Sensitive to Alcohol

[CumbriaMan]

Hi i have been having liver function tests since august i have now pretty much got my levels down to normal originally i had raised results for ggt alt and alp ggt was 170 i stopped drinking for 3 months and had another test they missed the ggt and told me i was ok so i had a few drinks over christmas only small amounts and had another test in mid jan and i was at 110 i have not drunk for 9 weeks now and its 80 and the doc thinks i am sensitive to alcohol so shouldnt drink often or much at all. Is this common?

[Hidden]

Hello CambriaMan,

welcome. after reading your post, I was left thinking, "is that it"?

I would be asking more questions just to see what state my liver was in. The LFT can be rather vague at times, and doesn't always paint a very accurate picture of what state your liver is actually in. I'd want to know if I had possible fatty liver, or liver fibrosis or even cirrhosis. More tests are often required. I personally would go back and ask your doctor for more information. Tell him that you would like to know what it is, and not what they think it might be.

Besides, knowing will give you peace of mind.

Good Luck.

[CumbriaMan in reply to Hidden]

It feels like it could be related to alcohol as when i dont drink it does go down. I think its unlikley to be fatty liver as im generally healthy i eat healthily and do about 6 hours a week exersize im at a bottom end of healthy weight etc and what i read for fatty liver its usually overweight people or people with poor diets or who do little exersize. My alt and ast levels are all normal and have been since september it was just my ggt which seems to go down when i abstain from alcohol. I have another blood test in 6 months to see what my levels are then. What other things were you thinking it could be?

[Hidden in reply to CumbriaMan]

Thats makes sense about the GGT as it raises when anyone drinks especially when drinking over moderation. Doctors sometimes use it as a way to tell if or not someone is being truthful about their drinking. Which i dont agree with as GGT can elevate in people for many other reasons as well.

Just to echo what Richard was saying a bit about LFTs, they can be very misleading as they only show what the livers current state is as far as function. Nothing to do with damage. I have perfectly normal LFT tests and I have absolutely no symptoms of liver disease that can be seen outwardly, I have lots of energy perfect BMI I eat like a horse of all fantastic healthy food. But yet I have cirrhosis showing now on my ultrasound. If i didnt have the ultrasound as proof I would truly never know. Most people are completely asymptomatic until they hit decompensation. This is why liver disease goes on for so long before people know they have it.

By no means though Cumbria am I suggesting you have liver disease at all. My intent is not to try and make you feel that way. Its just for alot of us here on the forum we know how sneaky of a bugger liver disease can be and how well it can hide. So we always try and give the advice we didnt get by making sure people know that there is better testing out there than what the average doctor orders. We truly want everyone who seeks help on this forum to be safe and not sorry. A little stress and worry in the process to get it sorted out properly is worth its weight in gold compared to the emotional beating finding out later can be.

Keep us posted as to how things are going for you moving forward. I always think its great to keep in touch with other members.

Best wishes- Phoenix

[CumbriaMan in reply to Hidden]

thanks for that i have another test in 6 months so will see how that goes and go from there i think thanks for the feedback

[Hidden in reply to CumbriaMan]

Not a problem at all, Anytime !

[CumbriaMan in reply to Hidden]

I also dont have any symptoms of liver damage from what i have read i took the luver function test by chance as i was going to take some foot medication which could effect my liver so needed tests before using the medication. otherwise i would never had known

[Hidden in reply to CumbriaMan]

One of the horrible names associated with liver disease is that it is often referred to as "The silent killer". The liver doesn't have any pain receptors so it can't tell you when it's being damaged. This is why it is better to be over cautious rather then complacent or uninterested.

[Hidden]

You might wish to look at your ferritin (stored iron) level to see if this is why your liver is so easily inflamed. Males tend to accumulate iron as they age and drinking is known to increase absorption of dietary iron.

Iron and alcohol are a very bad mix, and if you have an elevation (of iron) this would cause the spikes in GGT you are seeing with moderate consumption.

Donating blood is the only way to lower accumulated iron. The iron is in the red cells, so donate only whole blood if your ferritin is elevated and you wish to lower it. If ferritin is at all elevated, and you can get it down to mid-normal range, you might be able to enjoy a couple of cold ones once in a while without causing undue inflammation in your liver.

Please research the (antifungal?) medication you are considering taking for your feet very carefully and explore alternate therapies. Antifungals are indeed notorious for serious drug induced liver injury. Seek out the "LiverTox" website for more information on this. You may need to search the generic name of the med you are considering on LiverTox, but you might be surprised at the trouble these meds have caused for some people who've taken them.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Very good points

[ENuk in reply to Hidden]

Excellent post.

Do you have your ferritin levels? If not it is worth pursuing.

Hemochromatosis can cause high ferritin levels.

Automimmune conditions can raise GGT level, prior to my diagnosis of PBC I was aware that I had increased sensitivity to alcohol despite having low intake.