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Hepatitis C treatment

If you find out you are positive for a hepatitis C infection...

Different treatment routes may be taken depending on the stage of your infection. If the infection has been discovered in the early stages, known as acute hepatitis C, you may not need to begin treatment straight away.

Instead, you may be given another blood test a few months after your first diagnosis to see if your body was able to fight off the virus. However, if after several months, you are still testing positive for hepatitis C, known as chronic hepatitis C, treatment will be offered.

If you have received a positive result for hepatitis C, treatment will normally include:

  • Taking tablets to fight the virus
  • A test to see if your liver is damaged
  • Changes in your lifestyle to help prevent further damage or becoming infected with the hepatitis C virus again

Generally, people experience fewer side effects with the newer treatments that are available than the older Interferon treatments which are no longer used.

Medicine called direct acting antiviral (DAA) tablets are used to treat hepatitis C. This is the safest and most effective medicine to use in the treatment of hepatitis C with a 95% success rate for clearing the infection.

You will be told to take the tablets for 8 to 12 weeks and the length of your treatment will depend on what type (or strain) of hepatitis C you have. The type of hepatitis C you have will also determine what type of DAA tablets you take, along with if you will have to take more than 1 type of DAA.

 

The NHS has a wide range of approved hepatitis C medicines, which include:

It is important to let the person who is giving you the treatment know if you have had any gaps in taking the medications, if you start taking other medications, or if you have any side effects. 

Some people do not know they are living with the virus, so we advise that you take precautions