Introduction

Why is Hepatotoxicity important? Because more than 900 drugs can cause it! Hepatotoxicity simply means damage to the liver. There are many commonly known drugs out there that, when misused, can lead to hepatotoxicity.This is a very serious issue that can affect anyone. According to the FDA, drug-induced liver injury is now the leading cause of acute liver failure in the United States!
The liver is a vital organ that has many functions including the production of plasma proteins, the storage of energy reserves, the excretion of bile, and the detoxification of poisons. As you can see, the liver is extremely important! Without it, our body cannot function properly.
There are many signs and symptoms of hepatotoxicity including nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, and jaundice. The signs and symptoms vary from person to person and are explained in more detail throughout our blog.
This issue is very important for all kinds of people because it can happen to anyone and, if left untreated, can become fatal.
Consumers must be aware of the dangers of drug-induced liver damage in order to protect themselves.
This is also an important topic for medical personnel. Knowing about hepatotoxicity will help to treat patients more effectively. Patients suffering from hepatotoxicity will be recognized faster and treated better.
Knowing about drug-induced liver damage will reduce the risk for very serious health problems.
If you are interested in learning more about hepatotoxicity, then you are in the right spot!

http://www.liverfoundation.org/education/info/alcohol
http://www.aasld.org/conferences/meetings/Pages/2009HepatotoxicitySpecialInterestGroupMeeting.aspx
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/169814-overview

Saturday, February 28, 2009

STEROIDS CAN CAUSE LIVER DAMAGE





Although the non-medical use of anabolic steroids is illegal, it is becoming more and more common. Anabolic steroids are synthetic derivatives of testosterone, the male sex hormone. They help in the development of muscles because they retain the body’s intake of dietary protein. This is what grabs the attention of many people, especially athletes. The use of anabolic steroids can improve both the physical appearance and athletic performance of those who take them. There are two types of steroids: those that can be injected and those that can be taken orally. Some side effects of steroid abuse include:
Agression
Acne
Prostate enlargement in males
Stunted growth
Muscular dystrophy
Blood clotting changes
Birth defects
And…
LIVER DAMAGE

One of the long term side effects of steroids abuse is severe liver damage, especially in oral steroids. This is because most everything you ingest orally must eventually filter through your liver. The chemicals in anabolic steroids have the ability to damage liver cells, decreasing their ability to breakdown wastes and excrete them from the body. The use of steroids can also cause tumors, which can lead to many severe complications.
During the beginning of steroid-induced hepatotoxicity, jaundice is very common. Jaundice involves the yellow discoloration of eyes and skin due to the accumulation of bile in the blood. Bile is a yellow or green substance secreted by the liver that helps in absorption and digestion.
Steroids in the news:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/16/sports/baseball/16bonds.html
http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/pressrel/pr121505.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/14/sports/baseball/14baseball.html
http://www.dallasnews.com/s/dws/img/03-05/030305asteroids.pdf
http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/healthday/071213/report-finds-widespread-steroid-use-in-baseball.htm

Interesting facts about steroids:
There are more than 100 types of anabolic steroids.
Steroid abuse among adolescents is on the rise.
Most people would probably assume that the only steroid users are men. However, the Rimrock Foundation states that: steroid use is growing most rapidly among young women.
When taken by adolescents, steroids can prematurely halt growth.
Posted by at 6 comments:

Strattera

Strattera
http://www.strattera.com/index.jsp

Strattera is an FDA approved drug for the treatment of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). This drug is often used as a second line, which means it is given to patients who are not responding to the normal first-line medications prescribed.



What sets it apart from other ADHD drugs? Strattera is not a stimulant, which reduces the risk that it will be abused or given to someone it’s not prescribed for. This also means it can be used for patients who are not responding to stimulant-type ADHD treatments.

Recent news released this March, announces Pharmac has approved funding for this new type of drug, making it the first non-stimulant ADHD medication to receive funding of this kind. With this news and the excitement over reduced addictive properties, we may see an increase of Heathcare Professional using this medication when they suspect misuse of other ADHD prescriptions.

http://www.nzdoctor.co.nz/news?article=c10ca00d-f471-45c8-9287-2429c8478cc5

In 2005 the FDA instructed Eli Lilly (the company that produces Strattera) to add a warning to the product that it can cause liver damage in both adults and children, which could lead to liver failure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVAVo8e-kOY

Increased risked of liver damage is given to persons taking other drugs known to induce hepatotoxicity.

https://www.changehealthcare.com/rx_brands/drug_interactions/13796

Posted by at 2 comments:

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Antiepileptic Drug-Induced Liver Injury

Liver injury is commonly observed in patients that are prescribed anti-epileptic (AED) medications. These drugs may lead to acute liver failure. Sometimes patients may asymptomatic.
A hypersensitivity to any of these AED medications may lead to Hepatotoxicity:
Phenytoin~ Can occur in less than 1% of patients and may result in liver death.
Carbamazepine~ Patients with reactions are immediately taken off the drug with
no further reactions.
Valproate~ There is two types: Valproate therapy-dose-related and idiosyncratic, which is usually irreversible causing serve Hepatotoxicity.
Valporic Acid~ Hepatotoxicity is rare in the acute overdose setting.

Patients who need a greater dosage of their AED medication will have their baseline liver enzymes checked and will be monitored while they are taking their AEDs.

http://www.theannals.com/cgi/content/abstract/23/1/13
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/417938
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3939742
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1432377
Posted by at 2 comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)