Have you ever taken a closer look at the pain killers or the drugs that have been prescribed to you by your doctor, to either cure some illness or to relieve you of your pain or to keep some abnormalities under control?
Although not all of these drugs come with a warning sign, some of them do display a message on the bottle, especially in pediatric medicines, that over dosage or too much usage may damage kidneys or liver. I bet you would have heard some doctors say that forgetfulness or excessive urination or something unique accompanies the daily recommended dosage of drugs that help you keep diabetes under control. Every drug you take has some side effects. Let us read a few important concepts regarding liver injury through prescribed drugs.
How does this happen?
Liver injury due to drugs can be classified under three categories based on dosage (idiosyncratic toxicity), inherited genes and allergic reactions. If a person continues to take a drug beyond recommended levels, for example too much paracetamol, if a person has inherited certain genes which makes their body intolerant to specific drugs such as penicillin or if a person gets allergic to some prescribed drug due to the movement in the immune system induced by the same, then liver injury falls under those respective categories mentioned above.
Some well known drugs known to cause liver injury
Paracetamols And Pain Killers – Most paracetamols and some pain killers can cause damage to liver and kidneys when taken over a long period of time. Widely known examples are brufen, crocin, nimulid/nimuslide and so on. These can be taken in moderation and only during a pressing need. In other words if you take them every time you suspect a fever or headache then possibility of liver damage could be high.
Statins – Are you suffering from high cholesterol and tri-glycerides? In that case your doctor must have prescribed statin to keep your cholesterol levels low. Most doctors believe statin to be quite safe to the liver. However, studies have proved that prolonged usage of statin may lead to liver damage.
The good news however is once you stop taking statin there is a high chance that liver damages can be reversed. Hence it is better to take statin for such time that you bring cholesterol under control which includes changes in your diet and then discuss with your doctor and refrain from taking it.
Antibiotics – Certain antibiotics taken to help in minimizing some illnesses such as Nitrofurantoin which is used to treat urinary tract infections, Augmentin for treatment of influenza or other viral fever are known to cause hepatitis in some cases over prolonged usage. Hence it is better to ensure that these drugs are taken only under the guidance of a doctor and completion of the drug course is mandatory.
Vitamins – In rare cases doctor may prescribe synthetically created vitamins for betterment of the body. When these vitamins are taken for longer periods of time, they may lead to toxicity. The blood may be filled with these artificially created vitamins and the liver enzymes may be polluted and in turn injure the liver. Well known examples are Vitamin A and D tablets produced artificially.
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