Does anyone know if all antibiotics are hard on the liver? What kind of damage can these things cause? I have had a liver cyst due to birth control pills and an enlarged liver due to wno knows what and I am wondering if these abx are going to ruin my already precarious liver functions! I take milk thistle daily, but not sure if that is enough to counteract the effects of the abx. Thoughts? I don't want to trade one problem for another. aaargh.
Posted by snowboarder (Member # 6346) on :
I had liver pain and one thing that really worked and is cheap is a cator oil pack. Do a search...pretty sure GiGi explains how to do them if not I can tell you.
Also, I used Yogi liver detox tea and a liver support supplement by Vital Nutrients.
Posted by AlisonP (Member # 7771) on :
Hi vachick,
I do liver flushing every once in awhile and I think it's really helped me. There is also a more gentle liver cleanse that I do from Dr. Schulze http://www.herbdoc.com. he has fantastic liver support tea and tinctures that go with the cleanse.
Cheers,
Alison
Posted by Tammy (Member # 8370) on :
I have used the Castrol Oil Packs and they seem to work to clear out the liver toxins from this Yellow Paint stuff and the Pink pills. Good luck!!! Do it for one hour with moist heating pad.... Posted by AlisonP (Member # 7771) on :
I totally lymebrained out and forgot to wholeheartedly agree with the castor oil pack thing. I love them.
A.
Posted by seibertneurolyme (Member # 6416) on :
An enlarged liver or "fatty liver" could actually be a Lyme symptom and could eventually improve with Lyme treatment.
Hubby's elevated GGT (normal prior to Lyme) returned to normal with IV Phosphatidylcholine (Kane Protocol). Oral Phoschol probably would work, but would take longer. Available from http://www.detoxxbook.com Hubby says the oral supplement tastes like burnt motor oil.
Marnie has written about how Lyme and also Babesia rob the body of acetylcholine which is needed for liver function and also in the brain.
The best food source of choline is egg yolks -- Dr P.K. advised hubby to eat 3 egg yolks daily to lower cholesterol and improve liver function -- for some reason higher amounts of choline are available if you eat only the egg yolks -- something like 3 times as much choline in an egg yolk as in the whole egg.
Castor oil packs could help or if you are really desperate, try a coffee enema!
Yes, antibiotics are very hard on the liver -- some meds much worse than others -- just make sure to do routine bloodwork to monitor liver enzymes and report any new liver symptoms to your LLMD.
Bea Seibert
Posted by Boomerang (Member # 7979) on :
quote:Originally posted by vachick: Does anyone know if all antibiotics are hard on the liver? What kind of damage can these things cause? I have had a liver cyst due to birth control pills and an enlarged liver due to wno knows what and I am wondering if these abx are going to ruin my already precarious liver functions! I take milk thistle daily, but not sure if that is enough to counteract the effects of the abx. Thoughts? I don't want to trade one problem for another. aaargh.
Hey......yeah, that's a tough question.
Why do you say you already have "precarious liver function"? What caused that?
Posted by pq (Member # 6886) on :
all abx, and mamy other drugs, and non-drugs are hard on the liver. tetracyclines, for example are very hard on the liver, as are too many drugs, prescriptive and otc, too mention.
dr. zhang,(TCM)has some excellent herbal combinations for the liver. see http://www.hepapro.com Posted by mbroderick (Member # 5220) on :
Milk Thistle 2 - 3 times daily is really important if you are taking antibiotics. Be sure that it says 'silymarin'. Are you taking more than 1 every day?
Posted by Marnie (Member # 773) on :
It is believed Milk Thistle works by releasing the *antioxidant*, glutathione.
The antioxidants are very, very important...all of them...plus the (3) antioxidant enzymes.
"Oral contraceptives may increase the chance that you will develop liver tumors. These tumors are not a form of cancer, but they can break and cause serious bleeding inside the body. Oral contraceptives may also increase the chance that you will develop breast or liver cancer, or have a heart attack, a stroke, or a serious blood clot. Talk to your doctor about the risks of using oral contraceptives."
I was not aware of the liver cyst possibility! Boy, I thought they were relatively safe.
Ancora Imparo (I am still learning).
Thanks for the info.!
Posted by vachick (Member # 8353) on :
Wow, those are all fantastic and helpful ideas! Thank you soooooo much.
I am taking 1-2 milk thistle capsules each day along with Quercetin. I am about to add Dandelion Root tincture, too.
I had a liver cyst due to being on birth control pills for like 10 years...some women get them and don't know it. Obviously my liver didn't like them/couldn't process them well. That is why I am assuming that my liver isn't functioning as well as it could. Plus the enlarged heterogeneous liver may indicate that something is not totally functioning well.
Lyme or no Lyme I will take your advice on cleansing because I think it is important regardless. This burning pain in my upper right abdomen is disconcerting, but I am going to try to hold out until I see the doc on the 23rd.
Does anyone think the abx could be causing the burning pain and bloating there???
Posted by Monica (Member # 224) on :
I'm sure your LLMD is aware of your liver cyst and I would hope he or she is checking your liver functions at least every other month via blood tests.
Posted by Mo (Member # 2863) on :
If you have burning pain and bloating, you should be calling your doctor first.. asking us later..
Also, if you have liver issues you need to talk to Doc about it, he could order liver function tests weekly or bi-monthly...
-- actively and safely support the liver/GB and other organs (safely, compatable with meds) is essential IMO..a good holistic Doc could provide supportive help in conjunction with your Doc's work. --- but you still need to monitor yourself and be monitored by Doc regarding pain or other specific concerns while on medications.
Mo
Posted by minoucat (Member # 5175) on :
It's not just pharmaceutical abx that are hard on the liver. Some of the herbal formulations and supplements are as well -- Cat's Claw, artemisinin, niacin in large doses, and others.
And in addition to the liver, the kidneys, lymph system, and gut need to be kept detoxed and happy. A good naturopath can point you to the way of the most effective and least expensive ways for overall detox. (I say naturopath because this is not a topic that many doctors are particularly well versed in).
I regularly use Milk Thistle Plus, NAC, chlorella, and lots of detox tea (as well as black tea), denatured whey (as part of my breakfast protein drink); and I irregularly do the olive oil/lemon juice and psyllium/bentonite clay cleanses, and the occasional castor oil pack. So far so good, and even though I've done massive abx and herbal treatments my liver and the rest of me are in good shape. AND I seem to be getting weller and weller!
![[group hug]](graemlins/grouphug.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)