Can lamivudine cure hepatitis B virus infection? A Cheering Story

Can lamivudine cure hepatitis B virus infection? A Cheering Story…..can lamivudine and tenofovir cure hepatitis b?

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Though a blogger now, I want to tell you how one of my hepatitis B patients who tested positive in 3 different labs, tested negative after I placed him on lamividine for one year taking medications.

This is a true life story and I want to share with you. One of my patients, male 41 years, was confirmed positive for hepatitis B in 3 different labs and on different dates. All the symptoms of acute viral hepatitis was there – he was jaundiced, lethargic, has andominal pains, passed coke colored urine, vomited several times, was constipated, lost weight.

For laboratory investigation, ultrasound scan showed that the liver was enlarged, liver function test was deranged and clotting profile was deranged. The hepatitis panel revealed that he has all the features of active or acute hepatitis B infection that may become chronic if the progression is not urgently arrested.

I was on call that day when he presented, I immediately admitted him in the isolation ward (because hepatitis B is highly contagious) and placed him on dextrose infusion for about two weeks to help reduce the work load of the infected, inflammed or injured liver in providing and maintaining blood glucose before him on strict bed rest. While on bed rest, I introduced liver healing drugs like Livolin Forte, and silybon 70 to his medications…He made some form of recovery after about a week as he was now able to eat some sugar rich foods and move about in the ward.

Thereafter, I requested for the expensive hepatitis b viral load test which costed him about $100 (#50,000 naira)…When the results can out , the hep B titre value was very high and I placed him on Lamivudine 300mg daily for about a month. He could not afford Tenofovir which is also a very potent antiviral hepatitis B drug….Lamividine is cheap, readily available and affordable. I wanted to invite the gastroenterologist for specialist care but he could not afford her fees.

When I assessed him after 5 weeks and was confident his condition has improved (jaundice clearing, energy back, now eating, moves about , urine now clear and liver enzymes getting back to normal, liver returning to its normal size), I discharged him home on lamividine, Livolin Forte, silybon 70 (silymarin), vitamin C , vitamin A, Vitamin E, and dihydrocodeine (for pains).

I counselled on the need to avoid herbal preparations, alcohol, cigarette smoking, paracetamol and many more. As for diet, I counselled him on the right food to eat and avoid (click here to find out)…

He left the hospital with the aforementioned drugs and was very religious with taking his Lamivudine and other medications. He came for refill whenever his Lamivudine finished. Every 6 months , I sent him to the lab for viral load test and liver function test. We did this for one full year. He presented to our clinic in 2020 during the height of the pandemic

In November 2021, after taking the Lamivudine for a record one year, we decided to repeat the hepatitis B surface antigen test and it was NEGATIVE….I mean negative ….we repeated it in other labs and the result was same -NEGATIVE…..His viral load is now very very low and it is less than 10.

My patient has been cured of hepatitis B after taking lamividine for one year….?I cant say now for sure….Can he still infect others with this new report? Very very unlikely.

The truth is, there are 3 different groups of hepatitis B patients;

One of the groups will remain chronic carriers of the virus and share it to others.

Another group will get cured and achieve remission after proper medications (could my patient be among this group?)

For the last group, the hepatitis B virus will continue its natural history and progress to liver cirrhosis, liver cancer and the patient will eventually succumb to the virus. This progression called be stalled and stopped.

My experience with my hepatitis B virus infected patient is the reason many doctors believe hepatitis B can be cured.

Lamivudine could cure hepatitis B….Some authors think the combination of Lamivudine and Tenofovir could cure hepatitis b infection.

Are you hepatitis B positive? Did this true life story give your hope?

Update:

3 years after, patient is still negative and doing fine.

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