What’s the best medication for cirrhosis of the liver? This late-stage liver disease is linked to nearly 10% of all global deaths. Liver disease starts out as inflammation but can progress to tissue scarring and major scarring, which is cirrhosis. There are various natural/chemical options when picking a medication for liver cirrhosis. These are usually used before more drastic options like surgical procedures or liver transplant. Prescription medicines are usually used to treat serious liver disease. However, alternative medicine is another option for natural and holistic (whole-body) treatments. These options can help to prevent unwanted side-effects from strong chemicals.
There are various over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription meds to pick from. Natural treatments for liver health include milk thistle, turmeric, and burdock. Meanwhile, chemical medicines include water pills, antibiotics, and beta-blockers (blood pressure). Sometimes pain relievers like Advil and Tylenol are prescribed but it’s important to take small doses of them to prevent unwanted side-effects. As always it’s important to talk to your doctor before starting any new medicine. One key issue to watch out for is “interactions” that happen when taking two different medicines. This can help to avoid possible side-effects that can be caused when combing certain OTC/Rx medicines.
What Exactly Is Cirrhosis?
This is late-stage liver disease that involves major tissue scarring. The scarring actually starts with Stage 2 of liver disease known as Fibrosis. However, as the tissue scarring becomes worse it can develop into liver cirrhosis.
There are different stages of cirrhosis. In the first stage, there’s minor tissue scarring and no complications. However, in the latter stages, the scarring becomes scarring, and complications also start involving blood pressure, blocked bile ducts, yellowish skin/eyes, confusion/lack of focus, liver cancer, etc.
The scarring starts due to various causes. Genetics play a small role. However, the most common causes are related to lifestyle/environment and include heavy drinking, hepatitis A/B/C, toxic chemicals, etc.
Some of the most common causes of cirrhosis of the liver include infections like Hepatitis B/C and heavy alcoholic drinking. Obesity is another possible cause since fatty liver is the first stage of liver disease. In other cases, obesity can result from liver disease and cause conditions like fluid buildup in the abdomen (ascites).
The complications of liver cirrhosis affect the vital organ’s ability to perform several functions including:
- Storing sugar/vitamins
- Absorbing fats
- Blood clotting
- Removing blood toxins (bacteria, alcohol)
Cirrhosis is one of the most common causes of death in the world. It can affect people of all ages. Meanwhile, in the USA it affects more men versus women.
Usually, the liver can repair damaged cells since it’s a strong organ. However, cirrhosis happens when there’s long-term liver damage. Over time the liver becomes injured/scarred. While it’s possible to slow down liver damage the scarring itself is permanent.
Over time the cirrhosis can become so severe that it results in liver cirrhosis. The late-stage liver disease causes the vital organ to harden and shrink. This prevents blood from flowing into the organ. When this happens it causes high blood pressure in the liver vein.
Medication for Liver Cirrhosis
Chemical
Antibiotics
These medicines can be especially helpful to fight off viral infections like Hepatitis A/B/C. They’re some of the common causes of serious liver disease and result from different factors including haring food/drink, and risky behavior involving sexual activity or illegal drugs. Antibiotics can contain strong chemicals that can fight Hep A/B/C. There are also vaccines for Hep B/C to prevent infection.
Corticosteroids
These types of drugs are used for fighting inflammation. In fact, it’s the first stage of liver disease, which involves fatty liver disease (FLD). There are other natural treatments to reduce fatty liver including a healthy diet and regular exercise. However, you can also use prescription medicines.
It’s especially important for alcoholic-related cirrhosis. It’s estimated that up to 100% of heavy drinkers have a fatty liver, which can turn into fatty liver disease.
Beta-blockers
These medicines can help to lower blood pressure. It’s one of the methods for treating high blood pressure in the liver vein, which is one of the disease’s complications.
Diuretics (Water Tablets)
Another possible complication related to liver cirrhosis is fluid buildup in the abdomen. This is often referred to as “beer belly” but can also be closely linked to liver cirrhosis. In this case, it’s critical to reduce the extra fluid in the abdomen.
There are various options. One includes a long needle that drains excess fluid in the abdomen. Water tablets are another option. Increasing urination can help to get rid of extra fluid in the abdomen. This can improve your liver’s overall health.
Vitamin K
There are prescription-strength Potassium medicines on the market. This can help to lower blood pressure of the liver vein. It’s important to keep your overall blood pressure under control. However, liver cirrhosis patients might also experience high blood pressure of their liver vein when the disease prevents regular blood flow into the vital organ.
Natural
Dandelion root
While dandelion plants in yards can be annoying it might be surprising that they can also function as a body detox. They can also help boost the liver’s bile production. A recent study showed that dandelion root can help prevent liver damage due to toxins from chemicals, alcohol, etc.
The dandelion root’s antioxidants can help to protect healthy cells. They can also fight off free radical molecules that attack healthy cells.
Turmeric
This is the popular spice that’s used in various cuisine like curry dishes. Some studies show that turmeric might help to treat Hep B/C. This is due to the powerful chemical compounds that give the spice its bright yellow color.
For example, a 2009 study found that turmeric extract prevented Hepatitis B cells from duplicating. The next year a 2010 study showed that turmeric-sourced extract could help prevent Hep C cells from duplicating.
Artichoke leaf
Artichokes are a popular flower for vegetable salads. However, it turns out that artichoke leaf might help to boost liver health. That’s because it contains cynarine, which studies show can boost the liver’s bile production.
This result helps with liver detox and ridding the body of substances like alcohol. There’s a powerful chemical compound in the artichoke leaf known as “silymarin.” Studies show that it has liver-protecting features.
Milk Thistle
This is probably the most common natural treatment for liver cirrhosis. In fact, some studies show that it can help to treat various liver-related conditions including liver disease. One 2001 study showed that milk thistle seems to help increase lifespan for people with liver conditions.
Meanwhile, a 2005 study review examined if using Milk thistle for Hepatitis B/C was effective. The research showed that milk thistle could help reduce Hep C-related inflammation and protect liver cells from damage. However, the researchers also concluded that the herbal treatment didn’t rid the body of the hepatitis virus as medication for liver cirrhosis.
