Just before Thanksgiving '08 I had severe upper abdominal pain and was sent to the E.R. by my primary physicians office. After about 6 hours there they sent me home with the diagnosis that I had elevated liver enzymes and an enlarged liver. After a few more tests over the course of a couple more weeks, my enzyme levels had apparently dropped back down to a normal level but I was also told I had nonalcoholic fatty liver and that I needed to lose a lot of weight if I didn't want the disease to progress or to develop diabetes.
From what I've found on Inspire, lots of physicians are telling people that fatty liver is nothing and not to worry about it. Perhaps I was encouraged to act now to lose weight because my liver is enlarged.
I'm curious as to what others know about this disease/condition. Does losing weight help? Is diet a factor?
I'm told that this disease is rapidly reaching epidemic proportions. Does anyone have any information on how use of antidepressant medications might cause this disease?
I'm a bit baffled about the amazing variation in what is recommended as treatment for this condition. If it is caused by a medication I'm taking, what do I do?
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Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver
- By Nerthus
- Posted January 1, 2009 at 4:29 pm · 13 replies
- In Living with a liver disease
- Shared with the public
Explore topics in this discussion:
Exercise Cancer Surgery Metabolic syndrome Acid reflux Hernia Cirrhosis Zocor Hysterectomy Fatty liver Lisinopril Byetta Diabetes Suicide Pain Obesity Metformin Prilosec
13 replies
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- Newest first
- By floridagirl73
- Posted January 2, 2009 at 7:42 pm
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WEight loss will help. diet, and exercise help listen to your doctor. Always get a SECOND OPION!!! I think that is spelled right. I lost my mother 6 years ago to this. I know what it can do. Take care.
- By Nerthus
- Posted January 3, 2009 at 4:21 pm
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My physician so far is saying, "lose weight" and that is what I'm doing.
Thank you for your reply. This is what no one will talk to me about. Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver is dangerous and can be fatal.
I'd really appreciate any information you can give me, if it isn't too painful to recall, about what you know about Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver. You are the only person so far who has been willing to talk about the very real dangers this condition poses.
At what point was your Mom diagnosed? Did she lose weight? What are the symptoms it is getting worse? Is pain normal? If you like we could take this conversation into a private channel, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who wants information about this increasingly common scourge and public is fine if you don't mind.
I've lost a couple lbs already and am joining a gym. Weight loss obviously will help. But if this was caused or exacerbated by medication I take, which is what I suspect, I wonder if there are other changes I should be making too. My concern is that the antidepressants I've been taking for years and years may be the culprits.
- By Nerthus
- Posted January 3, 2009 at 4:33 pm
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Oh, the reason I'm suspicious of the role antidepressants may play is because of the Cymbalta commercials on television that mention liver damage as a side effect. I found references to the early testing of antidepressants, in the late 1990s, that pointed to liver damage as a significant correlate of ingestion of antidepressants (in rat studies I believe).
There were some legal proceedings on this topic but they seem to have disappeared with no resolution. Pharma companies buying off the plaintiffs/attorneys, maybe?
- By mams
- Posted January 4, 2009 at 1:24 am
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hi nerthus, i have the same worries that you have. my son appears to have an inflamed liver. he has been taking paxcil for about 2 years. prior to this he had been under a medication for fungus on his toes. he is over weight. he needs the medication due to post traumetic syndrom. drs tell him paxcil is the safest med he could take as far as side affects. i wonder about this due to his weight gain troubled stomach and liver. he is constantly taking anti acids for acid-reflux.do you suffer from this? makes you wonder if the remedy is worse than the desease. my son is 28, he has never been a drinker either. if you have anymore information on those proceedings it may come in handy for you and many others.
- By Nerthus
- Posted January 4, 2009 at 1:40 am
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I'm just curious about the correlation between anti-depressants and fatty liver and obesity. It seems to be a chicken egg which came first type of thing now. I will put the references up to any and everything I can find on the subject eventually.
The fungus medication is far more dangerous than people realize. An organic chemist I know says to never take it.
My acid reflux is from a hernia. I take prilosec. I'm thinking I should maybe make more effort to control it through diet.
Best of wishes to both you and your son.
- By Nerthus
- Posted January 4, 2009 at 1:40 am
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I'm just curious about the correlation between anti-depressants and fatty liver and obesity. It seems to be a chicken egg which came first type of thing now. I will put the references up to any and everything I can find on the subject eventually.
The fungus medication is far more dangerous than people realize. An organic chemist I know says to never take it.
My acid reflux is from a hernia. I take prilosec. I'm thinking I should maybe make more effort to control it through diet.
Best of wishes to both you and your son.
- By mems
- Posted March 12, 2009 at 2:25 pm
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Hi Nerthus,
I was diagnosed with NASH following gall bladder surgery in August 08. I am in stage 3 liver disease. My doc also recommended losing weight. I take 1500mg of metformin daily because I also have metabolic syndrome. I was recently put on two mild blood pressure medicines. I have another med we are going to try again because I have some pretty intense bathroom issues. (meaning I go to the bathroom more in one day than some folks go in 2 weeks!) My platelets tend to be on the low side. I have become very proactive with diet and increasing my activity level. My doc advised against any type of fast weight loss program saying that was as bad for the liver as quickly gaining weight. My goal is to stop the progression of this disease-NASH-and avoid going to stage 4. I am at a place now where I feel really good much of the time. I do have bad days-days when I am so exhausted that I am so tired I feel as if I can't do a thing. I do have some itching that is annoying. I regularly check my skin tones and my eyes. I have learned the hard way that there are lots of folks (including docs)who know little or nothing about NASH. I hope you will be as fortunate as I am in finding a facility nearby that studies this disease. I have a great doc now and I am confident that working together, I can have a good future. I wish I had understood years ago all our livers do for us. I think I would have been a whole lot more protective!
- By mems
- Posted March 23, 2009 at 11:06 am
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Like Nerthus, I am interested in any info you are willing to share about your mom, when she was diagnosed, what stage, anything you will share. I was diagnosed in September of 08. I am stage 3. Any info will be appreciated.
- By dgbeam
- Posted April 4, 2009 at 10:28 am
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Nerthus,
Hi, Weight lose does help .
Medications are both our life line and some times the devil. I'm diabetic and started taking Byetta ,I was only about 20 lbs over weight @ the time. I went from basically healthy to having Cirrhosis in less than 3 years.
By the time they realized I had it My fatty lIver had already progressed to nash & cirrhosis.
Complications that normally take decades happened to me in less than 5 years, Now they think the Byetta may be the cause.
Gail
- By mems
- Posted April 5, 2009 at 4:56 pm
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Hi Gail,
I saw your post to Nerthus. Were you diagnosed with Fatty Liver first and then it went to Nash? I had a gall bladder operation and thats when they found my liver looked bad and biopsied it. I have stage 3 liver disease, NASH, but so far no cirrhosis. I was prediabetic on diagnosis and I take metformin (1500 mg) and also Lisinopril (5mg) and hydrochlorothiazid 25 mg). I am losing weight and I do have more good days then bad. The bad are crappy when I have them. I get totally exhuasted and sometimes have pain and swelling on those days.
So what are they doing for you now? How do you feel day to day? Please don't think I am being nosy but I am trying to learn as much as I can.
I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers. Feel free to write anytime even if you just need to vent!
- By dgbeam
- Posted April 5, 2009 at 6:51 pm
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mems,
I Had been borderline diabetic for several months , durning a simple hysterectomy they found that my pancrease was twisted so they staightened it out. With in a few months I needed Insulin. With My drs. approval I started Byetta and it worked really well at first , but woth in 6 months I was very sick, Severe fatigue, Nausea , vomitting,weight lose. My Drs. thought I had some kind of cancer that they just hadn't found yet. My Endo sent me to a friend of his that was a hepatologist and with in 2 weeks I was diagianosed with cirrhosis., Caused by Fatty liver & NASH.They tell me that they have never had any one go fro fatty liver , to NASH , to Cirrhosis in such a short time. Normally it takes a diabetic many years to develope fatty liver is they are not obese.( I was not, I needed to lose about 20 pounds and was fairly active at the time I got sick.)Normally it takes decades for fatty liver to cause cirrhosis
I also take metformin 1600mg daily, zocor 80mg daily,I use a insulin pump to control my sugar, (with out it my sugars run 600+)
They montior my labs & ultrasound every 3 months. I have endoscopy every 6 months. when my labs change enough I will be listed for a transplant. The problem with that is I have the most common blood type in the US and there are almost 2,000 people waiting for a liver with my type in my region every day.
My Dr. said not to give up but not to expect one.
I have constant fatigue , Severe nausea when I eat.
almost constant rt. sided pain. I look like I'm 9 months pregnant.Thanks to the insulin I have to use I now need to lose 40 lbs.But with out it I would be dead now.Most days I get up I go to work , come home and like most women I take care of my family. Do I feel like it. NO but I'm scared if I stop then well you know you start to fell like if you can keep going that the bad things won't catch you as fast. LOL
I recently had a mild bleed caused by the cirrhosis , they banded it and I go back in 3 months for them to recheck. I have all my affairs in order but I don't dwell on them. I live one moment at a time instead of one day at a time,
Now with all that I have to say I'm happy , I have a great family that loves me. A employer that is very understanding. would I do anything different in my life sure i wouldn't take Byetta But hind sight is 20/20 Other than that No.
Thankk you for the prayers
Gail
- By kashy
- Posted April 15, 2009 at 5:54 pm
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Hi,
I am in the UK and have been diagnosed with Cirrhosis. It's most probably stage 3 but after many blood tests, 24 urine, 48 pencilliam challenge tests, eye tests, a liver biopsy (actually done in the begining) they in their wisdom have labled my Cirrhosis as CRYPTOGENIC (unknown).
I have all but ruled out Wilsons but am interested in NASH. Could you please help me diagnose this. I have all results including blood results. Key ones have been mentioned on my blog. www.doublecurveball.com
Please help me.
Kash.
- By 1lucky-woman
- Posted August 7, 2009 at 5:09 am
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A little story about my experience with the antidepressants. Only if you have NO choice! I moved to Dallas from Houston after my Doctor at Herman Hospital told me to get my affairs in order.I might make it to the end of the month. I was put on the antidepressants. Now 9 years and a month later here I am. I was recommended by a Garland Hospital to the Transplant team at Methodist. was told of a study going on there that would pay for my meds and treatment. They asked me at Methodist all the meds I had taken. I was honest and told them I had taken anti's for 2 years, and weened myself off 7years ago. Well... Blew that chance out of the water. They told my it disqualified me from the study. They said the interferon would make me loose my mind.. if I had a tendency to get depressed. That they could not take a chance of my committing suicide, or killing someone. So, instead I just get to lay here and endure a horrible death Verrryeeyeyey slowly. doctors can be good . Some are just evil. I believe No one human being should be able to dish out life or death, like they are God should get I'll be praying for you and your family. Chow
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