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Pregnant Suffering From Obstructive Cholestasis. Reduced Levels Of SGPT, SGOT After Taking Udiliv. Severe Itching. Is Atarax A Safe Pill?
Question: Hello, my wife is in 34th week of pregnancy and has been suffering with Obstructive Cholestasis . The physician had suggested Udiliv 300 twice daily. A LFT a week after starting the dosage showed some reduction in SGPT,SGOT and alkaline phosphate. But suddenly, the itching has increased and even the LFT has shown minor increase in Alkaline Phosphate levels. She is having sleepless nights because of the itching. What should we do? Also, the Gynaecologist suggested Atarax pills thrice a day to reduce itching, is it safe?
- XXXXXXX
- XXXXXXX
Hello XXXXXXX
Cholestasis is a known accompaniment of pregnancy. The severity may vary from individual to individual. If the severity exceeds a certain level it will manifest as jaundice and alteration of liver function test.
Udiliv is a medication which contains bile acids. It is mainly used for dissolution of cholesterol gall stones and in the treatment of biliary cirrhosis. Its use in other liver conditions is questionable. The medication is metabolized in the liver. In a cholestatic phase of pregnancy the liver functions are slowed down due to back pressure caused by relaxing hormones released during pregnancy. As a result the diffusion of bile salts into tissues increases and leads to itching. Therefore anti allergic drugs like Atarax will hardly give any results. The drug of choice for this itching is cholestyramine, XXXXXXX a MD physician or Gastroenterologist. This drug works by binding the bile salts and thus reduce the itching. This can be used if there is intractable itching.
Atarax will not be of any use and would not be advisable for a long time in pregnancy.
I hope this answers your querry.
With regards
Cholestasis is a known accompaniment of pregnancy. The severity may vary from individual to individual. If the severity exceeds a certain level it will manifest as jaundice and alteration of liver function test.
Udiliv is a medication which contains bile acids. It is mainly used for dissolution of cholesterol gall stones and in the treatment of biliary cirrhosis. Its use in other liver conditions is questionable. The medication is metabolized in the liver. In a cholestatic phase of pregnancy the liver functions are slowed down due to back pressure caused by relaxing hormones released during pregnancy. As a result the diffusion of bile salts into tissues increases and leads to itching. Therefore anti allergic drugs like Atarax will hardly give any results. The drug of choice for this itching is cholestyramine, XXXXXXX a MD physician or Gastroenterologist. This drug works by binding the bile salts and thus reduce the itching. This can be used if there is intractable itching.
Atarax will not be of any use and would not be advisable for a long time in pregnancy.
I hope this answers your querry.
With regards
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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