elevated liver function test.....

so my dermatologist took a blood sample and results came back with high ALT (112) and AST (198).... really high!

I'm 31, and blood work from one yr. earlier was completely normal... no problems..

Test was done on a monday, on the saturday night before (day and a half earlier) i took 5 percocets in about 4 hours (recreationally) and I'm hoping that is the reason my levels were high..... not something more major.

I'm just curious if taking percocet like that, just once, would elevate the results????   Went back to dr. today and they re-drew blood for a second time, and now i have to wait a couple days for the results..... NOT FUN!

I am never abusing pharmaceuticals again!!!!  Game over...     Any insight is appreciated..

[rt1012]

heh, most definitely it would elevate the liver function tests, quite possibly cause damage too

[zellyf]

See, your mom wasn't joking when she said drugs would mess with your body.

And that's just what it did to your liver.

All smarminess aside, it was very likely the percocet that elevated your LFTs.

[IAmTheWalrus]

Percoset aren't for recreational use!!  It's not the narcotic, but the acetominopen (Tylenol) that damages your liver. Enough can kill it!

Hope your enzymes go down with elimination of the acetominophen!

[questions_]

yeah,

you can be smart-***, i deserve the mental punishment..

time to grow up and not mess w/ the ol' body...  

i hope the results are back to normal on this next sample.... not sure how long it would take to get back down if indeed the percocet was the problem..

[meki]

yes - medications and items ingested can cause a raise in your ALT and AST levels.

I don't know how long it will take for them to fluctuate back to normal ranges... However, if I were your doctor - I'd still run a HEP Panel. Especially if you've had any possible exposure (eg. dental work, shots, ivs, blood products or even donating blood during that time frame).

Meki
Ps. That's a lotta percocets in a short amount of time.

[questions_]

thx...  stupid to take those pills--  they did take a HEP panel just in case....  

no exposure to blood work but one sexual encounter about year an a half ago.... oral sex.. that might be of concern...   i hope not..

[meki]

HEP C is not a sexually transmitted disease - so if that is your only exposure you can pretty much mark off HEPC --- unless of course... LMAO - -you were into some sort of Vampire Oral Sex...  And then --- well --- it's prolly pretty low still. LOL!

But don't forget - surgery, shots, blood draws, dental work - etc.

Much luck and hope your tests come back down to normal.

Meki

[rt1012]

is there really a lot of risk for contracting hep during blood draws/shots/surgery etc to test for or are you just being proactive? As an avid allergy shot enthusiast and former adenoid-haver, you have me worried now :)

[Xenigma]

I have to disagree with Meki-
HCV is an STD, not easy to transmit in that way though.
Conditions have to be just right to transmit
(and a taxed immune system doesn't help)
I just hope you stay scared from taking the perc's (Tylenol)
and you do stay away from them.  Sometimes when things turn out OK,
we have a tendency to go back to our old habits but it will catch up with you one day.
NO tylenol with alcohol EVER!
Hope your tests come back good...
enigma

[meki]

Xenigma --- yeah -- ok --- true -- if both parties have open wounds and blood is transferred during sex -- THEN YES -- it can happen.

However, in MOST (not all --- LMAO) normal folk's sexual experience in heterosexual sex... blood does not get shared.

On the experiences of violent sex (rapes or rough sex where rips and tears occur) then absolutely - it can happen.

But on general - as the CDC concluded - methinks Sexually Transmitted disease is too harsh and incorrect a label for HCV.

A sexually transmitted disease is a disease that spreads EVERY time you have sex without protection or the percentage is significantly high. (for example: Syphilis, Gonorrhea, Genital Warts, Genital Herpes Venereal Disease, etc.) Those unfortunately --- once "IN" -- you come "OUT" with something... if you're not protected properly.

With HCV - the conditions have to include blood transfer.

So --- yes - contamination or contagion can happen during sex... But to classify it as an STD would be an injustice to the general public - and to the HCV folks who do not know where they obtained HCV --- or those who have HCV.

Those who have HCV --- if it is determined or rumored that HCV is a sexually transmitted disease --- will never be able to have sex again.  Think spouses becoming afraid to touch each other... That would be a sad thing...

Because under normal sexual and sensual acts --- HCV is not sexually transmittable.

And it would be sad to find spouses - not being able to interact on such a level... When in reality - it cannot be passed without blood to blood contact.

But you are right in violent sex - or instances where there is blood interaction between the partners - then yes - it can be transferred.

Meki

[HectorSF]

HVC Tranmission info -

Hepatitis C
"A Silent Epidemic in Primary Care"
California Academy of Family Physicians - 2006

Transmission: HCV is primarily transmitted through infected blood or blood
products.Before 1992, when sensitive tests were first used
to screen donors for HCV antibodies, the virus was commonly
transmitted by blood transfusion, but since that time HCV is
rarely transmitted by this route. Similarly, persons with
hemophilia who were treated with clotting factor concentrates
produced before 1987, when viral inactivation procedures
were implemented, were at risk for infection, but such
transmission is now rare. HCV is not transmitted by
sneezing, coughing, hugging or other casual contact, food or
water, or sharing eating utensils or drinking glasses.

Injection Drug Use: Injection drug use is now the chief mode
of transmission of HCV. More than half of new HCV
cases are associated with the use of contaminated needles,
syringes, and other drug paraphernalia. Injection drug use is
highly efficient, so that more than 50% of individual users will
become HCV-positive within 5 years. The prevalence of
HCV infection is 60% to 90% among injection drug users.

Occupational Exposure: Occupational exposures among
healthcare, public safety, and emergency personnel are an
inefficient form of HCV transmission and account for about 4%
of infections.17,20 The estimated transmission rate after an
accidental needle stick from a HCV-positive source is 1.8%.
The transmission risk is greater than that for HIV infection, but lower than that for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. There
have been rare case reports of transmission from blood splash
to the eye and exposure to nonintact skin.21,23,24 The overall
1.5% prevalence among healthcare workers is lower than
among adults in the general population.3,20

Sexual Transmission: Sexual transmission of HCV is
inefficient. There is only a minimally increased prevalence of
HCV infection in those involved in long-term monogamous
relationships with HCV-positive individuals, despite repeated
unprotected sexual exposures. About 15% to 20%
of HCV infections in the United States are possibly sexually
acquired, but some of these infections could also be the result
of unrecognized percutaneous exposures. Factors that
might facilitate sexual transmission are unknown, but
retrospective studies have suggested association with multiple
partners, other sexually transmitted diseases, and sex with
trauma. (rough sex with blood exchange). There are no general recommendations for condom use in individuals in a monogamous relationship with a HCV infected
partner. Some couples choose to use barrier
protection to further reduce the already low transmission risk,
although there are no data demonstrating the effectiveness of
this intervention. Other couples decide that condom use is
more burdensome than their worry about transmission risk.

Unknown: The source of HCV infection remains unknown in
about 9% of patients. Potential risks of uncertain relevanceinclude certain household transmission via contaminated
personal items (eg, shared razors, toothbrushes), intranasal
cocaine use, tattooing, body piercing, dental procedures, and
acupuncture. Many patients without obvious risk factors for
HCV may not remember a single exposure (eg, use of an
unsterile needle) that occurred several decades ago.

Hope this helps!

Hector

[questions_]

thx for all the posts..  it helps ease the mind a little...  i'm feeling alot more confident it was the pill not something like HEP..   But the truth will come out in a couple days when blood results are in.

gosh i turned 30 and all of a sudden i'm a hypochondriac sp?  

no willing to mess w/ my body any more.... not worth it. :)

[meki]

LMAO -- yeah 30 and the hypochrondria DOES set in...

It's all of a sudden that you realize you're a mere mortal...

LOL!

Good luck. Be good to your body.

Meki

[JennyPenny]

Actually 5 percosets have the amount of 5 tylenol in them. That is 350 mg X 5= 1750mgs.  That is what you likely ingested in 4 hours.The dose of tylenol usually prescribed is 2 tylenol every 4-6 hours. If a person is taking extra strength tylenol they could conceivably take 1000 mg and another 1000 mg 4 hours later and be within the acceptable/safe levels for normal healthy people. Tylenol will mess with your liver enzymes but my doctor has told me that it will not affect your labs after a few hours. The opiates in percoset are liver friendly. I agre with the person who thinks you should have a hep panel.

[Xenigma]

But on general - as the CDC concluded - methinks Sexually Transmitted disease is
too harsh and incorrect a label for HCV.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My state of Florida is one that has HCV listed as an STD.

You'd have to check your own state to see whether or not HCV is listed as an STD.

If any disease can be transmitted sexually, whether the percentage is low or high,
then it is an STD - It is a mode of transmission.

Gosh, I gotta get to work, hopefully I'll have time later to read and catch up....
enigma

[nygirl7]

Personally I don't think your liver enzymes are THAT elevated because of five little percocets.  If that was the case I would have been dead a long long time ago.

Have you had the hepc test?  Me thinks that you have WAY too high numbers to just have taken a bit of tylenol and have them sky rocket that much.

You can get HCV in many ways besides drugs and sex.  If you haven't had the test for the disease I would advise you to do it immediately.

When a liver cell dies it releaes an enzyme. So when you have very high #s it means that you have a LOT of cell death going on. You are experiencing liver damage. I have no idea what you've done in your past or not but with numbers almost in the 200s - you need to find out why.

I just truly don't believe 5 percs could do it - not THAT high.

Mine were in the 200s and I found out I had stage 3 disease and never had a clue. Take the test.

[medicmommy]

Sometimes an "assault" on our body uncovers hidden things...meaning...Maybe your enzymes spiked because your body was just barely keeping something else in check, and then got whacked by the meds...Get a full physical...especially a hep c test...This may be the only warning sign you get for years that something else is going on...If it is just your liver being aggravated by the excess meds, then you've just had a physical you needed anyway...But if it turns out to be something else, then you have a jump on it...It's probably nothing...But, you never know...Many of us here found out we had hep c from a routine blood test...

[rt1012]

100-200 isnt really all that high for acetiminophen, and everyone's liver is different, meds could possibly stay in or cause damage to the liver if ingested in large amounts. People who drink a lot the night before and go take a LFT in the morning can have extremely high enzymes.

[questions_]

thanks for all the posts..... very encouraging...   new blood work came back with normal ast/alt and neg. for all hep. panel..

percocet = anxiety....  no mas.

again, i appreciate the comments and good luck to all

[zellyf]

Good news!

Take care of your liver and your overall health.  Its a gift you sometimes don't appreciate until you realize you should have.  Sorry to sound like a mom but I yam what I yam.

[meki]

Good to hear!

Now go get your HEPB vaccination and be very careful from now on!

Hugs!

Meki