Painkillers for the challenged liver folks

[scottmandue]

Didn't want to hijack the other pain killer thread.

Long story short... my wife adopted as a baby from Korea and raised by a Caucasian family in Oregon (bless them).

Her mom (who she has no knowledge of other than) had hepatitis C.

My wife get regular liver ultrasounds and the doc keeps tabs on her condition, she is very healthy otherwise and I have been vaccinated.

However being in her late 40's she has regular headaches.

So what painkiller can she take for the headaches that is liver friendly?

Thanks!

[scottmandue]

Wanted to add...

I take a couple glasses of wine or sake for headache.

Is that better or worse than OTC pain killers?

I ask because she complaines about my drink but she pops ibuprofen like tic-tac's

Party on Garth

[azasadny]

I have a liver condition that requires me to maintain a very strict diet/lifestyle. Unfortunately, I also have gout. I've been taking Aleve (Naproxen) for pain and it has not caused my liver enzymes to increase. Don't exceed the recommended dosage! It Aleve is 220mg and is over-the-counter. Good stuff...

[Zeke]

I would try to find the cause for the headaches. Honestly. And most of the time it can be done if she writes down everything. Sometimes it's just lack of water. But something will appear that sets off the headaches.

It can be the wrong lighting in an office. I make sure my wife gets a window and 3 different color temperature of lamps if fluorescent. One incandescent can make a difference in a non window office. Live with cool whites, live with headaches.

That's just one of many examples to explore.

[YTNUKLR]

step 1, stay hydrated and rested and not too stressed. i am adding some houseplants to my office to make it a little more pleasing to be in, less "clinical"...

alcohol is a vaso-dilator (opens blood vessels) and probably makes headaches worse, not better

caffeine in a moderate dose (~1 cup of coffee; 60-80mg) is a vaso-constrictor (closes down the blood vessels) and is probably good for headaches...caffeine is in Excedrin, which is marketed as a headache-specific medication

Headaches are physically caused by too much blood in the cranium, which causes excess pressure on the tissues surrounding the brain (the "mater" layers). the goal of a headache medicine should be to reduce the amount of blood in the cranium by constricting the blood vessels, which is something that most stimulants (caffeine, cocaine, etc.) do

Plain aspirin (NOT tylenol-acetaminopen, motrin/advil-ibuprofen, or aleve-naproxen) is the safest medication you can take, however it still has some side-effects, like it can be rough on the stomach for some people

I would not recommend taking tylenol/motrin/advil/aleve regularly if you can possibly avoid it. liver enzymes is only a part of the picture re: liver damage. there may be tissue damage or deposits of 'plaques' additionally

If you want THE most readily absorbed and safe (in a "therapeutic dose") medication, that would be...heroin. However, there are some side effects...like you may want to be on it for the rest of your life...Heroin is the most easily absorbed molecule of any medicine known!

in short, after all the biochemistry classes that berkeley has to offer, my rec would be

~400mg aspirin and a shot of espresso or a few cups of black tea

hope she feels better

[scottmandue]

Thanks everyone!

Yes I agree it is much more effective and healthy to deal with what is causing the headaches...

Don't know about office lighting, haven't been to her office.

I encourage her to drink lots of water but then she complainers about going to the bathroom too much (she has to answer the phone at her office).

One problem is she eats a high carb diet... always munching on crackers, pretzels, etc. and is caring a few extra pounds because of it... and diet is a touchy subject.

As far as wine and headache... misdiagnosed by me... more like I am tired and feel run down (or run over) after a day at work and throw back a couple glasses to relax... not really a headache I guess.

[Joeaksa]

How about seeing a doctor for this?

[crustychief]

Originally Posted by Joeaksa

How about seeing a doctor for this?

+1.
Although, the hydration would be my first diagnosis as an Appalachian American non-physician.

[Tobra]

The doc who is monitoring the liver US would be an outstanding resource. Has the wife been diagnosed with Hep C, or is it a presumptive diagnosis?

Why she is getting the HA is better question to answer than what she should take for it. Dehydration, allergies, hormonal crap all are things to assess. She would be better off taking aspirin than hitting the grape.