High Liver enzymes

Hello,

 

Has anyone been experiencing high Liver values when the have bloodwork. I quite November 1, 2017---they were high

thought Clonazapam was the problems, since it is cleared thru the liver.

 

Just had new bloodwork  done at 6 months post Clonazapam and they are still high.

 

I am also on 80 mg Prozac---think it could be that and not related to the Benzo? This is driving me crazy as I have had every other Liver test and they find no problem.

 

Interested in you thoughts.

I have exactly the same problem.  My liver enzymes are high and I've had scans and other tests and the only other problem I have is that my thyroid is also sky high.  Also jumped from Clonozapam, 1/15/2018 after a very short taper from a 4 mg daily dose for 13-14 years.

 

It seems bizarre that the liver issue is from withdrawal, but my endocrinologist told me that any kind of physical or emotional stress can cause either sub-acute of acute thyroiditis.

 

Okay, that’s scary. How could that be from withdrawal? Anyone with more experience know?

Ok--Here is what I found out. I thought the high Liver enzymes were somehow connected to the Benzo and its withdrawal'

Fast forward once again (8 mo after withdrawal) Enzymes were again High. I went through all the various liver test and nothing was wrong with my liver. Doc told me to stop my Statin  (crestor) for I month and retest.

 

 

My liver enzymes were absolutely reduced---so I and my Doc think it is the statin ---high mgs of antidepressants can also contribute.

I went from 20 mg Prozac to 8o mg prozac while dealing with Klonopin and am still on that high dose. I will change that now that I know this antidepressent might also be contributing to the HLE.

 

Check it out __Statins and High dosages of antidepressants , especially prozac

 

Good Luck

 

A fatty liver which is unrelated to alcohol or to benzos can give you elevated liver enzymes.

I was diagnosed with fatty liver on bloodworks during withdrawal,

I’ve never had fatty liver before

 

it's also possible it could be the antidepressant.  I know when I was on effexor and then later pristiq, my liver enzymes were always elevated.

 

The maximum recommended dose of Prozac is 60 mg. Maybe you need to reduce the dose.

 

I’m curious how you feel on Prozac and Wellbutrin. A very interesting combo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Antidepressants are way more linked to liver issues than benzos are.

The maximum recommended dose of Prozac is 60 mg. Maybe you need to reduce the dose.

 

I’m curious how you feel on Prozac and Wellbutrin. A very interesting combo.

 

 

Hi Estee,

 

Interesting! My Psych said 80 mg. I see him tommorrow and was planning to cut down.

 

Prozac and Wellbutrin was the cocktail that worked for me. Prior to the disaster of taking Klonopin I was sailing through life on those two AD for some 20 years Wellbutrin 350mg and Prozac 20 0r 40 mg--depending. It was a wonderful combo for me.

The Wellbutrin helped with the weight gain and sexual dysfunction that was brought on by Prozac.

 

Then I got Konopined for 2 years and depression set in . My Psych had to up Prozac to 80 mg and now on 150mg Wellbutrin and 10 mg Buspar 2 times a day. I have been working on getting back that perfect feeling I had before the Klonopin......but still not there. I did try Abilify  ___do not take--- it causes many bad side effects and is not to easy getting off.

 

I am so angry that Klonopin screwed me all up and now I am starting at square one. I wonder sometimes if I will ever feel as good as before I ever took Klonopin. Needless to say I should never have been prescribed this drug for Restless Leg Syndrome, but the Doctor I had been seeing at the time gave it to me with NO warnings.

 

I have Dysthemia also with anxiety

 

Hi Estes! Where have you been?? You doing ok?

 

Re fatty liver-I think Keto diet very good for this. No sugar, no carbs. Meat and veggies. Gary Taubes and Robert Ludwig both have good books on subject.

Hi Estee,

 

Interesting! My Psych said 80 mg. I see him tommorrow and was planning to cut down.

 

Prozac and Wellbutrin was the cocktail that worked for me. Prior to the disaster of taking Klonopin I was sailing through life on those two AD for some 20 years Wellbutrin 350mg and Prozac 20 0r 40 mg--depending. It was a wonderful combo for me.

The Wellbutrin helped with the weight gain and sexual dysfunction that was brought on by Prozac.

 

Then I got Konopined for 2 years and depression set in . My Psych had to up Prozac to 80 mg and now on 150mg Wellbutrin and 10 mg Buspar 2 times a day. I have been working on getting back that perfect feeling I had before the Klonopin......but still not there. I did try Abilify  ___do not take--- it causes many bad side effects and is not to easy getting off.

 

I am so angry that Klonopin screwed me all up and now I am starting at square one. I wonder sometimes if I will ever feel as good as before I ever took Klonopin. Needless to say I should never have been prescribed this drug for Restless Leg Syndrome, but the Doctor I had been seeing at the time gave it to me with NO warnings.

 

I have Dysthemia also with anxiety

 

Hi May Trix. What pdocs say is often BS. They know a bit about psych meds, but are generally not those taking them. Are you taking BuSpar for anxiety now? You cannot have the perfect pre-Klonopin feeling back, as BZD screwed up the GABA receptors. Your GABA receptors need time to rebuild. Abilify is an AP. I hate all APs. Psychotic people have to take them. I’m not psychotic. Pdocs poisoned me with APs "for sleep" long enough. If only I could sleep on them.

 

I’m in the day 4 of my Prozac reduction (from 20 mg). Feeling better each day. I now firmly believe that the so-called subtherapeutic dose of an AD can work wonders. It all depends on the individual. I don’t know till what amount I’m gonna reduce Prozac. Maybe till 10-5 mg.

 

I didn’t feel well under 5 mg Prozac in the past. This is actually when all hell broke loose. I was trying to taper Prozac to 0 and felt terrible. However, I couldn’t tolerate any other AD. Pdoc tried many other ADs during the six months before I went back on BZD in May 2014. After 11 years off.

 

I decided to taper Prozac only because of the chemical anxiety it gave me. I also had neck/shoulder pain and stiffness on it. I learnt later that the neck/shoulder pain and stiffness were the result of my cervical degenerative disease. It turned out I also had anxiety off Prozac and other ADs. My own anxiety, from which I’ve been suffering since 14 years of age.

 

I went back on Prozac in May 2016, after an Ambien CT and a CO to Valium in hospital. I replaced Lexapro with Prozac then. I somehow managed to taper 40 mg Valium (equivalent of 2 Klonopins) over the period of two years on Prozac. I started with a 2.5 mg dose of Prozac and increased by 2.5 mg increments more or less every 1-2 months. I couldn’t tolerate a dose higher than 20 mg. Was extremely drowsy on it and had skin rash.

 

I decided to taper Prozac recently as it makes me very lethargic and causes huge appetite. I no longer take Valium. I substitute Prozac with 500 mg L-Tyrosine capsule up to twice a day. L-Tyrosine is an amino acid that acts similarly to Wellbutrin. Increases norepinephrine and dopamine levels. Pdoc of course thinks it’s a placebo. Or at least says so, as he’s not paid to write Rx for it.

 

I often wondered how I would feel on the Prozac and Wellbutrin combo. Actually, my mental state improved by about 50% when I added L-Tyrosine 500 mg to Prozac. I had this idea since I had some success with Wellbutrin prescribed as AD monotherapy in the past. However, I had to stop Wellbutrin back then cause of sxs.

 

I took Wellbutrin 150 mg for three weeks in April 2013. It made my social phobia and OCD go away completely. These were things I had been suffering from since 14 years of age. Not a trace of them was left. It was like a miracle. I also had wonderful skin on Wellbutrin. I have oily skin and SSRI/SNRI ADs were always disastrous for it. My skin got perfectly clear on Wellbutrin. The drawback were unbearable hot flashes, huge appetite, eye pressure and hostility. I am conflicted with parents. On Wellbutrin I got unnecessarily hostile against mother, which was tiresome. I also cried a lot. Got increadibly obsessed with the suffering of stray cats.

 

I now think that the hot flashes, appetite and terrible crying spells could be the result of having CTed Effexor XR. I was told by my pdoc to CT because of a dangerous med interaction. I actually had to CT this SNRI. After I could no longer stand those Wellbutrin XR 150 mg sxs, I switched from it to 5 mg Prozac in May 2013 and somehow became stable. Hot flashes went away, I stopped overeating and finally could deal with the suffering of stray cats. But I was more or less stable for two years only. When I decided to taper Prozac.

 

I gained about 15 lbs during the last two years on Prozac. I could add Wellbutrin instead of L-Tyrosine to help with the social phobia and some OCD I still experience. I’m very reluctant to add another psych med. But if it could make my life better... The problem with Wellbutrin is that one probably has to swallow that 150 mg pill. Cause there’s a risk of seizures if one takes like a quarter/half of it. I have a very high seizure threshold. Not a single seizure in my whole life. Any additional experience with these two ADs which you could share would be appreciated.

 

Pdoc now agrees to everything I suggest. Cause I tapered Valium to 0 and he’s shocked. Well, Valium was making me miserable. I hated it from the beginning. But needed to escape my demons somehow. I actually think L-Tyrosine has helped me as much as Prozac. This is a great combo for me.

Hi Estes! Where have you been?? You doing ok?

 

I was busy with another site until my health started to deteriorate seriously. That is, after 1.5 months. How is it going with Lexapro and Klonopin? What doses are you currently on? I hope Lexapro wasn’t a bad idea? Take care

 

Estee:

Oh no. Hope you are feeling ok now? I appreciated your help while I was starting Lexapro b/c most people don't support it but I felt I was making a choice between deep depression and adding another med. Well, it has helped! Only at 5mg (and plan to stay here through taper) but my sleep is better, I'm less depressed and able to function, so I think it was the right choice for me. My hands still a big problem but I wasn't expecting Lexapro to fix that, just help me manage anxiety about it--which it has a bit. I'm on 2 mg valium and liquid tapering the other mg. So, total dose 2.64 valium. No more Klonopin.

 

Anyway, glad to see you back on. Thanks for always listening. Hope you are ok.

Hey Bluepill. So happy that Lexapro has helped you. It has very stromg antidepressant and anxiolytic properties. You’re now on an equivalent of about 10 mg fluoxetine (Prozac), according to this article. It is reasonable to stay on 5 mg if you feel okay. It is a high dose. Not everyone needs to stay on ADs "for life". Some people taper them successfully. The lower the dose, the easer it will be to reduce it. These are very potent meds and as the dose gets higher, so do the sxs.

 

I had a look at your recent posts. The dizziness may also be from Lexapro. Difficult to say how much is BZD WD and how much Lexapro sxs. I have no idea about the cold hands and feet. Never had it on Lexapro. Had some of it on Valium. Feeling cold overall. I think you could post a topic about it, as it’s a really curious symptom. There are warming creams for feet available. Congrats on your Valium taper. You are doing great

Fatty livers are generally related to obesity, or a cirrhotic liver caused by alcohol or benzos, opiates. Particularly longer lasting ones, i.e., Klonopin, Valium, I'm not sure which others. I know Ativan has a short half life so it breaks down easier in the liver. I've seen one of the top liver  specialists in New York because I have a fatty liver.

Thanks, Estee! Yes, I think the 5mg is working so I hope to stay and avoid what could potentially be a big issue later--that said, if I continue to need it post taper, I'm ok w/ that too. I assume it's what I should have been prescribed for anxiety and sleep issues years ago--rather than the 1 mg of Klonopin for so 15 years.

 

The cold hands/fingers began months before Lexapro (I actually started the Lexapro to try and combat fear of scary auto immune disease I obsess about) so I know it's not from the Lexapro. The Lexapro helped with the looping thoughts. Over the years there have been some people on here who have had problems with the cold hands (not too many though) but it may very well be unrelated to benzos--esp as I had a blood test come back with an elevated marker for AI issues. The ONLY reason I think there may be a connection is that when I began tapering alone 3 years ago (from Klonopin) when I got down to .25, my hands went crazy with pain. I crossed over to Valium and updosed to 10 mg and the hand issues resolved within an hour!!! All was well until I got below 3 mg on Valium this time (more or less equivalent to .25 klonopin I think) and then I hit wall again with hands. Very odd. Could be drugs masking another condition but dr's say no. So, for now I just hope for the best and I do monitor my blood. I'd love it to end. The dizziness has improved. The one vertigo attack was so scary but it seems to have gotten better. Knock wood.

 

SORRY for long rant. Thanks for listening. I always find your words encouraging and wise. Best to you, friend.

Fatty livers are generally related to obesity, or a cirrhotic liver caused by alcohol or benzos, opiates. Particularly longer lasting ones, i.e., Klonopin, Valium, I'm not sure which others. I know Ativan has a short half life so it breaks down easier in the liver. I've seen one of the top liver  specialists in New York because I have a fatty liver.

 

 

Hi Sue,

 

Have you found out what is causing the fatty liver....I have same

I've heard lots of people mention this. I bet it has to do with withdrawal.

What was causing my fatty liver was being overweight. Also just not eating well. There's probably a component of Ativan in the mix, but as per my liver specialist, being overweight is the number one cause. Having all these tests are one thing, however, I'd suggest seeing a liver specialist or a gastroenterologist with a sub speciality in liver disease.

Hi Estee,

 

Thanks again for the info. I will try 5000mg L-Tyrosine

Hi Estee,

 

Thanks again for the info. I will try 5000mg L-Tyrosine

 

Hi May Trix. I don't think you need L-Tyrosine if you take Wellbutrin. I take 1-2 pills of L-Tyrosine 500 mg a day. This is much lower than the recommended dosage. Your high liver enzymes could be a side effect of either Prozac or Wellbutrin. Did you manage to decrease your Prozac dose?

 

I told my pdoc about this interesting Prozac & Wellbutrin combo. However, after all we've been through with different ADs, neither of us is interested in experimenting anymore for the time being. Psych meds are a double-edged sword. I'm happy the combo helps you and will keep in mind that such a combo is a possible option. Take care.

Hi Estee,

 

Thanks again for the info. I will try 5000mg L-Tyrosine

 

Hi May Trix. I don't think you need L-Tyrosine if you take Wellbutrin. I take 1-2 pills of L-Tyrosine 500 mg a day. This is much lower than the recommended dosage. Your high liver enzymes could be a side effect of either Prozac or Wellbutrin. Did you manage to decrease your Prozac dose?

 

Hi Estee,

 

That's fine with me one less pill to take. I did ask the psych to lower my Prozac but he told me it would defeat the purpose of Buspar since Buspar is meant to Boost the effectiveness of Prozac.

 

The high LE was from my statin. Tested 1 month without the use of it and retested LE came back significantly lower Although I would think the Prozac might still have some effect on the liver.

 

I added Buspar to the Wellbutrin and Prozac since I have just not felt right after the Benzo debacle . 10 mg 2x day seemed to have helped somewhat but asked to have it raised to 15 mg 2xday. Has not made that much of a difference so will probably go back to 10 2xday.

I suppose I should resign myself to never again feel like I did before Klonopin . Very sad but that's life on drugs ,LOL.

 

Best wishes and Thank you for your very helpful responses.

May

 

I told my pdoc about this interesting Prozac & Wellbutrin combo. However, after all we've been through with different ADs, neither of us is interested in experimenting anymore for the time being. Psych meds are a double-edged sword. I'm happy the combo helps you and will keep in mind that such a combo is a possible option. Take care.