Hydrea Query

[Patsyok]

Just wondering if anyone has had abnormal liver function resuls while being on Hydrea?

My platelets quickly dropped, but liver function enzymes elevated

[Jlah]

No I haven’t. But am tested every 6 months for this as I understand many drugs can affect the liver. Hope it gets sorted.

[beetle]

Yes. I’ve had elevated liver enzymes for years but haematologist told me that that is probably the disease itself as much as the treatment. He also said they are not concerned too much until they get to be ten times normal! I have given up worrying about mine

[beetle in reply to beetle]

Sorry, I meant to add that milk thistle supplement has brought down my ALT quite a bit. Check with your doctor first if you decide to give that a try. Best wishes

[tracey13 in reply to beetle]

Milk thistle is good for liver flush my husband sometimes takes it

[Patsyok in reply to beetle]

My enzymes are 5 times over at moment thankyou for your reply

[hunter5582]

Elevation of ALT/AST is listed as a common side effect of Hydroxyurea. The less common Serious Reaction is hepatotoxicity. If you are already experiencing elevation in liver enzymes, then it is important to monitor and pay attention to the risk of damage to your liver. That is not to say that it will happen, but it is a risk.

Depending on what your diagnosis is and what symptoms you are experiencing, there are other treatment options. It is important to bear in mind that all of the chemotherapies come with their own benefit/risk profile. You have to figure out what is the best choice for you based on your needs and how your body reacts to the meds. Some people (me included) cannot tolerate hydroxyurea, while others tolerate it without issues.

Hope that helps

[Mardigras]

Hi Patsy,

Yes three years ago when I started taking hydrea it messed with my liver function. It sorted itself out after a few months and is showing normal again now. I hope this is a temporary blip for you.

Good luck

M x

[tracey13]

Yes my husband's LFTs are all rising.

He's doing dry January and counting calories so we will see if his LFTs come down on his next set of blood tests on Jan 31st if there's no change we know it's his ruxolitanib & hydroxy

Tracey

[tracey13 in reply to tracey13]

He also has a fatty liver his gamma GT levels are high the doctor called him in asking if he was alcohol dependent 🤔! He said if you class sharing a bottle of wine on a weekend an alcoholic then yes !