The truth you need to know about people who use drugs

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The truth you need to know about people who use drugs

22 March 2018
Asian Network of People who Use Drugs (ANPUD)

By Bikas Gurung

People who us drugs have typically been excluded from Hep C treatment opportunities, due to the ‘ill-perceived’ risk of discontinuation from the treatment course in many countries. But studies of Direct Acting Antivirals (DAAS) have found that people on Oral Substitution Therapy (OST), including those who continued to use illicit drugs, maintained good adherence and had high sustained response rates comparable to those of non-drug users in the trials. We have many friends who have self-medicated with Indian made generics and have cured their Hep C. One may wonder why on earth would drug users seek medicine and complete the treatment on their own? They would of course, because people who use drugs are inherently not the enemy of their own life. Treatment, in many cases begins with prejudices and often “physical discomfort” is misunderstood as withdrawal symptoms. Governments and health care providers should understand that successful treatment often depends on having the right systems in place rather than focusing on drug use behavior as the unit of analysis.

People who use drugs have been the most effective way to reach out to their hidden peers in both HIV and Hep C response. May it be through some funded projects or in an individual capacity, we have been supporting our peers with the right prevention and treatment messages. Various misconceptions on Hep C still exist in every country. The reality is that most people who use and inject drugs are unaware that they are infected and Hep C treatment rates among them are very low. There are a number of reasons for this, including the asymptomatic nature of virus itself, paucity of strategic information, cost of treatment and lack of funding for Hep C interventions, which is further exacerbated by criminalization of drug use.