Hep C Discussion Forum

I have been a smoker since I was about 17; I am 31 now.

I am Asthmatic and am at the end of week 6 of Treatment. (I know I know; stupid to smoke while asthmatic)
I was smoking over a pack to two packs a day; now I smoke about a half pack a day-making a full pack last just under 48 hours; I also try to only smoke half a cigarette and try to go longer in between; making myself smoke outside has also helped. (I live in New England where our winters are pretty cold :) )

I am hopeful that soon I will be able to cut back enough to just stop.

I don't know what my docs would suggest about tools (meds) to quit while on treatment; when I asked about having to quit when I first started tx my NP laughed and said one thing at a time ok? She said it would be great but for me not to stress over it too much; though I am pretty sure they have a script waiting for me for an inhaler for down the road in tx. She did tell me to be sure to let her know if I started to become shorter of breath more than usual.
I will quit hopefully soon but like treatment I am taking it one day at a time.

Well, smoking is harmful at any time as we all know, but my doc does not decline to treat hep c patients on this basis and I'll bet only the most dogmatic docs would.  There are certain aspects of tx that could be worse due to smoking but from what I have read there is no definitve info. on smoking effecting SVR results.

Interestingly, when the nurse pract. went over the "rules" of tx. she said you cannot use marijuana b/c it can effect tx results.   My 80 year old father, who has never smoked a doobie in his life, had previously advised me to get some pot for the tx nausea.  I had to tell him "Sorry, pops.  No pot for me."

But back to smoking, if anyone had a foolproof system for quitting he or she would probably win a nobel prize.  Whatever works.  I have to admit to a smoking jones myself, and what I did was cut back gradually in the months leading up to tx.  On tx I have limited myself to 5 ciggies per day, but frankly, most days I no longer even smoke that many b/c they no longer taste good.  I am hoping to cut back to zero by the time tx is done.

Hi, I started by accident. When I was working in a closed office I decided to have a cigarrete before I showered and not smoke until I had been home an hour or so. So what they did was give me 11 hours without smoking, and really it was great knowing I wasnt one of the people walking in after break reeking! So then I would go to sleep about 6 hours, so now that is 17 hours without smoking, not bad for it happending pretty much accidentally. I decided to take a nap before work to lessen how many hours I was smoking.  i have gone 30 hours since starting that job. Lost the job so now I set up my schedule to stay busy for a few hours at a time, and if Im tired or lazy take a nap to stretch the hours! I really can tell how much less nicotine my body is screaming for. I should start treatment I guess now its next week, so by then I should be good to go. Its been easier to count hours not smoking instead of cigarettes smoked during the day.

Hi Tanya, I'm sure smoking isn't good while on tx. A nurse told me that anything chemical you eat, drink, smoke, or put on your skin is absorbed and has to go through your liver.

I was lucky enough to be able to quit almost five years ago using the drug Chantex (sp?) to lessen my desire to smoke. I used it for three weeks and didn't like the sx, so I quit taking the drug at that time, but did not pick up the cigs after that.

However, that was four years before my hep-c tx and I'm not sure if a doctor would want someone taking Chantex along with treatment for hep-c. Like hep-c treatment drugs, Chanex has side effects which can lead to depression and such. So even tho I'm not a doc, I'm guessing something like chantex may multiply the depression already felt with your hep-c drugs.

The other possibility I can think of that some people I know have tried with success, is using those smokeless, vapor type cigarettes. I think the filter gives you a little nicotine while you wean yourself off the smokes. And whether with Chantex or any other method, I think one has to want to quit for it to work. Also, I was on an anti-depresant called wellbutrin for awhile that is marketed under a different name as a drug to aid in stopping smoking. I'd say give your doc a call and ask if there is something that would work for you. Hugs and luck with quiting.

Randy