With the popularization of health knowledge, more and more people realize the importance of health preservation, such as “soak goji berries in a thermos cup” and “must drink 8 glasses of water a day”.. .

Among all the organs in the human body, the liver is one of the most vulnerable organs and also the most obscure organ.

In order to protect the liver, many people will choose to take some liver protection drugs. For example, 57-year-old Ms. Li, Ms. Li pays great attention to health preservation. After the peptides could protect the liver, I went to buy a few boxes and took them home to eat.

After eating for several months, Ms. Li went for a physical examination and found that her transaminase index was very abnormal, so she asked a doctor. Ms. Li said: “I have been taking liver-protecting drugs. My transaminases were normal in my physical examination last year. Why is the transaminase index so high this time? Is there something wrong?”

The doctor asked Ms. Li what medicine she usually took, and after getting a reply from glutathione, the doctor said: “This nursing Ms. Li took the wrong liver medicine. Ms. Li was shocked, how could she take the liver medicine wrong?”

The doctor said: ” Ms. Li’s liver function is normal, so there is no need to take liver-protecting medicines. If you take too much, it will damage your liver function. Therefore, during this physical examination, Ms. Li’s transaminase will become high.”< /span>

Ms. Li is very puzzled and hopes that the doctor will explain to her carefully why liver function cannot be protected by food What about liver medicine? Can taking liver protection medicine for a long time protect the liver from disease?

1. Can long-term consumption of liver protection drugs protect the liver from disease?

The liver in our body is responsible fordeoxidation, storage of glycogen, secretory protein synthesis, and metabolism of harmful substances< /span> and other functions, it is a very important organ. In the early stage of liver disease, there are basically no symptoms. After symptoms appear, it has reached the late stage, so it must be protected at ordinary times our liver.

In order to protect the liver, many people will buy some liver-protecting medicines online or in pharmacies, thinking that as long as they take liver-protecting medicines for a long time, they can protect the liver. The liver does not get sick, for example, Ms. Li in our article, so, is this really the case?

After hearing the liver protection medicine, everyone’s first reaction That is: this medicine can protect our liver, as long as we insist on taking it, the liver will basically not get sick. But is this really the case?

In fact, there are many types of liver protection drugs on the market, some promote metabolism and detoxification, and some repair liver damage, but they all It is said that “medicine is three-point poison”, even if it is a liver-protecting drug, after entering the human body, it must be metabolized and excreted through the liver and kidneys.For some people with normal liver function However, taking liver-protecting drugs for a long time will not protect the liver at all. Instead, it will easily increase the burden on the metabolism of the liver and kidneys, causing liver and kidney damage.

So back to the beginning, can taking liver-protecting drugs for a long time protect the liver from disease?

The answer is, no, People with normal liver function Taking liver-protecting drugs indiscriminately is more likely to cause liver damage.

So it is recommended that people with normal liver function want to protect the liver, do not take medicine indiscriminately, maintain a good work and rest, and eat more fruits and vegetables , Regular physical examination is more effective than anything else.

So, for patients with abnormal liver function, can liver protection drugs be used to protect the liver?

First of all, we need to understand a concept, what is abnormal liver function?

In some people’s cognition, as long as the transaminase is elevated, it means that the liver function is abnormal, but this is not the case. There are two reasons for the increase of transaminase, one is a physiological increase, and the other is a pathological increase.< /span>

If you often stay up late, drink alcohol, or exercise strenuously before the examination, it may lead to elevated transaminaseBut this is physiological. As long as the work and rest return to normal and a reasonable diet, the transaminase will return to normal levels, so patients with physiologically elevated transaminase do not need to take liver protection drugs.

while< strong>pathologically elevated transaminases, It is often caused by liver diseases, such as hepatitis B virus infection, fatty liver, etc.. For diseases like fatty liver, it is okay to take liver-protecting drugs, but for hepatitis B virus, taking liver-protecting drugs can only help reduce transaminases, and cannot completely eliminate hepatitis B virus. Subsequent antiviral therapy is required to protect liver health.

So even if the transaminase is elevated due to liver disease, we must first confirm which type of disease it is, and take liver protection drugs Whether it is useful or not, you can only take it after making sure that the liver protection medicine is useful. If it is not useful, then it is not recommended to take it.

After hearing the doctor’s answer, Ms. Li finally understood what was going on. The doctor suggested Ms. Li, first stop the liver-protecting medicine I am taking, and then come to the hospital for a review after a month or so to see how the situation is. If the transaminase returns to normal, then you don’t have to worry about it. If the transaminase has not returned to normal, It may mean that Ms. Li’s liver has been damaged and further treatment is needed. So, what are the common liver protection drugs? What should I eat?

Second, these 3 common liver protection drugs, are you taking the right one?

Currently, the clinically common liver protection drugs are mainly the following three.

1. Detoxification liver protection drugs:

Such as glutathione, acetylcysteine, etc., detoxification liver protection drugs are suitable for taking when the liver detoxification function is impaired, and can provide glucuronic acid to the liver to help remove viruses on the surface of the liver , reduce the degree of liver damage, thereby enhancing the detoxification function of the liver and achieving the effect of protecting the liver.

2. Gallbladder Liver protection medicine:

The location of the gallbladder and the liver is very close. When the liver is damaged, bile secretion will be affected, and in severe cases, cholestasis will also be caused. Taking choleretic liver-protecting drugs (such as adenosylmethionine, ursodeoxycholic acid, etc.), can Promote bile secretion and avoid hepatobiliary circulation disorder caused by cholestasis. Choleretic liver-protecting drugs achieve the effect of liver protection through choleretic effect.

3. Anti-inflammatory liver protection drugs:

Anti-inflammatory drugs are relatively common liver-protecting drugs at present. They are mainly aimed at liver diseases with inflammatory reactions. Common ones include bicyclol and compound glycyrrhizin, which can help anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic. Protect liver health.

In addition to the above three kinds, common liver-protecting drugs include enzyme-lowering and liver-protecting drugs Drugs, liver-protecting drugs that promote energy metabolism, anti-oxidation liver-protecting drugs, etc. Patients with abnormal alanine aminotransferase and significantly high index values ​​in the body can take enzyme-lowering liver-protecting drugs; the main function of liver-protecting drugs that promote energy metabolism is to improve the energy metabolism of liver cells and help the liver metabolize fat. Liver patients can also choose this liver-protecting drug; for example, silibinin capsules, etc., are anti-oxidative liver-protecting drugs. When the liver damages liver cell membranes and protein structures due to excessive free radicals, it can Use these drugs.

There are many types of liver-protecting drugs. It is recommended that when choosing liver-protecting drugs, you must choose according to your physical condition. Don’t choose blindly. Yes, that would do some damage to the liver. If you really don’t know how to choose, you can go to the hospital for an examination and let the doctor judge.

In addition to choosing the right liver-protecting medicine, what else should you pay attention to when taking liver-protecting medicine?

3. What should I pay attention to when taking liver protection drugs?

1. Regular review< /span>

After taking liver protection drugs, you should go to the hospital for reexamination regularly to check liver function indicators. If there is any problem, the doctor can also Adjust medication.

In order to save trouble, some people will go to the hospital for examination every few months or even half a year, but this kind of behavior is not advisable. During the examination, the doctor will generally tell you the date of the next examination.Be sure to go for the examination when the time comes. Don’t cause countless troubles just to save convenience.

< span>2. Pay attention to the contraindications of drug use

Some liver protection drugs may have adverse reactions, such as allergies, gastrointestinal discomfort, etc. , special attention must be paid in the process of use. There are also some liver protection drugs that may damage the kidneys if taken for a long time, so a renal function test should be done every six months or a year, and a bone density test can also be done if necessary.

After some patients took liver protection medicine for a period of time,Transaminases became normal , the drug will be stopped, this approach is also wrong, if the drug is stopped immediately, it will easily lead to liver function damage again, the correct way should be to reduce the dose and stop the drug . After the dose is reduced and the drug is stopped, the probability of liver function being damaged again will be much smaller.

3. Pay attention to dietary taboos

During taking liver protection drugs, do not drink a lot of alcohol, drinking will increase the burden on the kidneys, and also Don’t eat spicy and greasy food, eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, and avoid staying up late.

4. Do not take multiple Liver-protecting drugs

Generally speaking, when taking liver-protecting drugs, it is best not to exceed 3 kinds (except in special cases), if Taking a variety of liver-protecting drugs at the same time will cause great damage to the liver and kidneys. They will cause damage to the liver and kidneys, so it is not recommended to take multiple liver-protecting drugs at the same time.

5. Cannot take medicine by itself

Don’t feel that your liver is not feeling well. Ask your friends. When you see what your friends are eating, go to the pharmacy to buy something yourself. If used correctly, it will increase the burden on the liver and damage the liver function.

Although liver protection drugs can protect the liver, but This also depends on the situation. You must choose the medicine that suits you, and at the same time, you must master the correct dosage and course of treatment in order to have the effect of protecting the liver. Therefore, it is recommended that you must use the medicine under the guidance of a doctor. Worse.

Regular inspections are required during the medication process. If you feel any discomfort, you need to seek medical attention in time and seek the help of a doctor.

No matter what kind of medicine it is, it is very important to take it right. Taking medicine indiscriminately can only damage your body. If you want to avoid liver function For further damage, you must choose a drug that suits you. At the same time, remember to follow the doctor’s advice to take the drug regularly and quantitatively, and do not stop or change the drug without authorization.

References:

[1]Wu Yanbo. Introduction of several imported liver-protecting drugs[J]. Medicine Herald, 1999, 18(2):2.

[2] Chen Wenyu, Lv Xiaodong. Clinical Observation of Liver-Protecting Drugs to Prevent Liver Damage from Anti-TB Drugs[C]// 2014 Zhejiang Province Internal Medicine Academic Annual Conference Young Physician Forum and National Class for Standardized Diagnosis and Treatment of Common Diseases in Internal Medicine . 0.

[3]Zhu Yunfu. Analysis of the application of liver-protecting drugs in preventing liver damage from anti-tuberculosis drugs[J]. Medical Information, 2012, 25(9):154 -155.