Author: John Carter

14 Medications That May Raise Your Risk of Liver Damage

The connection between anger and mood disorders, such as panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder, isn’t well studied. One study reported that people with mood disorders may have greater feelings of anger and may not respond as well to mood disorder treatments. People who experience greater feelings of anger may also report worse mood disorder symptoms. Many drugs can interact with alprazolam, and some drugs should not be used at the same time.

Do older adults have a higher risk of side effects from Xanax?

But there may be times your doctor cannot avoid prescribing both drugs for you. If this is the best alternative for your condition, they’ll limit your doses and treatment duration to the minimum. Xanax is bad for your liver when it’s abused or taken longer than it’s meant to be. Drinking while taking Xanax can also have a heavier impact on the liver, increasing your risk of liver disease and damage.

Taking Xanax or other benzodiazepines with opioids can result in severe drowsiness, trouble breathing, coma, and death. For more information, refer to the “Side effects explained” section above. (This is when your body gets used to a drug and needs it for you to function as usual.) Stopping Xanax suddenly or lowering your dose too fast can cause withdrawal symptoms. To learn more, see the “Side effects explained” section above. In addition to liver damage, long-term Xanax abuse can also lead to dependence and addiction. Xanax is one of the most abused drugs in the U.S. because of its sedative effects, and many people who abuse it eventually find themselves unable to function normally without it.

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These medications, called immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), allow the immune system to better identify cancer cells. But sometimes they prompt the immune system to create an exaggerated response and attack healthy cells. This causes liver inflammation in up to 6% of people receiving treatment with ICIs.

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Xanax has a boxed warning for the risk of severe harm or death if taken with opioids. A boxed warning is the most serious warning from the FDA. Doctors usually prescribe lower doses of Xanax for older adults and may increase the dose slowly if needed. Yes, adults ages 65 years and older may have a higher risk of certain side effects of benzodiazepines.

  1. If your doctor confirms you’ve had a serious allergic reaction to Xanax, they may have you switch to a different treatment.
  2. Using both Xanax and alcohol within the same span of time could potentially cause lasting liver damage.
  3. Do not take itraconazole (Sporanox®) or ketoconazole (Nizoral®) while you are using this medicine.
  4. Xanax belongs to a group of drugs called benzodiazepines, which are a type of sedative.
  5. Remove and throw away any cotton packaging from the medicine bottle when you first use the medicine.

Does Xanax interact with my other drugs?

Phenytoin (Dilantin) is one of the most common causes of DILI and liver failure. But liver damage related to the medication is still pretty rare — it happens in less than 1 in 1,000 people taking phenytoin. Using this medicine with any of the following medicines may cause an increased risk of certain side effects, but using both drugs may be the best treatment for you. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.

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But your healthcare team will likely routinely monitor your liver health while you’re taking the medication. But the risk is higher for women and with larger doses and/or long-term use (more than 4 weeks). Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.

Oftentimes, the kidneys and liver are particularly vulnerable to side effects, because they are the organs responsible for metabolizing and eliminating most drugs. For some individuals, reduced liver function, or even liver failure can be a risk of taking certain medications. To prevent an overdose, your doctor may limit how many tablets of Xanax you’ll receive. Benzodiazepines such as Xanax may worsen symptoms of depression and increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Doctors also report that people with depression that’s treated with Xanax may also have increased episodes of mania. With mania, you have high energy, abnormally elevated mood, or extreme changes in emotions.

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The risk of liver failure related to isoniazid is higher for women, Black people, and people with existing liver problems. It’s also higher for older adults and people who drink alcohol daily. Diclofenac is one of the most likely NSAIDs to cause liver injury. In many cases, the damage is significant enough to cause elevated liver function tests (LFTs) but not enough to cause symptoms. Tylenol can also cause liver damage if you take it too often — especially over time.