Suggest Treatment For Hepatic Encephalaopathy

Posted on Thu, 22 May 2014

Question: already put it on line he has a bad liver we cant afford med the va will not give this medicine no other plan will xifaxan will work no side effect they said they do not have that one he can use another one to get ammino out of his system what will help

Answered by Dr. Chobufo Ditah (3 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Have you tried lactulose?

Detailed Answer:
Hi and thank you so much for this query.

I am so sorry to hear about this. It becomes very difficult to watch our loved ones battle and deteriorate in illness. It even more concerning when finances play a negative role in this.

The two drugs used for hepatic encephalaopathy are lactulose and rifaximin. If you are unable to afford rifaximin, I will recommend that you try lactulose. Administer as much as needed to have 3 stools per day starting with 15mg twice daily. This should help. Please, also talk to the social department of the hospital and see if they have any further plans in place to help persons who cannot pay for medications they need.

In all, try lactulose as a substitute to rifaximin. This is cheaper and affordable. Has he been listed as possible liver transplant recipient?

I wish her well. Courage as you strive to do all in your best to provide the necessary medical care to her. Feel free to as for more information and clarification if need be. Thanks for using our services and know that you are the reason we are here.
Dr. Ditah, MD.

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar