The combination therapy, also known as Rebetron, has been found to help about 45 percent of the time. Some of the side effects are fatigue and flu-like symptoms such as headache, indigestion, muscle pain, and fever. Other serious side effects that have been reported are depression, anemia, and a risk of birth defects. A genetically engineered version of interferon called Infergen has shown some promise as a treatment. Drug companies are now testing various protease inhibitors similar to those used in AIDS treatments to try to stop replication of the hepatitis C virus.
Doctors prescribe a well-balanced diet and avoidance of any alcohol as part of hepatitis treatment.
The reason it's so difficult to find a cure for hepatitis C is because the virus has the ability to mutate to change in a way that prevents the immune system from recognizing it. That's also the reason no vaccine has been developed yet. As you can see, hepatitis can be a devastating disease. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has launched a campaign to educate the public about its dangers. Knowing how to protect yourself from infection is a good start.