[Medical Q&A] Which drugs are likely to cause drug-induced liver injury?

Planner: Chinese Medical Association

Reviewer: Jin Bo, Chief Physician, Fifth Medical Center, PLA General Hospital

Most oral drugs need to be metabolized by the liver. Long-term use or blind use of one or several drugs may cause drug-induced liver damage.

It is commonly found in various prescription or over-the-counter chemical drugs, biological preparations, traditional Chinese medicines, natural medicines, health products, dietary supplements and their metabolites and even excipients, such as antibiotics, antipyretics and analgesics, Chinese medicines, health products, and weight-loss drugs.

Therefore, medications must be taken under the guidance of a physician, and random medications should be avoided as much as possible to prevent interactions between different drugs, which can seriously affect the liver's ability to metabolize the drugs. The time to take commonly used medications for patients with cirrhosis must follow the instructions for the medication or the requirements of the attending physician. To ensure the best efficacy of the medication or to avoid interactions between different medications, some medications have specific time requirements for taking them, while others do not.