Are you looking for a treatment for liver cirrhosis? This is a serious health condition that involves major liver scarring. While there are no cures for the late-stage liver disease there are various treatment options including gabapentin and cirrhosis of the liver. One of the main goals of cirrhosis treatment is to ease the symptoms. Some options include avoiding alcohol, a low-salt diet, and weight loss. These can be effective methods to help ease symptoms due to various complications caused by cirrhosis. This can involve abdominal fluid buildup and others that result after the early stages of cirrhosis. It’s important to find an effective treatment to deal with serious disease.
Gabapentin has been available on the US market since the mid-1990s when the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved it. Doctors often prescribe the prescription drug in high doses although there are various factors that determine the particular dosage a cirrhosis patient receives. It’s critical to inform your doctor of any supplements/drugs you’re currently taking to prevent any “interactions” that could happen by combining certain. You should also know about other issues like possible side-effects so you’ll know what to expect. Sometimes there are also possible risks to learn about cirrhosis medicines.
What Exactly Is Cirrhosis of the Liver?
The liver is the body’s biggest solid organ and the second largest overall after the skin. The liver has several key functions in the body including:
- Storing extra nutrients
- Boosting the immune system
- Removing drugs/alcohol from the bloodstream
- Breaking down saturated fat
- Make bile for digesting food
- Producing blood proteins for clotting
- Returning some nutrients to the bloodstream
- Store blood sugar
Liver cirrhosis is a late-stage liver disease that involves scar tissue replacing healthy liver tissue. This results in the scar tissue blocking blood flow throughout the liver. This makes it tougher for the liver to process various things like nutrients, hormones, and medicines. It’s also more difficult to filter out toxins.
Stages of Liver Disease
Liver disease includes multiple stages. It starts out as fatty liver disease (FLD) and Inflammation. It can then develop over time into Fibrosis (scarring). Liver disease can then become cirrhosis. There’s no cure for cirrhosis except liver transplant. Within time cirrhosis can develop into liver failure.
Causes
There are various causes of liver cirrhosis. Fatty liver disease (FLD) can develop from factors like obesity, heavy alcohol drinking, and diabetes. It can also result from various kinds of viral infections like Hepatitis B/C.
There are also various diseases linked to cirrhosis. This includes different immune system disease that results from the body attacking healthy cells. Sometimes it results from heart failure, which results in fluid clogging up the liver. Another cause is the bile duct gets blocked up. Bile is transported from the liver to the two intestines where fat digestion takes place.
There are various cirrhosis treatments available. For example, alcoholic liver cirrhosis can be treated by quitting alcohol. If a person has an autoimmune disease there are various treatments based on the particular disease they have. Other diseases like fluid in the abdomen can be treated with water pills or a low-salt diet. Diet changes/drugs can also treat the condition known as HE.
Gabapentin and Cirrhosis of the Liver
Gabapentin is a prescription drug that’s also known by the brand name Neurontin. Pfizer developed the drug and the US FDA approved it in 1994. The drug was originally used with other medicines to treat epilepsy. It’s now used for other functions like treating conditions causing chronic pain and liver cirrhosis. Doctors might also prescribe medicine for migraines and other conditions.
The dosage for Neurontin can vary. It’s often prescribed in high doses including 1200+ mg. It’s usually not prescribed for pregnant/breastfeeding women due to side-effects. There are also some signs that it could cause serious side-effects for kids, teenagers, and young adults.
There are various side-effects that this drug can trigger including:
- Irregular heartbeat
- Loss of coordination
- Bleeding/heavy bruising
- Shaking/tremors
- Stomach pain
- Arm/leg swelling
- Sore throat
- Breathing problems
Most people don’t experience these side-effects. However, there are others that are less severe. They include
- Dry mouth
- Constipation
- Weight gain
- Fatigue
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Vision changes
These side-effects usually go away when people’s bodies adjust to medicines. However, if side-effects become worse you should contact your doctor.
Some cirrhosis patients might be prescribed gabapentin. Pain management can be difficult to deal with. It includes patients dealing with end-stage liver disease. This is especially true due to various cirrhosis complications. In some cases, doctors will prescribe Neurontin for severe pain.
There are other complications that cirrhosis patients might deal with. They include gastrointestinal (GI) issues and other conditions. In these situations, it’s important to receive strong medicines to deal with severe pain. It’s also important to help prevent worsening symptoms.
In fact, sometimes doctors avoid prescribing certain medicines like anti-inflammatory drugs due to the possible side-effects. Meanwhile, health experts also recommend that opiates be used rarely to deal with liver cirrhosis. This could trigger unwanted side-effects including serious ones.
Common Treatments for Liver Cirrhosis
FLD Treatments
These treatments can help to treat fatty liver disease (FLD). They’re a good option if you have problems with obesity and others that cause fatty liver. This can result in more liver disease. It’s important to take steps like eating healthy, exercise regularly, and avoid alcohol. You can also take Vitamin E supplements to reduce fat buildup in the liver.
Infection Treatments
If you have liver cirrhosis that’s related to infections like Hepatitis B/C then your doctor might prescribe anti-viral treatments. In many cases, these medicines can help to get rid of these infections. There are also vaccines you can take to help prevent infections, which can also be very effective.
There are various treatments available. They include anti-viral treatments and immune system-boosters. These can help to treat infections connected to liver cirrhosis.
Cirrhosis Complications
If cirrhosis complications develop then you’ll also need to treat them also. That’s because it could result in issues like toxic buildup in the body. This can affect everyday functions like food digestion. Here are some of the possible complications:
- Spiderweb-like blood vessels
- Liver Cancer
- High Blood Pressure (liver vein)
- Yellowish skin/eyeballs (Jaundice)
- Ascites (fluid buildup in the abdomen)
- Hepatic Encephalopathy (HE)
It’s important to get treatments to deal with various complications linked to cirrhosis effectively. Your doctor can make suggestions based on your particular situation.
Alcohol-related Cirrhosis
This is critical for people with alcohol-related cirrhosis. If you continue drinking it can cause more scarring of liver tissue, which can make your liver disease progress faster. It’s critical to protect your liver and one of the best ways is to ditch all alcohol.
This is especially true if you’ve become alcohol-dependent. You can talk to a doctor about methods to treat symptoms including gabapentin and cirrhosis of the liver.
