MTX & abdominal pain...liver or just a flare? | Arthritis Information

Hi all,

Has anyone had the experience of having upper right abdominal pain along with elevated liver enzymes while on weekly MTX? This is my current situation, along with feeling like I have the flu, foggy, light-headed (like I'm having a flare.)

I'll be calling my rheumatologist tomorrow, but in the meantime, wanted to know what anyone here had to say.

Thanks,

Ezzi

Have you ever had your gallbladder looked at. That causes upper right quadrant pain and elevated enzymes. I had mine out a few years ago.

How high are your liver tests? Mine are usually high but not high enough to cause a real concern. My dr. just keeps a close eye on them. He said they need to be hundreds of times higher before there is a real problem.

Let us know what the dr. says....feel better.

how long have you been taking MTX?Rocckyd, my gallbladder was removed a few months ago...the pain is in a different area, up into the ribs and around the side...even into my shoulder & back.

Babs, been taking MTX since mid-May 2008.

that doesn't seem like very long, ezzi.. there are those on it for years and years...

I hope your doc comes to a quick conclusion and it doesn't mean stopping your meds..

I've spent the last few months with elevated liver test but after a liver ultrasound revealed nothing my GP sent me to a GI doctor. I'd been off my MTX for close to a month by the time I saw him. He did tons of blood work and my number had gone way down. He wanted to do a biopsy and I refused. I think it's just the meds.

I think your liver had to be seriously damaged before you'd have pain from it. I might be wrong....but I'd suspect something else.

What were your numbers? Mine were like 119 & 125 for more than two months before we finally stopped to MTX to try to get them down. Now their like 41 & 43 which is pretty much normal.

Well, I got my most recent lab results...

My total cholesterol has jumped 100 points higher to 320 and my ALT has risen to 55...all of this in only two weeks.

RD wants me to stop MTX for 2 weeks & retest...I already feel rotten, so I'm quite worried about how I'll feel without MTX.

I know that the ALT isn't very high, but I'm terribly worried about my liver because I've already got physical signs of liver disease (spider nevi, palmar erythema, blotchy skin). I definitely don't have viral hepatitis (was tested extensively), but I'm concerned that this could be autoimmune hepatitis rearing its head.

I see my GP tomorrow...will discuss all of this with him.

This goes for everyone: thanks for listening and offering advice!! Means the world to me.

Crap- no advice but best of luck to you ezziboo. Keep us posted!

My sentiments exactly....crap!

It's official...RA sucks. I'll let ya'll know what the GP has to say tomorrow.

Saw my GP yesterday...

He's fairly certain that the cholesterol & ALT elevation are due to nothing more sinister than MTX affecting my liver, and that stopping MTX will give my liver a chance to bounce back.

I'll redo my labs in 2 weeks to see if things have improved...in the meantime, he recommended that I don't return to work until early December. Fortunately, I have enough sick leave time to cover this...I'll use this time off wisely and concentrate on getting better.