Liver Disease Medicines

LIVER DISEASES - Overview

Liver disease refers to a range of conditions in which the liver is damaged by one or more factors. Healthy tissues in the liver gets replaced by scar tissues and impair normal functionality of the liver. Early treatment can cure and reverse the damaged liver. If not treated properly, liver damage may develop into liver failure and liver cancer over time.

Types Of Liver Diseases

Liver diseases are primarily classified based on the factors that cause them. For instance, infections, genetics, obesity, andalcoholabuse contribute to most of the common conditions attributing to a liver disease. 

Some of the most commonly classified conditions include:

• Viral infections: Hepatitis A, hepatitis B and hepatitis C 
• Autoimmune disorders:  Biliary cholangitis and autoimmune hepatitis
• Genetics: Wilson disease and hemochromatosis
• Cancer: Benign (non-carcinogenic) or Malignant (carcinogenic)
• Toxins: Alcohol-related fatty liver disease and non-alcohol related fatty liver disease (NAFLD) 

Diagnosis

Your doctor can diagnose your liver disease by evaluating your medical history, and with blood tests combined with scans such as an ultrasound or MRI. You may be required to undergo liver biopsy for further assessment.

How To Treat Liver Diseases

Chronic liver diseases take long time to get cured and can be effectively managed with lifestyle modifications and medications. Healthy habits such as cutting down alcohol, staying hydrated, proper diet needs to be adopted to keep the disease progression under check.

Various liver capsules or liver medications may be prescribed to control and reverse liver damage depending on the cause of disease:

• Antiviral drugs for hepatitis
• Steroids to reduce inflammation
• Hypertension medication
• Antibiotics
• Liver injection

Your doctor may prescribe the following medicines to sustain its functionality. Milk thistle, specifically silymarin, which is extracted from plants is commonly associated with the treatment or support of liver disease. Other examples of medications used for liver disease can include ursodeoxycholic acid, rifaximin, lactulose, and corticosteroids. Many of the medicines can be obtained as liver tablet or liver tonic forms.

Also, dietary modifications can play a crucial role in managing liver disease and promoting liver health.

References:

• https://www.webmd.com/hepatitis/liver-and-hepatic-diseases
• https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17179-liver-disease
• https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/liver-problems/symptoms-causes/syc-20374502
• https://www.healthline.com/health/liver-diseases#treatment