Week 6: Treatments and Drugs

Treatments:

Acute and Chronic

• Well-balanced diet

• Vitamin supplements

• Rest (degree of strictness varies)

• Avoidance of alcohol intake and drugs detoxified by the liver (Lewis, et al., 2014)

Drugs:

Chronic HBV

Treatment	Medication	Side effects
Antiviral Analogs:	Lamivudine (Epivir)	Headache, severe insomnia, myalgias
Nucleoside, Nucleotide	Adefovir (Hepsera)	Headache, nausea, vomiting, hepatomegaly
	Telbivudine (Tyzeka)	Fatigue, headache, nausea, myalgia
	Entecavir (Baraclude)	Fatigue, headache, nausea, hepatomegaly
Interferon alfa-2b	Intron A	Depression, difficulty breathing, chest tightness
Pegylated Interferon	PegIntron, Pegasys	Depression, fatigue, insomnia, headache, myalgia

Table constructed from information found in Medical-Surgical Nursing

(Lewis, et al., 2014)

Treatment for acute hepatitis B infection

If your doctor determines your hepatitis B infection is acute — meaning it is short-lived and will go away on its own — you may not need treatment. Instead, your doctor might recommend rest and adequate nutrition and fluids while your body fights the infection (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2014).

 

Treatment for chronic hepatitis B infection

If you've been diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B infection, you may have treatment to reduce the risk of liver disease and prevent you from passing the infection to others. Treatments include:

• Antiviral medications. Several antiviral medications — including lamivudine (Epivir), adefovir (Hepsera), telbivudine (Tyzeka) and entecavir (Baraclude) — can help fight the virus and slow its ability to damage your liver. Talk to your doctor about which medication might be right for you.
• Interferon alfa-2b (Intron A). This synthetic version of a substance produced by the body to fight infection is used mainly for young people with hepatitis B who don't want to undergo long-term treatment or who might want to get pregnant within a few years. It's given by injection. Side effects may include depression, difficulty breathing and chest tightness.
• Liver transplant. If your liver has been severely damaged, a liver transplant may be an option. During a liver transplant, the surgeon removes your damaged liver and replaces it with a healthy liver. Most transplanted livers come from deceased donors, though a small number come from living donors who donate a portion of their livers.

Other drugs to treat hepatitis B are being developed (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2014).

References

Lewis, S. L., Dirksen, S. R., Heitkemper, M. M., Bucher, L. (2014). Medical-surgical nursing, assessment and management of clinical problems, 9 ed., (p. 1006-1015). Elsevier Mosby, St Louis, Missouri. ISBN: 978-0-323-08678-3

Mayo Clinic Staff. (2014). Diseases and conditions: hepatitis b – treatments and drugs. Retrieved May 31, 2015, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hepatitis-b/basics/treatment/con-20022210