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AIH question Ammonia Levels ** very important.**

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Posted 11/13/2007 11:18 PM (GMT 0)
I understand the liver breaks down ammonia and if ammonia levels are elveated people get confused and stuff....  I have read about with people with liver problems.

Is this true in the case of AIH?  

I have been very forgetful lately, can't remeber a lot of stuff.  It took me 3 weeks to remember how to enlarge a document on my computer to send to the printer.  I sometimes get confused at things i never did before.

confused     the question is could it be  an ammonia level problem?

Or am I just loosing my mind? 

Posted 11/13/2007 11:46 PM (GMT 0)

  nono i itsme, ammonia levels will make you confused if to high and some times go into a coma state, a normal level is 32 or 34. you should get it checked to be safe and not sorry. you should contact your dr and have blood work done, nothing to fool around with.

good luck.

 i know nothing about AIH, i,m sure somebody on this forum can help you, a lot of good info here. yeah

Posted 11/14/2007 11:19 AM (GMT 0)
itsme

I have not reaad anything about AIH specifically associated with high amonia levels, but you should have yout doctor check out anything that you are concerned abouot. I have heard that prednisone can also cause forgetfullness and some confusion, particularly at the higher dosages. Talk to you doctor about your concerns and please let us know.

Lucy
Posted 11/19/2007 6:01 PM (GMT 0)
itsme--
I read something someone posted a link to from a dept of natural resources type place in canada about water safety standards. Some level of ammonia in our tap water is considered to be normal. I have well water and aquariums and my fish started failing and I found out my ammonia in my well water is kind of high. I don't think it passed the level of acceptable, but the fish sure didn't like it and I couldn't drink it either.

In that article it said that people with hepatic impairment may not be able to tolerate the "acceptable" ammonia levels in tap water--city or well.

I got an ammonia test kit from the pet store for four bucks or you can take a sample of your water to dept nat resources or pet store for free testing. I wish they would let people know about this. I wonder how many people with liver impairment get really sick from this. I switched to distilled water for my drinking. I plan to put a filter on my pump to try to lower the ammonia.

Also, my sugars were nutsy after my last taper for a while and I was getting really lightheaded and dizzy and forgetful and disoriented and when I went back on pred they came down. Also, my blood cortisol was high because I couldn't urinate without the pred. So now that I'm on the pred, I can urinate and my cortisol came down. All exacty opposite of what they were supposed to do. Do they test your cortisol? Are you on synthroid? Really low TSH can make you feel like that too, as can high. And of course, the normal lupus like fog.

Also, I had similar problems due to intolerance to meds, I got very bad amnesia from SSRIs. I just can't take any of that crap anymore.

But all this, I agree with Lucy and myfather, you need to get tested esp. because you are on pred and you don't want that cushingoid side effect. Maybe if you even just call your doc they can set up with some labs soon.
Posted 11/20/2007 2:14 AM (GMT 0)

No matter what type of hepatitis you have, once the function is significanly impaired, you can have an increase in ammonia level.  By the time I finally got someone to listen, mine was 400!  I was losing time, there were hours I couldn't account for.  My son said he could tell just by looking at me, shuffling gait, slurred speach, I was falling alot, had horrible massive bruises.  Some days I couldn't hold a pen to sign my name.  I don't think the test is very expensive..My rnp put me on lactulose 30cc bid.  The change was amazing!  Within 48 hours all my symptoms disappeared.  I still have trouble finding words somtimes or completing a thought but at least I'm not in that darn tunnel ( that's how I felt ).  I say if you want to know just ask your md for the test.  We have something here called Personal Access Testing.  You can go in and have certain tests done, this is helpful for me medicare won't pay for an AFP but I can go get one at about half the cost.  My bosses thought I was abusing my pain meds so they had this little " intervention" it was a nightmare!!  Now no more job.

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