Liver enzyme symptoms and conditions

I too have been experiencing the same side effects listed by most of you. I have also been seeing a gastroenterologist for about 9 months now because of stomach issues. All symptoms point to gallbladder disease but the tests come back normal. I called my gyne today and they seem unconcerned with what I have told them and advised me to continue to take my pills until my annual visit in October. I'm done with this pack on Saturday and am thinking of going sans pills for the next month until my appt. Any advice on what pill I should switch to when I do see my dr.?

I'm just in shock.
I can't believe that this sort of thing can go on.
My experience is all over this page. And the seven after it.

I graduated high school with a 99 GPA and was at the top of my class.
I was accepted to medical school along with my admission to college.
I started Yasmin at the same time.

All of a sudden I was getting classic migraines multiple times every month.
Soon, Yasmin became Yaz. Okay, fair enough, nurse says to switch, I'll switch. Yaz is said to be safer.

Time goes by... I'm irritable, I've lost my sex drive, I'm dragging myself out of bed in the morning if I get to classes at all, but I miss lots of them.
My GPA falls from a 4.0 to a 3.6.

I had to come home last semester because of how sick I was. Nurse says that the doctor wants me off Yaz because of the risk of classic migraines.

Liver enzymes were screwed up - fatty liver at 20?? - and cholesterol is backwards. My heart races a lot, too.
My anxiety is out of control and I'm depressed for the first time in my life.

I've been off Yaz since November of 2008 and still haven't had a period.
Additionally, I still haven't MET my gynecologist, despite asking repeatedly if I can see her.

Now she's ruled out PCOS and all other causes and wants me to "jump start" my period with more synthetic hormones.
This feels so wrong.

I have IBS, nausea, back pain, and abdomen pain. This is all just too much. I'm disillusioned with the medical field now and am having a hard time accepting that I wanted to put myself in a position in which I'd have to either perpetuate the problem or fight it. It doesn't make sense.

There needs to be a lawsuit, and now.

I am a male 45 years and used simivastin another statin for three and a half years. Over this time i had severe muscle pain at time then about 4 months ago the muscle pain in my legs came on with a vengeance. It started in both thighs then calfs got very tight sore ankles feet and eventually got in to my arms. A deep achey sort of a pain and an irritability that casesa feeling like a toxin in my inside elbows that makes me want to stretch all the time. I feel very weak compared to my former self. I tried many things to alleviate the pain but nothing really took the pain away or even decreased it much. sometimes i would lay and groan in agony. I especially noticed that draghts and weather changes made me feel worse????. I stopped taking the simivastin 6 weeks ago. I have not had a lot of improvement but must admit thet i have been trying to push my self over this and probably done more damage. My ck levels are normal but my liver enzyme is increased a little. I started also to take q10 and L- carnitine along with magnesium. I might be improving a little each day but nothing definite. I saw a rheumatologist who has no diagnosis and isn't to committal on whether the statin is to blame. He put me on celebrex which has finally given me some relief. Can anyone relate to the worsening of symptoms with cooler changes in weather? and is there anything else i could do to hasten recovery? Thank you to all contributors on this board although it is the first time i have contributed this board has been a scores of help to me.

Montelukast toxicity in two patients with inherited defects in liver enzymes.

CASE REPORT: MONTELUKAST-INDUCED ACUTE CHOLESTASIS

Ajay Jain1, Flavio Habal2

1Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, McMaster University Medical Centre, Hamilton, Ontario; 2Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Health Network, Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Ontario

INTRODUCTION: Drug-induced liver disease may occur as an unexpected idiosyncratic phenomenon to a normally non-hepatotoxic drug or be an expected consequence of the intrinsic hepatotoxicity of a drug consumed in sufficiently large doses to cause liver damage (eg. acetaminophen). We describe the first two cases ever reported of acute cholestasis as a result of the administration of montelukast (SingulairÒ, Merck Frosst), a potent and specific cysteinyl leukotriene (LTD4) receptor antagonist, for the treatment of chronic asthma.

CASES: Patient 1 was a 36-year-old female who developed a low- grade fever, fatigue, nausea and a diffuse urticarial rash after treatment with montelukast for chronic asthma. She had marked liver enzyme abnormality with a predominantly cholestatic pattern. Peripheral blood analysis revealed eosinophilia. Patient 2 was a 43-year-old female who developed fatigue after initiation of montelukast. Routine blood-work revealed mild elevation of transaminases and alkaline phosphatase, all of which were normal prior to taking the drug. In both patients, all signs, symptoms and biochemical parameters normalized upon discontinuation of montelukast.

Metabolism of montelukast occurs by cytochromes P-450 3A4, 2C9, and 2A6. Patients that have demonstrated idiosyncratic toxicity, as in these two cases with montelukast, have inherited defects in detoxification enzymes. We propose that the toxic metabolite, acyl glucoronide, is responsible for montelukast-induced liver injury. A genetic basis for deficiencies in various hepatic detoxification enzymes likely accounts for an individual’s susceptibility to drug-induced liver disease.

CONCLUSION: We suggest that montelukast and possibly other leukotriene receptor antagonists may result in idiosyncratic hepatic drug reactions.

For all of you "doubters":
This site is not full of a bunch of "gosipers" "trolling for a lawsuit".
It took me 6 years with my son on Singulair to realize it was the the
medicine causing his behavioral problems. Our family went through years of hell and major psychology expesnes as a result of this medication. Oh it was real, ask any mmber of our family. The lab results we had showing his liver enzyme (ast/got) sky high was real too. That was just before we took him off singulair. The liver enzyme returned to normal by one month off the med when he had his labs repeated. His behavior changed from violent (attacking people) to calm and reasonable also within the months time.
Would I like to see a lawsuit-yes !!! This medicine should be recalled. I have no doubt in my mind. Although evertyone reacts differently to all meds., there have been far too many reports that sed up red flags for this med.

44 yr opld white male dx'd w total chol of 290. Rx'd 20 mgs of Pravachol per day. Had increased liver enzyme in blood and very sore muscles (esp arms and legs). Reduced dosage to 10mgs per day and ulitmately to 10mgs every other day in combination w Zetia. Muscle pains reduced but liver enzymes still high and was switched to Zocor. Now have whole new set of side effects.
Seriously wondering if its worth it!