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Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
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Prevention
By Mayo Clinic staffBecause it's not possible to know how you'll react to a particular medication, toxic hepatitis can't always be prevented. But these steps can help reduce your risk:
- Limit medications. Take prescription and nonprescription drugs only when absolutely necessary. Investigate nondrug options for common problems such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and arthritis pain.
- Take medications only as directed. Follow the directions exactly for any drug you take. Don't exceed the recommended amount, even if your symptoms don't seem to improve. Because the effects of over-the-counter pain relievers sometimes wear off quickly, it's easy to take too much. Most nonprescription drugs also have what's known as a "ceiling effect," which means that higher doses won't produce better results.
- Be cautious with herbs and supplements. Don't assume that a natural product won't cause harm. Acute liver failure in children can occur after taking as few as five adult-strength multiple vitamins with iron. Look for reliable information on herbs before using them.
- Don't mix alcohol and drugs. Alcohol and medications are a bad combination. If you're taking acetaminophen, don't drink alcohol. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about the interaction between alcohol and other prescription and nonprescription drugs you use.
- Take precautions with chemicals. If you work with or use hazardous chemicals, take all necessary precautions to protect yourself from exposure. If you do come in contact with a harmful substance, follow the guidelines in your workplace, or call your local emergency services or the poison control center for help.
- Protect children. Keep all medications and vitamin supplements away from children and in childproof containers so that children can't accidentally swallow them. Adult medications that are particularly dangerous for children include diet pills, antidepressants, high blood pressure pills and iron supplements.
References
- Dienstag JL. Toxic and drug-induced hepatitis. In: Fauci AS, et al. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 17th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/resourceTOC.aspx?resourceID=4. Accessed Nov. 14, 2008.
- Lewis JH. Liver disease caused by anesthetics, toxins, and herbal preparations. In: Feldman M, et al. Sleisenger & Fordtran's Gastroinstestinal and Liver Disease: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, Management. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2006. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/111481204-2/0/1389/0.html. Accessed Nov. 11, 2008.
- Friedman LS. Liver, biliary tract, & pancreas disorders. In: McPhee SJ, et al. Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment 2009. 48th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill; 2009. http://www.accessmedicine.com/resourceTOC.aspx?resourceID=1. Accessed Nov. 11, 2008.
- Brown JA. Haz-Map: Information on hazardous chemicals and occupational disease. National Institutes of Health. http://hazmap.nlm.nih.gov. Accessed Nov. 12, 2008.
- Fountain FF. Isoniazid hepatotoxicity associated with treatment of latent tuberculosis infection: A 7-year evaluation from a public health tuberculosis clinic. Chest. 2005;128:116.
- Fontana RJ. Acute liver failure including acetaminophen overdose. Medical Clinics of North America. 2008;92:761.
- Fontana RJ. Acute liver failure due to drugs. Seminars in Liver Disease. 2008;28:175.
- Watkins PB. Aminotransferase elevations in healthy adults receiving 4 grams of acetaminophen daily. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2006;296:87.
- NCI drug dictionary. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/drugdictionary. Accessed Nov. 14, 2008.
- Picco MF (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Fla. Oct. 28, 2008.
