Can milk thistle cause gall bladder pain? If yes, is that a good or a bad thing?
Since I usually take the milk thistle with food, I can't tell if it's the food or the milk thistle causing the pain.
I'm getting a HIDA scan on Tuesday, and an ultrasound whenever I can. My appointment isn't for 3 weeks, but I'll call around to other places tomorrow to see if I can get in sooner.
[ 07. January 2007, 10:48 PM: Message edited by: Aniek ]
Posted by KP (Member # 9488) on :
Not sure about the milk thistle causing pain. When I took it, I didn't notice any side effects. I do know that herbal supplements are sometimes mixed differently so maybe check to see if there is something else in with the milk thistle that might be causing the pain. Or try a different brand?
Sorry I couldn't be more help! Karen
Posted by JavaBeing (Member # 6321) on :
Hi Aniek, Sorry to hear about your gallbladder pain. I have gallbladder and liver pain as well, so can relate to what you're going through.
Sounds like your doc is on the ball with the HIDA scan...I had pain for months before my ND figured things out and with the HIDA scan found the gb pain was due to the fact the gallbladder not emptying bile fully, so it was found only about 20% functional.
Perhaps that's what's going on with you as well, at least you're on the right path to find out.
Some things I can suggest that helped a great deal with me (and again, we are all different...so just passing along hopefully info that will help you as well ) are the following:
Butyrex (calcium/magnesium with Butyric Acid) helps with the bile salts for breaking down fats, helped eliminate some of my gb pains...
And most importantly, I read an article here showing that certain meds interact with MILK THISTLE causing the med to have higher levels in the liver enzymes, which can cause damage/pain to the liver if not monitored/eliminated.
I use Rifampin, and it was one of the antibiotics mentioned not to use (another was erythromycin). There are many other meds mentioned (anti-seizure, sleep meds, statins) that were said to interact with the Milk Thistle as well. Since stopping the Milk Thistle, my pains have decreased...again, this is my experience.
Here's the link that I found here awhile back. Hope it offers you some info and help with what you're going through...
Hope you're feeling better soon, JavaBeing
Posted by Allysp (Member # 10937) on :
Hi there
Did you know that apple juice will give your gallbladder a good cleaning? If you combine it with lemon juice,epson salt and olive oil, it will get rid of gallstones. I went through a period where I had gallbladder pain and the Dr did a pelvic ultrasound and blood work and said I was doing a number on my gallbladder, thats when I cut out all fats and ate chicken and fish for 2 weeks and sure enough, the pain went away and my blood work was good after that. At the same time, my cholesterol was high and so were my triglycerites and when I cut back on fatty foods, it went away. Some people will have gallbladder trouble no matter what they eat but the apple juice will help cleanes gallbladder. Good luck to you!!
Posted by Aniek (Member # 5374) on :
Thanks for all the responses.
Java - I'm off abx for now, and am not on other drugs with interactions. But thanks for posting, it's a good reminder to folks.
Allysp - I know about the lemon olive juice blend, but not the apple juice. I'm waiting for my tests before I do anything to cleanse, so I have a clear picture of what's going on. I'm allergic to lemon, so I can't do that one, but my doctor said I could experiment and see if Lyme works as a substitute.
I was really just wondering about the milk thistle connection. I'm pretty knowledgeable about gallbladder issues. I've heard milk thistle can clear gallstones, so I thought it might actually be a sign that it's workin.
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