elevated lft's and fe

i was put on fe 325mg 2x day. checked lft's and hgb now 10.  fe 2x upper normal limit and ast/alt high. i was put on  fe due to severe anemia, hgb 7.8, because had no procrit, ins denied. so i was taken off riba for 3 days and restarted 400mg am/pm. just wondering if anyone experienced this result due to fe elevation. hope ast/alt come down as fe level goes down. my ast/alt not high since been on tx. now off fe and back on procrit, just approved for assistance and recieved procrit fri. took shot fri night.

just  wanting to know  if anyone experienced this. just a little concerned.

please let me know!!!

spoon1212

[CoWriter]

Remind your doctor that Ribavirin causes HEMOLYTIC ANEMIA, and NOT iron deficiency anemia.  So iron doesn't work....and iron can make the virus multiply.

Co

[nygirl7]

AGREE with CoWriter - why don't doctors know these things!

If your insurance would not pay for the Procrit try and get it to go through as Epogen which is the same thing but the generic name (I guess). Mine wouldn't pay for Pro but paid for epo.

Dose reducing and restarting and things is the last move that should be made.

And iron and supplements like that are not what you need it's not ANEMIA it is HEMOLYTIC ANEMIA caused by the riba!!!!!!!!!!  Probably the reason your hemo went UP is because your riba went DOWN!

[SPOON1212]

my fe level was 26 n=65-100. so, that is why put on fe. now i am off. will see how things r going fri when i do lab work.  hopefully back to normal. will ley u all know.

thanks,
spoon

[merryBe]

Just so we are clear for those reading who may not know:

Fe...is code for Iron in the blood.(ferritin is the word for iron) They corrected yours only because it was too low. at 26, bu they overcorrected.

taking iron does NOT correct for hemolytic anemia, it cannot create new blood cells which is what is lacking if your HGB (hemoglobin) number is low.

Do all you can to not raise your iron above normal.

Liver patients often have iron levels much higher than normal.
Iron causes excess oxidation of liver cells as any excess is stored there.
This leads to Hepatic cancer (HCC) which 3% of people with HCV succoumb to each year.

Keep your iron managed, read the threads in here on diet and iron.
Cut down your meat consumption, especially red meat...don't eat meats with acids such as citrus or vinegar, etc etc as they raise iron absorption. You can also use lactoferrin and green tea to help bind the iron keeping it from absorbing. Just read the threads  on iron.

You will need the EPO-Procrit for your treatment based on your hemoglobin level,
not based on your iron level, one has nothing to do with the other.