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What Causes Elevated ALT And AST Levels While On Minocycline?
Question: I just had blood work done. I have liver enzyme levels of 48 AST and 50 ALT. I have been taking minocycline for 4yrs now and notice that it has caused darkness around my lips and hands. I also drink 3-4 glasses of wine probably 3-4 days per week with dinner. I rarely drink a full bottle of wine at any one sitting. Are my levels elevated because of the medication, the wine, or a combination of both? Can I lower them and if so, how? I also take a multi-vitamin and Vitamin C daily.
Brief Answer:
there are some potential causes
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
both the drug (minocycline) and alcohol consumption may cause liver enzyme elevations. Other potential (the commonest of them) include fatty liver (obese and diabetics have a high risk of having fatty liver and alcohol consumption contributes to it too), toxins, infections, etc.
The hands and lips discoloration is probably due to minocycline which may indeed cause it.
Before attributing the transaminases' levels elevation to alcohol or the drug you should first eliminate other possibilities like common infectious causes (hepatitis viruses, Epstein-Barr virus, etc), review of medications and other substances you may have been exposed to and visible disorders (an ultrasound scan should detect them).
The vitamin you're taking is not supposed to cause any harm to the liver.
If any particular cause can be identified then appropriate treatment can be instituted. If no other cause can be identified then reducing (or stopping) alcohol consumption and loosing some weight might be the only reasonable way to go.
I hope you find my comments helpful!
You can contact me again, if you'd like any clarification or further information.
Kind Regards!
there are some potential causes
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
both the drug (minocycline) and alcohol consumption may cause liver enzyme elevations. Other potential (the commonest of them) include fatty liver (obese and diabetics have a high risk of having fatty liver and alcohol consumption contributes to it too), toxins, infections, etc.
The hands and lips discoloration is probably due to minocycline which may indeed cause it.
Before attributing the transaminases' levels elevation to alcohol or the drug you should first eliminate other possibilities like common infectious causes (hepatitis viruses, Epstein-Barr virus, etc), review of medications and other substances you may have been exposed to and visible disorders (an ultrasound scan should detect them).
The vitamin you're taking is not supposed to cause any harm to the liver.
If any particular cause can be identified then appropriate treatment can be instituted. If no other cause can be identified then reducing (or stopping) alcohol consumption and loosing some weight might be the only reasonable way to go.
I hope you find my comments helpful!
You can contact me again, if you'd like any clarification or further information.
Kind Regards!
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thank you for your reply. Can you please tell me how long it will take for my levels to go back to a normal level if I stop drinking alcohol and or stop taking the minocycline. Additionally, if I start drinking again but less will my levels go back up and will this put me at risk doing irreparable damage to my liver.
Brief Answer:
a couple of weeks...
Detailed Answer:
You're welcome!
For the transaminases (ALT, AST) a couple of weeks should be enough time to get back to normal. For other liver enzymes (like the gamma-GT) a month may be required. If it's fatty liver then the enzymes won't get back to normal unless you loose weight or quit drinking and the fat inside the liver disappears (it will take much more time). Chronic elevations in liver enzymes are not welcome and - depending on the cause - irreversible damage can be done. For example the fairly benign fatty liver disease may evolve into steatohepatitis and cirrhosis. Drinking definitely damages the liver but progression to cirrhosis (the irreversible stage of hepatic damage) depends on many factors, so not everybody develops cirrhosis, but some will.
Kind Regards!
a couple of weeks...
Detailed Answer:
You're welcome!
For the transaminases (ALT, AST) a couple of weeks should be enough time to get back to normal. For other liver enzymes (like the gamma-GT) a month may be required. If it's fatty liver then the enzymes won't get back to normal unless you loose weight or quit drinking and the fat inside the liver disappears (it will take much more time). Chronic elevations in liver enzymes are not welcome and - depending on the cause - irreversible damage can be done. For example the fairly benign fatty liver disease may evolve into steatohepatitis and cirrhosis. Drinking definitely damages the liver but progression to cirrhosis (the irreversible stage of hepatic damage) depends on many factors, so not everybody develops cirrhosis, but some will.
Kind Regards!
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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