Blood Drug Testing

Can anyone give advice on liver function blood test I was so angry at my GP.?

I had flu, pleurisy and a kidney infection. I was put on two different anti-biotics and co-codamol. After recovery and return to work I had a blood test and was told my liver was damaged. The levels indicated it could be alcohol abuse, I rarely drink and I felt I was being accused. When I argued this I was told it 'could' be paracetamol!! Will my liver return to normal and how can I help it? Obviously I don't take paracetamol now but I worry if I have an odd glass of wine. Is there anything I can do to help myself.

Public Comments

1. Do not drink with any meds. Simple as that. The ALT Level depends on what is in your system. The damage to your liver can be reversed, depending upon the lenght of time the damage took place. Get off the sauce and get a new blood test in a few months.
2. It is rare that the paracetamol causes liver damage. It usually happens with overdose, usually kids that take their parents pills or "suicide attempts". Probably you had your liver enzymes a little bit elevated because of taking so many drugs at the same time. This kind of elevation usually are transitory and come back to normal in a few weeks. Your doctor should repeat the labs in a month or so to see if your enzymes are back to normal, if they don´t, then they should suspect something else and begin evaluating you. Good luck
3. You don't need to be a drinker to have liver problems......so, feel good about that. I have giant cysts and lesions in mine, and I don't drink at all. Milk thistle is something you can buy over the counter, and it will help your liver to 'renew' itself. Luckily, for you and me..........the liver CAN make itself well, again. While your liver is bad, right now, stop all milk products in your diet. Take the milk thistle that any drug store usually has on sale, cheap. Don't have milk products..........and see how your liver can actually get well, again. I understand how it feels to realize people think you have done something that you have not done. Still, let us get you well, and not waste our energy on being angry! Good luck with this! I'm doing the 'fix the liver' thing, too!
4. Your liver is self-repairing; I had liver damage form obstructive jaundice when I had my last child; my liver function readings were off the scale! It took about two years for normal function to return, but then I had been very ill. Your best bet , as you say yourself, is to avoid paracetamol; take something like ibuprofen for pain.Your doctor was a bit out of order in making such a remark to you; tact obviously isn't his strong point! It will take a few months , and your doc should be repeating those LFTs once a month, but normal function should return.
5. Even without the meds, infection can cause elevated LFT's. Have your LFT's re-tested every month or so, if possible by a different lab or labs. You wouldn't believe how high the level of lab mistakes is in the NHS. Many routine lab tests are performed by underpaid 'technicians' and errors are common (and unreported for the most part). Drug addicts and alcoholics can have normal LFT's so your doc is out of order. Paracetemol is unlikely cause at normal dosages. Good luck.
6. There is not enough there to give a safe answer. I would need to see the pattern of your LFT dysfunction which might help pin things down. Alcohol has a fairly classic pattern, viral illnesses and toxins have quite a different one. You don't name the antibiotics, some of these can be hepato = liver toxic. Also I dislike Co-Codamol and never recommend it. If however you did not exceed 8 in any 24 hours it is very unlikely this caused your liver problem. You certainly had a lot of symptoms originally and I wonder if your illness was viral in the fist place. If that was the case, firstly your antibiotics wont have helped and secondly this might also explain your disrupted LFTs. All I can suggest at the moment is even if the problem had nothing to do with alcohol in the first place, don't drink any or take any paracetamol just now and make sure your GP is checking serial LFTs. Lastly, as I said initially, I don't think you have a definite diagnosis and therefore if your LFTs do remain abnormal I think it might be reasonable to refer you to a hospital physician.