Abnormal liver function+

[rosserk]

Hi all,

I’ve just had a call from my surgery to say I’ve had an abnormal liver test result. The receptionist said I need to repeat the test and asked which vitamins I was taking. She then said I can’t have an appointment to see the doctor for two weeks and she can’t fit me in for a blood test yet but I can ring back this afternoon when the appointments are made available for the nurses.

I can’t believe they would ring you up with bad news and then add to your distress by telling you can’t speak to anyone! When I pointed it out to her she said she will ask the doctor to ring me Monday at 8:30!

Has anyone else had abnormal liver function and is it likely to be from the supplements I’ve been taking?

I was taking selenium, inositol, magnesium, zinc, Vit B complex, D+ K2 and acidophilus.

Mainly I just take selenium, inositol, D+ K2 and acidophilus. I added Vit b complex, magnesium and zinc about a 10 days ago the last time was Tuesday night. I stopped taking them because I’ve been poorly since giving blood and thought they might be the cause. I have a feeling I’ve done someth8ng really stupid in my quest to feel well so feel free to scream at me, ecause im sure the doctor will when I finally get an appointment! 😭😭😭

[Nanaedake]

I do think it's very unreasonable to give you concerning news and not offer an appointment. If you've had blood tests then presumably they've checked vitamin levels so I would be surprised if it's anything to do with that. It can't be too critical or doctor would have ordered immediate action I would have thought. I'm sure it's nothing you've done. For reassurance you need to speak to doc sooner rather than later,

[bantam12]

Don't panic, many things can send them off a bit, I've had way off the scale lfts for over 10 years, despite all the tests nothing found, it's not uncommon that people with thyroid probs have whacky liver results. Unless your results are up in the many 1000s your doc will probably just retest in a few months.

[rosserk in reply to bantam12]

Thanks Bantam I’m hoping it’s excess vitamins that’s caused it and that’s why the receptionist was told to ask me.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to rosserk]

It's more likely that certain vitamins affect test results and invalidate them, like biotin with thyroid tests.

[rosserk in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

Thanks Angel of the north. If the Doctor had agreed to talk with me I could have asked her about the vitamins. I think you are probably right though because there has to be a reason why they asked what vitamins I was taking. I stopped taking them Tuesday and had only been taking them for a week anyway.

I am booked in for a blood test Tuesday do you think 7 days will be long enough for them to be out of my system, I don’t want them to interfere with the next blood test?

[humanbean]

Don't worry too much, but make sure you get copies of all these blood tests and the reference ranges you've just had.

I do a blood test bundle roughly every 9 months that includes liver function tests, and they have jogged on being absolutely normal ever since I first started paying for tests about 5 years ago.

Until last year...

My ALT came back above range, while everything else liver-related was as normal as it ever was. I panicked, just like you are doing, and did lots of reading. I never came to a conclusion about why my ALT was slightly over the range. A few months later I repeated the same test bundle, and my ALT came back determinedly mid-range. Panic over... for now...

So, don't start thinking about organising your funeral yet. It's perfectly possible that your abnormal result(s) are a blip or a lab error and will return to normal again.

If that isn't the case, then look on the bright side - it's good it was found out. It maximises your chances of fixing or improving the situation.

As far as supplements go, do a google for "supplements which can harm the liver" or similar words. I found this link which I thought was good :

loveyourliver.com.au/common...

and many, many others. Do you drink lots of green tea? Or take lots of paracetamol? Or high doses of vitamin A?

I haven't seen any mentions of the supplements you have listed.

[rosserk]

Hi HumanBean thanks for the information it’s very much appreciated.

No I don’t drink green tea, take lots of paracetamol and I’m not taking Vit A.

I had high B12 levels and the supplement I was taking Vit b complex has B12 in it which I stopped taking as soon as I realised and only took for about 7 days. I’m wondering if that’s the problem.

I have to ring my surgery at 2pm to see if they can book me another blood test but I’m scared to ask her to elaborate on the test result because I will worry even more till I’ve spoken with the doctor! 😭

[humanbean in reply to rosserk]

I have never heard of high B12 causing a problem for anyone, as long as the high result is due to supplementing.

It's when people have high B12 without any supplementing at all that there are possible problems - and even then the problems aren't necessarily all dangerous.

[LAHs in reply to humanbean]

Actually, I just read that excessive B12 can cause high blood pressure (BP). I just had a blood test and found that I had just that - super high B12 over the upper limit - which is why I read up on it. So.... if the B12 roserk is taking is causing High BP, that high BP could be causing liver damage (according to the loveyourliver paper) found on her blood test. Maybe it is a bridge too far but worth looking into. e.g., roserk, do you have high BP? Did you have high BP before you started supplementing? Of course I do not know how long you have to take B12 before high BP sets in nor how long you have to have high BP before it damages your liver. Anyway, just a thought.

[humanbean in reply to LAHs]

That's interesting, I hadn't heard of that before. Do you have a link?

[LAHs in reply to humanbean]

Hi HB,

Yes, I tried to get the link, it is:

healthline.com/health/food-...

But, upon testing I could not get to the website, perhaps it will work for you. It was the first paper mentioned if you Google: "Excessive B12 side effects", from healthline.com.

The reason I even looked it up was because I had a blood test and my B12 was 1826 pg/mL and the range should be >=200 pg/mL - so I was a bit concerned. I decided to take a B12 supplement a year ago after watching that amazing lecture from the pernicious anemia society.

Anyway, the article says:

Vitamin B-12 can cause the following side effects:

•restenosis (reoccurrence of narrowing of a blood vessel) after stent placement.

•high blood pressure.

•acne.

•rash.

•itchy or burning skin.

•pink or red skin discoloration.

•facial flushing.

•urine discoloration

.

More items..

.

Vitamin B-12 Side Effects - Healthline

healthline.com/health/food-...

On that same first Google page I also read, from the Mayo Clinic:

According to Mayo Clinic, the following side effects may also be associated with B12 supplements or injections:

•Narrowing of blood vessels in patients after stent placements

•High blood pressure after B12 injections

•Allergy symptoms such as a rash, itching, and burning of the skin

•Pink or red skin discoloration

•Facial flushing

•Urine discoloration

•Nausea

•Difficulty swallowing

•Diarrhea

•Increased blood volume

•Increases in red blood cells

•Low potassium levels

And, of course, you can also find a greater or equal number of articles which say excesses are perfectly OK.

So, speaking as a person with unexplained high BP and very high B12 I guess I will be cutting back on my B12 for a while to see if my BP drops - I do everything else to no avail!

[helvella Administrator in reply to LAHs]

As extreme doses of B12 are used for cyanide poisoning, e.g. from smoke inhalation (5 grams - medicines.org.uk/emc/produc... ), I can't help wondering what impact they have on blood pressure?

[rosserk in reply to LAHs]

LAHs that’s really interesting! No I didn’t have high blood pressure in fact I had the complete opposite. I had extremely low blood pressure but The reason I was at the Doctors in the first place was because I’d developed a rash which looked like sepsis. I’d given blood a few days before and had been really ill since donating. I went the doctors and she though it might be vasculitis but wanted some blood tests just in case and that’s when they found the liver problem. The doctor took my blood pressure and it was unusually high not high enough to concern the Doctor but really high for me.

My B12 was really high on my private blood tests and during the same period my blood pressure was low. Someone on the forum suggested giving blood to lower excess B12 and it was straight after that I got sick. I started taking the Vit B complex at the beginning of the month and was only taking it for about 7 days if that. I didn’t check the label properly and when I did I realised it contained B12! I haven’t taken any supplements since and will wait till I have my Vit levels checked.

Of course there wouldn’t be any need for all this speculation if the Doctor had just called and explained what was wrong with my blood test! I.e your iron levels are too high! 😭

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to rosserk]

Just being hypothyroid may be enough to make levels a bit off too

Personally I don't think we are well enough to be blood donors any more when hypo.

[rosserk in reply to SlowDragon]

SlowDragon thanks for your response. I’ve just spoken with the surgery and they’ve agreed a doctor will call me. The receptionist said they have requested a long list of further tests! I hope that includes vitamins! 😭😭

[rosserk in reply to SlowDragon]

Scrap my last comment just had a call from the receptionist at the doctors surgery. The doctor won’t be ringing me. She said he said my bloods are slightly raised which they often see and to book a blood test!

[t3rr]

I had this when first diagnosed as being hypo, ended up having a liver scan and advised not to worry, but suffer from something called Gilberts syndrome... it affects how the billirubin works in the liver, but I can't say I have any ill effects from it.

[rosserk in reply to t3rr]

T3rr thanks for the response, that’s really interesting.

I’ve had dozens of scans over the last two years and I’ve never had a problem with my liver before. The symptoms I have at the moment feel the same as before I was diagnosed and improved with Levo. I don’t think I’m under medicated though because my TSH is 0.011, T4 23 and my T3 6.3 so I think I’m on the right dose although that could have changed since my last test.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed that my abnormal result was caused by too much vitamins. 😟

[t3rr]

Good luck, don't know the affects of too many vitamins, if you have Gilberts syndrome, I am sure it would have shown up on one of your scans. I don't think GS causes any odd symptoms, just that the liver processes billirubin in a different way to normal.

[rosserk in reply to t3rr]

Thank you hope you’re enjoying the sun. 😁

[Neverending63]

I have blood tests regularly due to my RD meds and have found when I am ill my liver results tend to go up. I had a bout of gall stone pain a few months ago and that sent my liver results haywire. You said you felt unwell after your test so it could just be that. Try not to worry too much, which I know is easier said than done.