What to Know About Hepatitis C Treatment

Most adults with hepatitis C virus (HCV) have the virus for the rest of their lives unless they are treated. If you have HCV in your body for at least 6 months, you have chronic hepatitis C. This means you need treatment to get rid of the virus. Medicines that cure over 95% of chronic hepatitis C cases were developed about 10 years ago. The medicines are taken by mouth for 8 to 12 weeks and don't have a lot of side effects. Since this treatment (called direct-acting antiviral therapy) became available, treatment recommendations changed. Now everyone with chronic hepatitis C should be offered treatment. If you have hepatitis C or want to be tested for it, talk to your health care provider.

What to consider before hepatitis C treatment

Deciding if you should be treated for HCV infection is easier than in the past. A cure is now possible for most people. Here are some things to think about:

• How healthy are you? For most people, treatment cures HCV and is a good choice.

• Are the benefits worth the risks?  Newer treatment has few risks. But you should talk with your health care provider about the risks for you. 

• Is now the right time?  Think about how treatment will fit into your daily life. During treatment, you may be too tired to keep up an active lifestyle. Talk with family members and close friends. Think about how treatment would fit into your schedule. It's very important to take your medicines exactly as directed. You can't miss any doses.

• Do you plan to have a baby soon?  HCV can pass from birth parent to baby during birth. You may want to try to prevent this by getting treatment. It's a good idea to treat HCV before you get pregnant. It's not known yet if the new medicines used to treat HCV can cause problems during pregnancy. Be sure you have a negative pregnancy test before starting any treatment. If you're planning to have a baby soon, this will likely affect your hepatitis C treatment plans. Talk with your provider.

• Which medicine is best?  Your provider will talk with you about your health history and other medicines you take. You will also talk about how healthy your liver is, and if you've taken other hepatitis medicines in the past. This will help you both decide which treatment is best and how long you take it.