Have you been diagnosed with hepatic encephalopathy? This is a mental condition that causes lower brain function and results from late-stage liver disease. Liver disease includes four stages ranging from fatty liver to cirrhosis (liver scarring). Most symptoms related to liver disease are physical ones. However, you can also experience mental ones due to the vital organ not functioning properly. It’s important to know about these factors so you can deal with them effectively. It may be surprising when liver disease affects your behavior and emotions. Even if you’re known for making inappropriate comments you might get a pass if you have late-stage liver disease and need neomycin sulfate.
A Russian-American scientist discovered neomycin in 1949. Like other liver disease symptoms, there are various treatments for hepatic encephalopathy. That includes antibiotics that can help to fight off the root cause of the mental decline. When picking treatments you have many options including dietary supplements and prescription meds. It’s critical to know the features, pros, and cons of different options. This can help you choose wisely. Most of us aren’t chemists. So it’s critical to get to the nitty-gritty of what particular medicines are all about.
What in the World Is Hepatic Encephalopathy?
Liver disease is a well-known condition that affects the vital organs. In recent decades it’s become more common due to factors related to heavy alcohol drinking, unhealthy diet, and viral infections. This disease can range from basic fatty liver to liver scarring known as “cirrhosis.”
Statistics show that up to 20% of heavy alcohol drinkers will develop liver cirrhosis. That said, you can still get the liver disease and hepatic encephalopathy even if you drink. This is a condition that results from severe liver damage. It results in brain malfunction that can affect your memory, speech, behavior, etc.
There are several symptoms. You might make inappropriate comments at certain times. Your speech could sound slurred sometimes. You also might forget stuff when you’re talking to someone. These are all possible effects of this condition.
The effects aren’t just related to the patient’s behavior. For example, they might also feel sleepy/slugging or can’t move their hands well. This condition might even cause a person to have a funky breath. These are all signs that a person might have hepatic encephalopathy (HE).
This disorder results in toxin buildup in the human brain. It often happens due to late-stage liver disease. This condition can affect several factors like a person’s speech, movement, behavior, and sleep.
The symptoms can be mild to severe. Regardless of how serious the symptoms are it’s important to talk to your doctor. He/She can provide the right treatment to help control the condition. On the other hand, the symptoms can worsen if you don’t treat them soon enough.
HE happens when the liver experiences long-term damage. This can result from liver cirrhosis, hepatitis, etc. The toxins build up in the blood then flow to the brain.
This can result in HE’s mental/physical symptoms. Various factors can cause this condition including:
- Infection
- Surgery
- Constipation
- Dehydration
- Bleeding (stomach, intestines)
- Medicines (pain relievers, sleeping pills, water pills)
What Is Neomycin Sulfate?
Neomycin sulfate is one of the antibiotics on the market that can kill/prevent bacteria in both humans/animals. This medicine can treat various kinds of infections including in the intestines.
There are different kinds of treatments including ointments for skin infections. There’s also a liquid form that can be used as eye drops to treat bacterial infections. Another option is a cream that’s an over-the-counter (OTC) treatment that doesn’t need a doctor’s prescription.
A Russian-American scientist first found neomycin while working at a US university in 1949. Selma Waksman was also the first person to make the term “antibiotics” popular.
This antibiotic is made from a type of bacteria. Other drugs are also made from the same bacteria. Neomycin Sulfate can be used for different kinds of medicines like oral and topical ones.
It’s also added to various vaccines. This helps to prevent it from getting contaminated during the manufacturing process.
It’s important not to take large doses of these substances. That’s because it could cause various health issues related to the kidneys and ears. It also might cause “interactions” when combined with other prescription medications.
Some side-effects could take place including:
- Diarrhea
- Kidney damage
- Intestine problems
- Low blood pressure
- Swelling (face)
It’s important to talk to your doctor before you start taking this antibiotic for treating HE. Studies show that the antibiotic might help with a hepatic coma. It helps to lower ammonia-sourced bacteria in the patient’s intestines.
Lowering blood ammonia can cause improvement in brain function. As with other prescription medicines, there’s no 100% guarantee this medicine will work when treating HE. You should also know about various risks and possible side-effects.
There are other medicines available to treat HE. Your doctor can help to pick the best one based on your particular situation like current prescription meds.
Best Foods Hepatic Encephalopathy
- Tomatoes: Tomatoes are cooked like veggies but are fruits since they have seeds. They’re loaded with antioxidants and you get even more when you cook them. Tomatoes can also be enjoyed raw in salads, tomato juice, etc.
- Beans/Peas: These foods are loaded with nutrients including protein, fiber, and vitamins/minerals. While soybeans are a “complete protein” with all 9 essential amino acids (EAAs), most beans aren’t. That’s OK! Just combine them with a whole grain to turn the incomplete protein complete.
- Root Veggies: You have many options like carrots and beetroots, which can combine in dishes like salads. Carrots are super-high in Vitamin A while beets are high in nutrients like Vitamin C and folate. You can even get health benefits from the pigments that give the veggie it’s famous dark-red color. They have more Vitamin A than white potatoes, which gives the root crop its famous orange color. They’re also high in other nutrients including good carbs.
- Banana: This is a superfood that’s loaded with nutrients like potassium and fiber. While bananas aren’t low carb they’re high-nutrient. Make sure to go with a medium banana either at meal-time or as a snack.
- Green Tea: Make sure to go with this type since it’s the highest-antioxidant tea. Green tea can help with body detox and improve your overall body/brain health.
- Cabbage: This is a superfood that’s low-calorie/carb and full of nutrients like vitamins/minerals and fiber. You can combine this leafy veggie with many others to add more nutrients and flavor to your dishes.
- Milk/Tea: These are drinks you should arguably be drinking anyway for their vitamins/minerals and antioxidants. Regular or buttermilk can be consumed. You can also add other ingredients to the milk like chutney to add more nutrients and make it more effective for treating HE instead of neomycin.
