Liver Function Test results approx 100 - not sure what tests

General health and lifestyle
1

Hello all,

Apologies for starting a new thread (and thanks to those who contributed to the last one I created).

To repeat briefly: I have been suffering from depression, anxiety and insomnia for the past two years.

Since last August, I have been drinking heavily intermittently - though hardly at all from November 2014 to March this year.

I then re-started drining heavily on-and-off from April, but my drinking was particularly heavy in the last week of July this year - I drank three 1.5 litre bottles of vodka that week.

I had liver function test done on 4 August (just over a week ago).  Subsequent to that, I got a letter from my doctor's surgery asking me to come back and have the tests repeated in a few weeks' time.

Yesterday, I had a regular appointment with my doctor.  He went through the liver function test results with me.

I cannot remember the names of the specific tests, all I can remember is that they were both about 100, the doctor said the upper figure for normal for both was 61, he said one was more importnat than the other, I need to reduce my drinking to within the recomened limits and to come back and have the tests repeated in a few weeks' time (as per the letter).

Since the binge in the last week of July, I have not been feeling well.  I am sweating very easily, feel achy, lacking energy, insomnia has got worse, and my appetite is not so good.  However, I have not lost any weight.

How concerned should I be (even if I reduce my alcohol intake)?  I have done so - I didn't drink any alcohol for a week, and have only drank wine since, and my alcohol intake is much, much lower than it had been in July.

Thanks in advance of replies.

Gavin.

2

I think he means left means your liver is getting damaged, and if u do not change your ways it can get permanently damaged , cirrhoses cannot be cured , u will

3

So u need to reduce alcohol intake or stop with help from GP, 100 is not bad it can go up 400.

4

Thanks, Richard.

It did scare me because, up until 2014, he showed me that routine tests had always been in the 20s or 30s for both tests (sorry I'm being so vague about the actual tests, I cannot remember the names).

The blood that was taken was on 4 August, only 2-3 days after that week-long binge.

Since then, I have seriously reduced my alcohol intake.

5

hi Gav

           the liver tests refer to the enzyme levels in your liver - they always spike after binging, (mine were off the wall after binging) the reason they want to re-test you is to see if they have reduced- they normaly do -  the liver has remarkable powers of recovery - the problems begin if your levels do not drop after reducing your alcohol intake- you would be better knocking the alcohol on the head for a few weeks at least to give your liver  a chance to recover- i would not be to concerned at the moment- wait till you get re-tested and then have a chat with your GP about it-  all the best-

6

Your doctor will be referring to your Gamma GT which gives an indication of damage done to your liver. You need to sort it out by finding a solution to your alcohol problem, Gav.

Don't panic. I have seen Gamma GT results close to 2000! Having said that, once your drinkiing starts to show on your liver, the deterioration can be rapid, so don't hand about.

The liver is very good at healing itself and will do so quickly from your current situation. However, if you allow it to get to the point of liver cirrhosis, it will no longer have the ability to heal and you will be in trouble. You need to act on this warning now. If your liver is damaged, it is likely other organs will have been affected too, such as kidneys, stomach, pancreas, heart and brain.

Just act on the warning and you will be fine.

7

Hi Paul,

Thanks for your reply.

Naturally I am scared.

I suspect my body is already complaining - I have indigestion on and off, and I have already mentioned these persistent sweats on another thread.  I also have quite painful joints and palms.  Could any or all of these be symptoms?

The thing is: my GP didn't seem overly concerned yesterday, he just said "no more binges" and said they would check the same tests in a few weeks' time.

 

8

They are all symptoms of too much alcohol. Your liver tests show that you are not in deep trouble yet and you can fix it by finding a solution to your excessive drinking. Use it as another motivator

But nothing to be too scared of at this point.

9

Hi again Paul, and thanks.

It certainly is a motivator.

Actually, I feel considerably better today - still a bit achy and tired, but not so bad.

Could excessive alchohol intake and early liver problems be contributing to insomnia?

I am also taking several medications which I think are probably not good for the liver: Quetiapine, Trazodone, Pregablin and a statin.  Could these also be contributing to the high liver function test result?

Cheers,

Gavin.

10

Yes, alcohol can cause sleep disturbances and sleepless nights are one of the main issues with people who drink excessively.

I doubt those drugs are causing a problem with your liver. Doctors would be unlikely to prescribe them in doses that would cause damage to your liver. I think the alcohol has to take ALL the responsibility.

11

Hi how often do u have painful joints, are there painful even if u are not using them,l have them as well went for a test last week, the GP found l had symptoms of gout, they come and go, so now taking folic acid for it. ask for a gout test if u have the same symtoms.

12

Thanks, Paul.

I only asked about the drugs because I was on them before I started drinking excessively, and the historic test results had started to increase (though still in the 40s) then.

The severe insomnia started well-before the heavy drinking started, but I guess the drinking has just reinforced it.  But I have been SO desperate for sleep at times that alcohol seemed to be the only (very temporary) thing I could use (as prescribed sleeping tablets have lagely lost their effectiveness).

I know that the liver can repair itself if I mend my ways, but you scared me when talking about the other organs that may have been affected.

If they have been affected, can the other parts of the body you mentioned return to normality too?

Cheers,

Gavin.

13

Hi Richard,

They don't seem to be painful today.  The only things that feel 'wrong' today are a slightly altered sensation in my palms, and there is a bit of discomfort in my inner thighs.

I also keep breaking-out in sweats over much of the body, particularly above the waist, especially when I eat or drink anything hot, go into a warm environment, or do even moderate exercise (eg. a walk).

I don't have any pain or discomfort where my live is, no jaundice or yellowing of the eyes, and no vomiting, nausea or diarrhoea.  I've also eaten OK today.

I don't think I have gout - I think it affects the joint of the big toe most of all and both big toes feel fine.

I am going to go for a long walk at the coast soon.

And no alcohol!

Cheers,

Gavin.

 

14

Don't worry about the other organs, the liver doesn't appear to be badly damaged according to your blood results, that means that the other organs are unlikely to be and they will get better if given a rest from the alcohol.

Alcohol prevents proper sleep. People need REM sleep which is the type of sleep in which you dream. You ONLY remember a dream if you wake up in the middle of it. A lot of people with drink problems say that they have a lot of dreams. That is because they keep waking during REM sleep. The REM sleep is therefore being constantly disturbed and, even when you think you have slept enough, you will feel like you haven't slept a wink the next morning. While alcohol can get you to sleep initially, it then prevents decent quality sleep and, later, prevents some people from sleeping more than a short period before waking.

Alcohol-induced sleep is basically useless. When you stop drinking, sleep comes back naturally. Normally within a few days and you will wake feeling much better in the morning. I am not saying it is easy to stop drinking, we all know it isn't, but if you can find a way, you will certainly notice yourself feeling MUCH healthier within a very short period of time. When we do alcohol detox with our clients, by day 3, their appetite is better, they are sleeping better and they wake feeling more healthy in the mornings.

15

For those symptoms, get yourself a pack of 100mg Thiamine (it is a B Vitamin) and take one pill twice a day for 28 days. You will get it from a chemist for less than a fiver.

Thiamine deficiency causes a lot of problems including things like the sensation you describe in your hands. A deficiency of thiamine is also the cause of alcohol-related dementia.

People who drink too much get a deficiency of thiamine. You need to put it back. 28 days will be enough for you to get it back to a decent level and you are likely to feel a lot healthier.

16

Thanks, Paul.  It's so good of you to give so much of your time replying to me and other posters on this forum.

When I had the two short, but heavy, binges last October, I was taken to hospital and kept in in both occasions and given something intravenously (it was a yellow liquid, but I can't remember the name) and given Thiamine when I was in hospital and upon discharge.  I have some of the tablets left.

I'm just back from a 7 mile walk which I did in 85 minutes.  I was soaked with sweat but was / am fine otherwise.  Also looking forward to having something to eat shortly - my appetite is much better than it was last week (and before that while I was drinking heavily).

17

No problem, Gav It sounds like you are doiing all the right things. Keep going!

18

Paul, it's me again!

These sweats are making me miserable - they recur frequently but are worse when I eat or drink something hot or go into a warm environment.

Would Thiamine help?

Or do you think they are because of a liver problem?

Or from the Quetiapine and / or Trazodone?

Or stresss / anxiety?

I have always sweated quite easily - I remember I used to go back to work after walking around town on summer days with my shirt damp with sweat.  But these sweats happen when I am not doing anything (like at the moment).

They are concentrated above the waist and are soaking me and making me damp below the waist, too.

I also keep wondering about diabete because I know gustatory sweating is a symptoms, though was I was tested for that earlier in the year and it was negative.  I'm not extra thirsty or passing urine a lot.

19

Tell me again when your last drink was, Gav.

Thiamine may help your sweats, depending on the cause of them. It is unlikely to be related to your liver.

It is not normally a side effect of Quitiapine or Trazodone.

Anxiety / stress could well be the cause, or your body re-adjusting to there being no alcohol in it.

It sounds unlikely, from what you say, that you are diabetic. I am diabetic and can tell you that, before you get treatment, the thirst is absolutely horrendous and no amount of drinking takes it away.

20

Hi again, Paul.

Yesterday - some red wine, but I didn't enjoy it.

Nothing today (and nothing all of last week).

The blood for the liver function tests was taken on 4 August, just three days after my awful binge (1.5l of vodka in one day).

I will do my best to avoid alcohol for the forseeable future.  My doctor's fairly stern message of  "no more binges, Gavin" is fixed in my mind.

I discussed the sweats with him two days ago.  He said I have mentioned these to him on and off over the past two years.  (It was excessive sweating that started in July 2013 that, added to other symptoms, made me think I had contracted HIV after I had had a possible exposure.)  He feels that they are caused by anxiety.

However, they have definitely got worse over the past month or two, coinciding with my excessive drinking, which is why I think the two may be connected and now I'm worried that they are because the liver is under strain (or some other organ(s)).

I'm not sweating at the moment, but have little doubt they'll be back later - something's not right!