nature to think of the worst at times and project it onto yourself.
I think it is important to do the things that you can control. For example following doctors instructions, eating healthy and doing regular exercise etc.
You could say by doing this is an act of love for your daughters and wife. I’m sure they will appreciate it very much.
Perhaps talk to your doctor about your current condition. Generally speaking if you can get viral load under control through medication and living a healthy lifestyle. There is no reason you cannot live a long fruitful life.
As with depression. I’m not an expert, I tried to develop a framework and acknowledge it is a matter of perception. There’s a infinite number of things that feed into perception. It’s a step to ease the impact of depression. So being mindful of how you think about things I do think it helps.