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How To Reverse Liver Damage From Medication: Insights & Treatments A common theme in clinical practice especially with respect to drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is reversing the burden of liver damage due…sndt.news Stopping the drug is first and foremost treatment in DILI as it would be almost universally effective. Given that liver diseases are completely reversible upon cessation of the offending AFLD inducing agent13, this strategy is key.
Drug-Induced Liver Injury Explained
Drug-induced liver injury may present with mild to severe symptoms, including minor evidence of hepatic dysfunction or acute hepatocellular necrosis. The liver, in particular, is highly exposed to injuries because it metabolizes drugs (including combination with other substances that effect the metabolism of liver), irrespective whether or not they are taken5.
Treatment Strategies
Most times the first-in-line of management is that whatever medication causing liver injury should be stopped and not availed again. This frequently results in the slow recovery of liver function over time34.
Treatment: if the drug is stopped, patients usually recover on their own without further treatment. Supportive care could involve symptom control such as for nausea or jaundice and hydration5.
Pharmacotherapy Options:
N-acetylcysteine (NAC): Best known for its role in acetaminophen overdose, NAC functions as an intracellular precursor of glutathione to protect the liver from possible hepatotoxicity24.
Ursodeoxycholic Acid: For cholestatic forms of DILI, this drug may be helpful in maintaining bile flow and reducing symptoms associated with biliary obstruction34.
Corticosteroids: Corticosteroid treatment is utilized to manage inflammation and immune reaction against live cells in compassion of DILI causing autoimmune hepatitis23.
Candidates and Follow-UpTesting for liver features ought to be done at regular intervals after discontinuation of the implicated drug to evaluate development. Symptoms improve in most patients with weeks, but some require long-term follow-up if symptoms persist45.
Long-Term Outlook
The outcome in patients with drug-induced liver injury is typically positive, the vast majority of whom return to previous characteristics after cessation of the responsible agent. But severe cases of this infection may worsen and give rise to more serious complications leading towards chronic liver disease or can even become a reason for getting the new liver in rare instances13.
Summary — For most medications, reversing liver damage is a simple matter of stopping the offending drug; however, in some cases supportive therapies and specific pharmacological interventions can be essential to support recovery and improve outcomes.
