Elevated Liver Enzymes/Menopause or Meds

[ragurl]

My liver enzymes have started rising two years ago. They were mildly high. This last week they increased significantly. I am 55 years old and going into menopause. In addition, I am on Leflunomide 10mg, prednisone 7mg and Humira for 15 years without a problem. All my labs look great except that my enzymes have started to increase in the last two years. I also have been experiencing more flares, hot flashes and brain fog. Is it the medications, or menopause?

Has anyone experienced elevated enzymes due to menopause? We are stopping the leflunomide. In perimenopause I stopped the leflunomide two years back for 10 weeks and my enzymes returned to normal. But the RA became serious so we restarted the leflunomide. I was okay for a good year plus but more weight gain and can't lose it. More flares this last year, with awful hot flashes. I believe I am now in menopause and my enzymes are much higher.

Does anyone relate or have a solution? It seems I am guiding my doctors at times. I have had RA for 35 years now. It has been an emotional and physical roller coaster to say the least.

🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[smilelines]

I did not have any elevation from menopause. I suspect it is the leflunimide. My leflunimide raises my enzymes so I am only on 10 mg every other day plus a biologic.

[ragurl in reply to smilelines]

I took am on 10 mg with Humira. I will ask to go to every other day. Are you in Menopause?

[smilelines in reply to ragurl]

No I am past menopause and wasn't on any medication during that time. I even drank a glass of wine almost everyday and my liver was just peachy keen back then! I wonder if yours will be just a weird spike of some sort. Did they retest it a few weeks later? When we cut back my leflunimide it did make my psoriatic worse so we had to increase the frequency of my biologic. Not fun at all.

[ragurl in reply to smilelines]

Thank you. I have been on Leflunomide over 10 years…. I hope to increase biological. Good to know that is possible.

[smilelines in reply to ragurl]

I wonder if someday people will start on biologics rather than the dmards that are so hard on the liver.

[ragurl in reply to smilelines]

Yes, especially if one is young when diagnosed. I was 20 now going to 56. I have been on medication for a long time.

[J1707-]

yes mine went off the scale there for awhile and I had a scan which showed fatty liver. I watch my fat intake . Radiologist said inflammatory disease often cause other problems like fatty liver or kidney problems, our meds don’t help , I started drinking green tea and turmeric tea🤢which helped lower the enzymes. Not a cure still slightly elevated.

[ragurl in reply to J1707-]

Thank you. I have fatty liver troo.