Posted by Larry Hoover on May 9, 2006, at 12:48:02
In reply to Re: How bad is depakote on the liver ?, posted by linkadge on May 7, 2006, at 19:11:50
> I guess I am just wondering if liver tests are sufficiant to detect any damamge before it becomes a significant problem.
>
> LinkadgeYes, they are sufficient. In almost every case, they are. The liver-specific enzyme tests are looking for the amino-transferases, free, in the blood. The only way they can get into the blood is from hepatic apoptosis, i.e. the death of liver cells. It's a routine event, liver cell death. It happens every day. Your liver assays are never zero. Your liver simply grows new cells to replace the ones that got all blowed up.
When your liver enzymes go above a certain threshold, that threshold is intended to represent more or less the capacity of your liver to regenerate. Below the threshold, your liver is regenerating as fast as it is destroyed. Above that threshold, your liver is losing ground.
So, if liver stress increases, as measured by free liver enzymes in blood, and you know what the stressor is, you stop the stressor. Usually, in almost every case, the liver bounces right back. {Assumption only that liver disease is not otherwise present.}
Depakote can cause chronic elevation in liver enzymes. But, if the baseline shift is still below that critical regenerative threshold, it really is not a medical issue. You can sometimes manage liver stress with e.g. milk thistle, or glutathione precursors, or antioxidant minerals (zinc, selenium).
The liver is very resilient. Ask any alcoholic.
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:640515
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060504/msgs/641770.html