Liver Function Test results approx 100 - not sure what tests

Thanks, Richard.

It did scare me because, up until 2014, he showed me that routine tests had always been in the 20s or 30s for both tests (sorry I'm being so vague about the actual tests, I cannot remember the names).

The blood that was taken was on 4 August, only 2-3 days after that week-long binge.

Since then, I have seriously reduced my alcohol intake.

Hi Paul,

Thanks for your reply.

Naturally I am scared.

I suspect my body is already complaining - I have indigestion on and off, and I have already mentioned these persistent sweats on another thread.  I also have quite painful joints and palms.  Could any or all of these be symptoms?

The thing is: my GP didn't seem overly concerned yesterday, he just said "no more binges" and said they would check the same tests in a few weeks' time.

 

They are all symptoms of too much alcohol. Your liver tests show that you are not in deep trouble yet and you can fix it by finding a solution to your excessive drinking. Use it as another motivator

But nothing to be too scared of at this point.

Hi again Paul, and thanks.

It certainly is a motivator.

Actually, I feel considerably better today - still a bit achy and tired, but not so bad.

Could excessive alchohol intake and early liver problems be contributing to insomnia?

I am also taking several medications which I think are probably not good for the liver: Quetiapine, Trazodone, Pregablin and a statin.  Could these also be contributing to the high liver function test result?

Cheers,

Gavin.

Yes, alcohol can cause sleep disturbances and sleepless nights are one of the main issues with people who drink excessively.

I doubt those drugs are causing a problem with your liver. Doctors would be unlikely to prescribe them in doses that would cause damage to your liver. I think the alcohol has to take ALL the responsibility.

Hi how often do u have painful joints, are there painful even if u are not using them,l have them as well went for a test last week, the GP found l had symptoms of gout, they come and go, so now taking folic acid for it. ask for a gout test if u have the same symtoms.

Thanks, Paul.

I only asked about the drugs because I was on them before I started drinking excessively, and the historic test results had started to increase (though still in the 40s) then.

The severe insomnia started well-before the heavy drinking started, but I guess the drinking has just reinforced it.  But I have been SO desperate for sleep at times that alcohol seemed to be the only (very temporary) thing I could use (as prescribed sleeping tablets have lagely lost their effectiveness).

I know that the liver can repair itself if I mend my ways, but you scared me when talking about the other organs that may have been affected.

If they have been affected, can the other parts of the body you mentioned return to normality too?

Cheers,

Gavin.

Hi Richard,

They don't seem to be painful today.  The only things that feel 'wrong' today are a slightly altered sensation in my palms, and there is a bit of discomfort in my inner thighs.

I also keep breaking-out in sweats over much of the body, particularly above the waist, especially when I eat or drink anything hot, go into a warm environment, or do even moderate exercise (eg. a walk).

I don't have any pain or discomfort where my live is, no jaundice or yellowing of the eyes, and no vomiting, nausea or diarrhoea.  I've also eaten OK today.

I don't think I have gout - I think it affects the joint of the big toe most of all and both big toes feel fine.

I am going to go for a long walk at the coast soon.

And no alcohol!

Cheers,

Gavin.

 

Don't worry about the other organs, the liver doesn't appear to be badly damaged according to your blood results, that means that the other organs are unlikely to be and they will get better if given a rest from the alcohol.

Alcohol prevents proper sleep. People need REM sleep which is the type of sleep in which you dream. You ONLY remember a dream if you wake up in the middle of it. A lot of people with drink problems say that they have a lot of dreams. That is because they keep waking during REM sleep. The REM sleep is therefore being constantly disturbed and, even when you think you have slept enough, you will feel like you haven't slept a wink the next morning. While alcohol can get you to sleep initially, it then prevents decent quality sleep and, later, prevents some people from sleeping more than a short period before waking.

Alcohol-induced sleep is basically useless. When you stop drinking, sleep comes back naturally. Normally within a few days and you will wake feeling much better in the morning. I am not saying it is easy to stop drinking, we all know it isn't, but if you can find a way, you will certainly notice yourself feeling MUCH healthier within a very short period of time. When we do alcohol detox with our clients, by day 3, their appetite is better, they are sleeping better and they wake feeling more healthy in the mornings.

For those symptoms, get yourself a pack of 100mg Thiamine (it is a B Vitamin) and take one pill twice a day for 28 days. You will get it from a chemist for less than a fiver.

Thiamine deficiency causes a lot of problems including things like the sensation you describe in your hands. A deficiency of thiamine is also the cause of alcohol-related dementia.

People who drink too much get a deficiency of thiamine. You need to put it back. 28 days will be enough for you to get it back to a decent level and you are likely to feel a lot healthier.

Thanks, Paul.  It's so good of you to give so much of your time replying to me and other posters on this forum.

When I had the two short, but heavy, binges last October, I was taken to hospital and kept in in both occasions and given something intravenously (it was a yellow liquid, but I can't remember the name) and given Thiamine when I was in hospital and upon discharge.  I have some of the tablets left.

I'm just back from a 7 mile walk which I did in 85 minutes.  I was soaked with sweat but was / am fine otherwise.  Also looking forward to having something to eat shortly - my appetite is much better than it was last week (and before that while I was drinking heavily).

No problem, Gav It sounds like you are doiing all the right things. Keep going!

Paul, it's me again!

These sweats are making me miserable - they recur frequently but are worse when I eat or drink something hot or go into a warm environment.

Would Thiamine help?

Or do you think they are because of a liver problem?

Or from the Quetiapine and / or Trazodone?

Or stresss / anxiety?

I have always sweated quite easily - I remember I used to go back to work after walking around town on summer days with my shirt damp with sweat.  But these sweats happen when I am not doing anything (like at the moment).

They are concentrated above the waist and are soaking me and making me damp below the waist, too.

I also keep wondering about diabete because I know gustatory sweating is a symptoms, though was I was tested for that earlier in the year and it was negative.  I'm not extra thirsty or passing urine a lot.

Tell me again when your last drink was, Gav.

Thiamine may help your sweats, depending on the cause of them. It is unlikely to be related to your liver.

It is not normally a side effect of Quitiapine or Trazodone.

Anxiety / stress could well be the cause, or your body re-adjusting to there being no alcohol in it.

It sounds unlikely, from what you say, that you are diabetic. I am diabetic and can tell you that, before you get treatment, the thirst is absolutely horrendous and no amount of drinking takes it away.

Hi again, Paul.

Yesterday - some red wine, but I didn't enjoy it.

Nothing today (and nothing all of last week).

The blood for the liver function tests was taken on 4 August, just three days after my awful binge (1.5l of vodka in one day).

I will do my best to avoid alcohol for the forseeable future.  My doctor's fairly stern message of  "no more binges, Gavin" is fixed in my mind.

I discussed the sweats with him two days ago.  He said I have mentioned these to him on and off over the past two years.  (It was excessive sweating that started in July 2013 that, added to other symptoms, made me think I had contracted HIV after I had had a possible exposure.)  He feels that they are caused by anxiety.

However, they have definitely got worse over the past month or two, coinciding with my excessive drinking, which is why I think the two may be connected and now I'm worried that they are because the liver is under strain (or some other organ(s)).

I'm not sweating at the moment, but have little doubt they'll be back later - something's not right! 

It's a withdrawal symptom then, Gav.

Thanks, Paul.

Still achy, discomfort in palms of hands and soles of feet and some joints, a bit fuzzy-headed and some indigestion.

I'll get the vitamins as you suggest.  Is Berocca (or shop's own brand) any good?  It has high doses of many B vitamins, as well as Thiamine, and other vitamins and minerals, too.  I used it on and off for years until a couple of years ago.

Hello Paul

I just joined this site after reading the conversation between you and Gaven, I want to thank you both for sharing.

Paul, I wanted to ask if people with liver enzyme numbers around 400 (likely due to drinking), are they able to bring those numbers back down?

Thank you for your input.

Hello Mishka,

Yes, I have seen people with Gamma GT of well over 1000 get it back down to normal levels. Normal level for Gamma GT is 0-52