TOO MANY meds for liver? | Arthritis Information

Hi Everyone,

Klynn,

I think you mean decrease your pottasium. You might want to eat a large banana each day as I do. I think the drugs hold sodium so you must watch your sodium intake and the meds prevent the absorbsion of potasium, I could be wrong but I may be right, I just don't have the time to search it right now. As for liver funtion, the docs usually keep a close eye on it thru lab tests on a regular basis and if they find a problem they usually eliminate the problem drug and the liver gets back to good. We, almost all of us RA sufferrer have the same concerns and fears but trusts our healthcare professionals to keep us good. .........LEV

Hi Kelly,

I think it really depends on the person taking the meds. For me, I've never had a problem with my liver. But someone else maybe taking half the amount of the mtx I take may have problems with their liver.

With the regular bloodwork being done, you'll know right away when there's a problem. Glad to see you'll be seeing your doctor, to ask this question.

Good luck!

Kelly

I share your concerns and I'm sure there are many others that do too. I've been taking meds for RA since my diagnosis of 1977. I'm currently on enbrel, mtx and an osteoporosis drug and am aware I may have to be on these drugs the rest of my life so I'm concerned about their toll on my body and their side effects - short term and long term.

I have labwork every 2 months for my liver - think its alt/spgt. Most of the time it is normal, but a few times it was elevated, the most recent was a few years back before my hip replacements - I was taking darvocet for the pain, and naprosyn, trilisate, enbrel and methotrexate. I dropped the mtx for a bit and my liver labwork returned to normal. After my hip surgery, I went back on enbrel and mtx but stopped taking the naprosyn and trilisate, I'm trying to keep my prescription meds to a minimum when possible.

The liver is big, seems to handle a lot, but I try to "look after it" by not drinking alcohol. I miss the occassional drink, but I'm only in my mid-50s, and as I said I may face a lifetime of taking RA drugs, so I play it safe.

How much meds one can handle is an individual thing, definitely discuss your concern w/your doctor, if you feel he/she is too pro-drug and not considerate of possible alternatives, think about finding a doctor more in line with your thinking. If your only recourse is to take all these meds, be sure to have appropriate regular labwork and be mindful of possible side effects. Research your conditions and these meds, it may give you peace of mind for the choices you need to make or make you aware of alternatives. Good luck and take care.

II am very aware that many of the meds I take can cause liver damage and the fact that I had autoimmune hepatitis a few years back also scares me a bit. The doctors (PCP, Rheumy and Endo) don't feel that I need lab tests for liver enzymes more than once a year. I hope they are right.

Ann

Oh yeah, I worry about this a lot. I've been on Accutane twice in my younger days (for acne) and had to stop because of liver issues and I feel that was the first in a long line of meds that are taxing my liver. Add three hormone pills, occasional bladder meds, RA drugs, allergy drugs, pain drugs (minimal) and you're talking a lot of exposure to my poor liver. I also refrain from alcohol 100%. The added risk element just isn't worth it to me. I have to take the RA drugs and others, but I don't have to drink. I have bloodwork done every month just for that reason...If you are on any drug treatment regimen, the doctor will order tests for your liver and kidneys on a regular basis as part of the bloodwork. The interval depends on what works best, it could be two, four, or six months. The interval isn't the issue, it's just a test. If they don't, you should find another doctor.

What you want to monitor yourself is what works for you. I don't take pain medicine now unless I need to and as little as possible to do the job. Makes for less work on my internals.
I started taking milk thistle today for extra protection for my liver... but I dont know how if it will help... but I feel taking so many meds.. even tylenol.... can make it less effective...
that was recommended to me by another here on the forum... I am hoping it helps...
the blood work will keep a check on it.....
so many things to think of.. it can be overwhelming...

Kelly, everyone is different and we really don't know the long term effects of all these meds combined, but you should decide for yourself if it is worth the risk, and do what you can to prevent damage. I am on 14 different prescription meds right now so it is definitely a concern. But overall my quality of life now is more important.

As has been mentioned, you can take milk thistle, stay away from alcohol, and the other thing which I do is take SAM-e supplements (which may interfere with mtx so may not be the best option for you). Make sure you get your regular labwork, reminding the doc if you have to. Also watch out for extra weight, diabetes and high cholesterol as these can be additional factors in non-alcoholic liver disease....which means avoid high carb or high fat in your diet.

As for Yaz, contrary to what LevLarry said, you are right it can increase potassium ("YAZ® (drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol) contains a different kind of hormone, drsp®, which may increase potassium.") so don't take any extra bananas!

InnerGlow2008-06-01 11:57:34 [QUOTE=levlarry]

Klynn,

[/QUOTE]

Sorry Lev, Klynn's info was right. Yaz can actually INCREASE potassium levels. This, combined with potassium-sparing diuretics, potassium supplements, etc can cause hyperkalemia (too much potassium ion). Yaz users should have their serum potassium levels checked periodically, especially during the first month of use.

And, of course, make sure that ALL your doctors know all your medications, and get all your prescriptions from the same pharmacy so the pharmacist will be better able to check for interactions of contraindications. Your pharmacist is an invaluable member of your medical team. Find a good one and hang on to him/her!
[QUOTE=klynn141]Has anyone had any discussions or know anything about this?

How many medicines/prescriptions can a person be on before it really hurts or starts to affect your liver? I'm taking Plaquenil, Celebrex, starting Methotrexate soon, just started Yaz(birth control), and now an anxiety med either welbutrin or lexapro.

[/QUOTE]

Kelly - after 18 months on MTX and the addition of minocin, my liver labs shot way up. We did a washout, and it cleared out. But I didn't restart the MTX, restarted only the minocin.

It took five months, but my liver labs are stable. I have full labs with urine every 2 months.

Request the blood work to be given to you during the appointment, don't leave the office without this paperwork, along with the diagnosic codes off the billing.

Best of luck - Cathy

justsaynoemore2008-06-01 12:27:44I was on arava for about 7 months and did fine, then i started to take naproxen and my liver hated me after that combo.Am on many prescription drugs, including MXT, Humira, and have labs every 2 months. I've only had one elevated liver enzyme, stopped MXT for a month and the enzymes returned to normal, restarted MXT and the labs have remained normal. If you start dmards and biologics the medical protocol is labs every 2-3 months. This is the standard to track liver enzymes, blood count, and RA markers. There are a lot of questions that you need to ask your doctors. Lindymy meds have been

pred 13 yrs
salazopyrin
mtx
arava
gold injects
plaquinil
azorthiaprin
monthly steroid injects
co,dydramol 13yrs
tramadol
fosamax
omeprazole
ramipril high bp
lipitor cholesterol
just begun vit b12 inects and folic acid

i have had variouse problems over the years. but none whith the liver
my bloods and water were monitored every month while on dmrds

Boney
Hi,

Are bananas a big problem with taking all these types of meds? Hadn't really thought about the potassium side of things. Love bananas - they seem to help settle my stomach when the nausea sets in after the drugs. Monthly bloodwork is fine as far as liver is concerned.

Wow you guys, thank you so much for all your responses. I am feeling a lot better hearing everyone's own particular situations. It's funny, I think I am a walking medicine cabinet with taking 5 different meds, but seeing what everyone else takes , I guess this is nothing compared! The comment about making sure to stick with the same pharmacy is a GREAT idea. I didn't think to ask my pharmacist to check for interactions with all my meds. I will definately bring this up with my dr. about checking my levels. I think he only did this once about 3 months ago, so may be time again to check. I did re-check that Yaz brochure and it did say it may INCREASE potassium levels, so i'll bring that leaflet with me to show to the dr.

THANK YOU again everyone for all your comments and support. I am SO glad to have found this forum. Everyone on here seems so supportive and knowledeable.

Kelly

My doctor assured me years ago when I had concerns about taking long term meds like these that as long as I keep all required lab appointments that they would detect a problem in plenty of time to reverse things.

That's not to say they aren't dangerous; but the risks without them are much worse.

Klynn,

I beg your pardon and stand corrected. I just didn't do my research and just took my situation as every situation. It used to be that I would never post anything without first doing the research. I didn't this thime. I used to spend every waking hour searching for the majic cure. I tried this and that. Spent hundreds of dollars on alternatives and now, I just trust my health care providers and I am living a fairly normal life. It has taken some time for me to realize that I am not as smart as my doctors. So much damage was done within my first year of severe ra. No some of the effects are reversed and others have been stopped and so now just some abnormalities in some limbs and joins but oh so much better. Anyway, this is the right time to remind everyone about the number one golden rule to medical questions, ALWAYS CHECK WTH A QUALIFIED HEALTHCARE PROVIDER JUST SO YOU DON"T TAKE A WRONG TURN DOWN THE WRONG ROAD.

LEV