What Is the Safest Drug to Treat Opiate Adsiction if You Suffer From Severe Liver Cirrhosis?
Question by Alan: What is the safest drug to treat opiate adsiction if you suffer from severe liver cirrhosis?
My uncle suffers from opiate addiction as well as hep c his liver is serverly damaged and i was wondering about mesication assisted treatment. Methadone is not an option.
Best answer:
Answer by abijann
I’m sorry, but all liver patients are told not to take any
medications that have not been approved by or
prescribed by their doctors.
(this includes over the counter drugs, herbs, vitamins,
minerals, supplements, and any other drugs)
This is what happens in liver disease:
The liver cells become damaged, the immune system
of the body respond to this and cause inflammation
inside the liver which causes the liver to enlarge in
size and take on a spongy texture. If a patient
is diagnosed with Cirrhosis of the liver…this
means the liver cells are dying off and forming
scar tissue inside the liver. This cannot be
reversed. The scar tissue starts to block the
flow of blood through the liver and to the liver
cells that are left and they continue to die off and
form more scar tissue.
The liver cells are what does the functions of
the liver. If they are damage and die off, the
less functions they can do. The liver takes
toxins out of the body and convert then to
a non toxic form that the body can easily
dispose of. The liver cells takes medications
and break them down before they go to
the rest of the body.
Any medications used has to be adjusted
in dosage, changed to something easier
on the liver or stopped completely depending
on how much liver cell damage there may be.
This can only be done by the doctor who know
exactly how far advanced in this disease he is.
They can know that by doing a liver biopsy.
He should be monitored closely when this is
done to be sure his body can handle it.
Best wishes