so glad this forum is up again... I haven't been here for awhile mostly because I am feeling really great on Remicade and only 10 mg. arava. Are elevated enzymes common? I just found out my liver enzymes are up slightly. My Rd said I will have to go off Arava completely since I am already on a half dose. I am to have my enzymes checked in two weeks and if they are still up he is sending me to my GI to check for auto immune hepatitis! Since they are only up slightly he says don't worry. Well I'm very worried! Any advice?
My liver enzymes have been up to 270 !! I was finally pulled off MTX. I started Planquenil 2 weeks ago.
Did you ever have mono?? My RD told me she thinks that is why I cant tolerate the MTX. I must have had some permanent damage to my liver when I was 16 with mono.
Gena, don't tell me that about Mono and MTX. I had it twice, once in high school and in college. They've pulled me off the MTX twice now. If it happens again, I'll be asking if he thinks that's part of the problem.
However, Jodi, it is common to have this problem. A great deal of medications affect the liver as it is a filter for our bodies. Usually, they just take you off for a short period, give your liver a rest and then you can go back on. If you've been on MTX a long time, they sometimes do a liver biopsy. But that's what all that blood work is for, because they watch this very closely. When they pull you off the medications, your liver usually returns to normal fairly quickly.
Thanks, I feel better. I never had mono that I know of...but my sister did. I also drank a lot of beer in college but my RD just laughed when I confessed and said not to worry about it!