Liver results up again!!

[Doughnut61]

Feeling really fed up, liver results up again and no I have not drank any alcohol, although I'm feeling like I may as well as my liver is not behaving . I may go down to 15mg of MTX to see if that helps? Doc now thinking I may need a liver biopsy? Has anyone else had this? I only came out of hospital last Thursday as I now have atrial tachycardia and as well as palpitations my blood pressure dropped so low. I just want to not have to think of tests and illness 24/7 - sorry rant over.

[Hidden]

Sorry to hear you're having a tough time.

I've had a liver scan (a fibroscan) to check out whether my raised ALT had caused any liver damage, might that be a possible alternative to a biopsy? It's quick and non-invasive. (And my liver was fine).

[JEM95 in reply to Hidden]

My liver results are all over the place too. The last ones from a week ago are elevated and I have a telephone appointment with my lovely GP. I'm not sure what she can say / what I can do. I am teetotal, eat healthily etc. The only thing it can be is Methotrexate. I was on 20mg and it was upped to 22.5mg about 7 months ago. I'm really good at the moment, so the thought of cutting that concerns me.

I had a liver scan about 18 months ago and have non alcoholic fatty liver disease 😮

I'd be interested to hear what others in a similar position have done - is it time to think about cutting the MXT / trying something else?

[Hidden in reply to JEM95]

Sorry if you've read this before from me but anyways .... (short version) .... I was told to stop Mtx 'cos of raised ALT, then got an almighty flare up of psoriasis. About 9 months later my rheumy suggested it might have been brought about by stopping the Mtx. So he sent me for the scan, that was fine, I re-started Mtx, just 10 mg, and almost immediately nearly all the psoriasis went away. AND ... he suggested I try taking more Folic Acid to tackle the ALT. Again, lo & behold, a week or so after taking 6 Folic Acid tablets a week rather than 2, the ALT went back to normal and has stayed that way for the last 8 months.

I've moved house and now have a rheumy who is a leading authority on PsA. And she too endorses the extra dose of Folic Acid. So that's definitely something to think / ask about if either of you aren't taking that many Folic tabs.

[ann_martin37]

I had similar problems and needed a liver biopsy. It was fine. I didn't find it painful but I had taken Tramadol for my joint pain before the procedure so that helped. I had to lie still for about 6 hours after the biopsy to make sure my liver had stopped bleeding. My hips and shoulders were stiff and painful after that but otherwise it was fine. As has been said, fibroscans are now available so these are sometimes done instead of biopsies. It depends on your consultant. Ps my liver was ok too.

[Jacey15]

My methotrexate has been lowered from 20mg to 17.5mg then 15mg. My alt was 132 last week so I have been told to stop taking it. I just hope its not causing permanent damage.

Sometimes things get a bit too much don't they. Its good to have a release on here. Hope you get on OK,

Jacey xXx

[Karen77]

I had this happen too. Not a drop of alcohol and my liver enzymes were still elevated. I dropped MTX altogether, but it took about 6 months for my ALT & AST to return to normal. By then the disease activity was back up. I was finally given the green light to start Arava Oct 4 and am starting to see improvements, but in the meanwhile have reintroduced wine to my life (1-3 glasses per week) and yet my ALT & AST remain in normal ranges. I don't understand it myself, but like you was afraid last year this time that I would never have a glass of wine again. I'm glad that's not the case. Good luck to you on your RA journey!