If you have been infected by the hepatitis B virus, you must immediately seek doctor’s help and get the hepatitis B immuno globulin injection within 24 hours. This helps the virus from spreading any further. You might as well need to take the hepatitis B vaccine for proper care.

But if you’ve developed the chronic form of hepatitis B, you would be left with very few options for treatment. In most of the cases where there aren’t any obvious signs or symptoms predicting hepatitis B or liver damage, the doctor would prefer to observe and monitor rather than just treating the condition. In some other cases, the doctor might as well recommend certain treatment options using antiviral medications. But if the liver is severely damaged, a liver transplant operation becomes necessary.

Drugs used for treating hepatitis B include:

• Telbivudine (Tyzeka): This is an antiviral medication that helps in preventing HBV from replication. It is available in the form of a pill and has no after effects if taken for a year. Studies have revealed that this is the best drug for treating the condition till late unlike its other counterparts. However, as you give up the drug, your conditions might worsen.

• Interferon: Interferon is produced in the body naturally to protect the body against several invading organisms like the viruses. Taking some added interferon helps in stimulating the body’s response to the HBV and also assists in preventing the virus from further replication. However, not all of us can take interferon, as it might not suit us. In some rare cases, interferon can as well eliminate the HBV virus completely, albeit the infection might re-occur. Interferon also has numerous side effects and most of these manifests as the symptoms of the disease itself. This might include fatigue, depression, body aches, muscle pain, nausea and fever. These symptoms might worsen during the first two weeks of the treatment. Side effects can also be severe and might decrease red blood cell production as well.

• Lamivudine (Epivir-HBV): This is an older version of telbivudine, though it is less stringer. It is also available in the form of a pill to be taken once daily. Side effects are negligible, but might worsen as you stop taking this medicine in the long run. The drug might as well cause drug-resistant type of HBV if taken for long.  Also you must inform your doctor if you have previously had a history of pancreatic disorder or kidney problems.

• Entecavir (Baraclude): This is yet another antiviral medicine that is taken as a pill. Studies have revealed that Baraclude is more effective as compared to lamivudine. This medicine can as well stop the symptoms from worsening any further after stopping the drug.

• Adefovir dipivoxil (Hepsera): This drug is to be taken in the form of pill and helps in preventing the replication of HBV virus in the cells. Additionally, this medicine is also useful in treating people who are resistant to the medicine lamivudine.  This drug also has minimum side effects during the treatment, but the symptoms might worsen when the medicine is stopped.