Just got my blood work back crp OK sed only up a little 24, But my ALT is 106 it is suppose to be 9-52 and my AST is 76 it is suppose to be 3-47. For the last 2 months the ALT was high it was 60 each time. and the AST was ok. Now they are both high. I stopped the cholesterol meds back in July. I had my first blood test in Oct then Nov now today. It keeps going up instead of down. I don't drink and there is no other meds I'm on that can cause it to go up.
MY RA must be under control becuase crp and sed rate. That's a good thing.
I had a ultra sound done week ago because of stomach pain they thought maybe I had gallstones they didn't see any thing. My doc is out of town for 2 weeks.
I have read about autoimmune hepatitis. I wonder if RA has any thing to do with this.
Any thoughts??
Are you on meds for the ra? Most of those make the liver enzymes go up. My rheumy told me that up to three times the normal limit is acceptable.I'm on mtx. celebrax
So the ALT can go up to 156 and the AST up to 141 before they worry?
If it keeps going up will they have to change my med?
One of the side effects of mtx is liver damage. I'm surprised he didn't say anything about that? It's sort of "Methotrexate 101" as far as things they're supposed to look out for.
Do the other Ra meds cause the liver damage also? I guess I'm a little worried. I got the blood results today but he is not back until the first of the year.
He said I would have to have liver checks monthly. I'm sure when he gets back he will probably change the med. The only bad thing is the time it takes for the new med to work and that pain
Right now it is the liver I'm worried about.
If the MTX is making your liver function tests to be too high then they just usually take you off of it for awhile to give your liver a rest. If it's too high, they will take you off it completely. However, MTX remains in your system for six weeks. If you are really concerned, call the office and ask to talk to either the Nurse Practioner or another doctor in the office. Try taking Milk Thistle and Dandelion supplements. I have heard people say that their liver enzymes have gone down after using these and staying on the meds. I take it and MTX and no liver problems.I have heard that about milk thistle Bonny.Milk Thistle is used by many for liver support, detoxification from various drugs, etc. It is very inexpensive and easily available over the counter. I was even surprised to see it mentioned on the TV show "House" when trying to solve a patient's liver problem. Best regards, PatMTX made my liver enzymes shoot sky high. My doc took me off of them quickly and said it wasn't worth the risk. I'm now on Enbrel alone and it's doing pretty good.