Help please. dermo took blood- high liver values

[anabolic44]

I went to my dermo last week and he prescribed me accutane for my acne. Before he could sign off on it though, he wanted to do some blood work to make sure my liver values were ok. He explained I would have to do this every 4 weeks while taking accutane before he would refill my prescription. So in order to get the ball rolling quickly he took my blood right then and after the test came back if everything was in the normal ranges I could begin taking the accutane.

So, before getting to the doctors office, since I didn’t know he would be taking blood I didn’t fast. I also took all my supplements listed below the night before and morning of the blood test. I took the blood test about an hr after I ate/took supplements.

He called me today to tell me my liver values were too high for him to sign off on giving me the accutane. So now I am a little worried something might be wrong. But before I start to worry I was wondering if anyone had any insight as to whether any of the below supplements could have contributed to my liver values being too high on this blood test. Also, maybe it could just be since I didn’t fast?

The morning of the blood test I had:
36 grms ‘pepto pro’ protein mixed in crystal light
2 tablespoons natural pb

Supps:
Cefadroxil- 500mg (current acne med)
Propecia- 1mg
Green Tea Extract from True Protein- 500mg
Himilaya Liver Care (Liv 52)- 1 capsule
Milk Thistle- 500mg
Bromelain- either 500mg or 1000mg—cant remember sometimes I take 2 tabs
Vitamin Shoppe brand Once Daily Multi Vitamin
Saw Palmetto
True Proteins fat burn pill Burn 2 caps which contains:
- Ingredients Per Serving (3 Capsules):
Synthetic Guggulsterones 99% Pure E&Z 20mg
Synephrine HCI 25mg
Yohimbine HCI 4mg
Caffeine 250mg
Alpha Lipoic Acid 100mg
Choline Bitartrate 100mg
Cayenne Pepper Extract 40,000 HUT 100mg
Acetyl L-Carnitine 100mg
Green Tea Extract >98% Polyphenols100mg
Vitamin B-5 20mg

Inactive Ingredients: Magnesium Sterate, Maltodextrin, Capsule (Gelatin).

I will add I am currently taking 500mg test and 400mg Eq per week. I am still leaning towards it being some of the above supplements throwing my liver values off since I got a complete physical a couple months back and everything came back in the normal ranges according to my primary care physician. I never saw the results but he never said anything about my liver values. I fasted before that blood test.

 

[RV63T]

Cefadroxil- 500mg (current acne med)
Propecia- 1mg

I BET IF YOU READ THE PAPER ON THESE THEY WILL SAY MAY CAUSE LIVER DAMAGE.
almost all meds say this for a reason.
synthetek sells a liver supp, allthough liv-52, milk thistle, and alpha lipoic acid are good for the liver as well.
plus your cycle
may need more liver aids. or better like syntheteks

 

[anabolic44]

Thanks for taking the time to read my thread and for the feedback. I agree that those meds are probably attributing to the higher liver values, but the only thing is I have been taking these meds for quite some time (over a yr). As I mentioned I got full blood work done a couple mths ago and all was fine. But I guess it could be that these meds have finally caught up to me. And thanks for the tip on the synthetek liver protectant. Just ordered a bottle rush delivery.

Anyone else have a minute to look at my question? I am really wondering if any of the supps I took just an hr or 2 before my dr taking blood could have anything to do with the elevated liver values.

 

[gelatine]

Find out how high they were exactly, he could be overreacting to a minor elevation.

 

[mac76]

Do you have any idea as to what values were elevated in the liver function test? Eg AST ALT ? Also the 2 prescription meds are looking like the favorites although if you have taken anything like flu remedys in the last 4 weeks these could have caused an issue.

Going by my past experience look carefully at everything you have taken going back 4 weeks before test, hope this may help

 

[Kaladryn]

If it was AST/ALT only that was elevated, and your GGT was fine, I would say it is exercise induced, make sure you do no heavy lifting for 3-4 days before your next bloodwork and I bet they will be in normal range, 5 days if you want to be extra safe.

 

[anabolic44]

No the doc didnt go into the details with me. He mentioned that since i wasnt fasted we should give it another go in 10 days. He also mentioned not to drink any alcohol in those 10 days as that could obviously affect my liver values.

That is a good point about heavy lifting. I did have a brutal training session the night before, so I'm sure that didnt help.

 

[PHIL HERNON]

Honestly

No the doc didnt go into the details with me. He mentioned that since i wasnt fasted we should give it another go in 10 days. He also mentioned not to drink any alcohol in those 10 days as that could obviously affect my liver values.

That is a good point about heavy lifting. I did have a brutal training session the night before, so I'm sure that didnt help.

Your doctor did not go into details because you did not ask.........DEMAND the numbers..........he works for you

 

[BigSwole]

If it was AST/ALT only that was elevated, and your GGT was fine, I would say it is exercise induced, make sure you do no heavy lifting for 3-4 days before your next bloodwork and I bet they will be in normal range, 5 days if you want to be extra safe.

Really? That's good to know. Do you know why heavy exercise causes an increase in those values?

 

[Kaladryn]

Really? That's good to know. Do you know why heavy exercise causes an increase in those values?

AST and ALT are enzymes that are found in liver cells, when those cells are damaged they are released into the bloodstream, these enzymes are also found in muscle cells, but in smaller amounts (one of them is higher in muscle cells and thus elevates more due to muscle cell damage but I forget which). When you lift, especially high intensity bodybuilding, you can cause enough muscle damage to release a lot of the ast/alt enzymes into the blood.

The half life of AST is 12-24 hours, the half life of ALT 37-57 hours, so you will need several days of not lifting to get these down. For me, even what I consider a light "pump" workout still seems to be enough to elevate these values. I do nothing for 3-4 days before and my values are half of what they would otherwise be, my GGT is always low, which is a important indicator of "real" damage from what I understand.

Here is a good read Mildly Elevated Liver Transaminase Levels in the Asymptomatic Patient - March 15, 2005 - American Family Physician

 

[Kaladryn]

Also, I noticed you are taking 1mg finasteride, you might consider reducing that to .25mg/day. Here is a quote from wiki on finasteride:

The UC Berkeley Wellness Letter expressed concern in March 2003 about the unproven long-term safety of Propecia and recommended cutting a standard 1-milligram dose of Propecia into quarters to reduce the cost without reducing its effectiveness. This claim appears to be supported by clinical pharmacological data reviewed by the FDA during Propecia's approval process that suggested that the advantage of taking 1 mg per day over 0.2 mg per day is statistically small.[19] Some people have unsuccessfully petitioned the FDA to re-examine the approved dosage in light of the statistical evidence and unknown long-term risks.[

 

[anabolic44]

I got in touch with my doctor and had him go through the results of my blood test with me. My GGT levels were fine, it was my AST and ALT levels that were a little high.

AST- 54 (doc said should be between 5 - 37)
ALT- 88 (doc said should be between 12 - 78)

So I am going back on Wednesday for another blood test. I am thinking I won't train past Saturday and see where my levels are. Hopefuly the training was the cause for my elevated levels.

 

[gelatine]

Those are barely elevated at all. You could see that degree of elevation from training alone, some would even say a high protein diet could cause that. Doctor's milking you for money pretty much, even if he is personally concerned.