What to drink to restore the liver?

Tablets for the restoration of liver cells are special medicines that help protect the organ from damaging agents of an infectious and non-infectious nature, as well as ensure its regeneration and restoration of functions. Such drugs should be prescribed by a doctor, taking into account the patient's indications and contraindications to their use.

Indications for the use of hepatoprotectors

Hepatoprotectors, widely represented on the pharmaceutical market in Russia and the CIS countries, are used in many clinical situations associated with impaired liver cell function. A good therapeutic effect can be achieved only if the drugs are prescribed to patients with certain diseases that are indications for the appointment of such drugs. These diseases include:

1. Hepatitis, including chronic. Hepatoprotective drugs in this case are prescribed with low effectiveness of antiviral therapy, or the impossibility of its implementation. In addition, this class of medicines can be used as part of complex treatment for the prevention of complications of inflammatory processes: fibrosis or cirrhosis.
2. In alcoholic hepatitis, the use of hepatoprotectors can prevent the development of cirrhosis. In this case, the patient must necessarily refuse to drink alcohol, otherwise, there will be no therapeutic effect.
3. Fatty changes in the liver tissue.
4. Toxic types of hepatitis, including against the background of the use of drugs, and primary biliary cirrhosis require complex treatment, an integral part of which are hepatoprotectors.

Hepatoprotective drugs are not a panacea. It is important for the patient and the doctor to understand that it is impossible to restore liver function using only such drugs. Treatment should be approached comprehensively, using both medication and other methods of therapy.

Essential phospholipids

Medicines containing essential phospholipids (Phosphoglyph, Essentiale N, Gepagard Active, etc.) are used to restore liver tissue.

In order to understand the effectiveness of the use of phospholipids, it is necessary to consider the available evidence of their effect on the body. Liver recovery pills from this pharmacological group contain a large number of phospholipid molecules, which should be embedded in hepatocyte membranes and prevent their destruction. A similar effect can be obtained after 6-8 months of continuous therapy. Evidence of this was obtained in the study of drugs in patients with hepatitis C on the background of antiviral therapy.

However, there are a large number of studies showing that phospholipids are not able to have any significant effect on the liver tissue, including in acute and chronic hepatitis. These scientific works have led to the fact that phospholipid drugs are not used in the USA and European countries.

The following medicines based on phospholipids are presented on the Russian pharmaceutical market:

Essentiale N and Essentiale forte N;

• Essliver Forte;
• Phosfonciale;
• Gepaguard Active;
• Phosphogliv;
• Resolution.

All these preparations contain in their composition a large number of excipients, which may include Vitamin E, triglycerides, milk thistle extract, etc.

Based on the foregoing, the use of phospholipids can be used in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and toxic damage. In all cases, the use of such drugs should be under the constant supervision of the attending physician using laboratory and instrumental research methods.

Preparations with amino acids

The second most popular group of hepatoprotectors, which doctors call in response to the question of what to drink to restore the liver, are medicines based on amino acids. Only two amino acids have a protective effect on liver cells: ademetionine and ornithine. There are several drugs based on them:

• Ademetionine is contained in Heptral and Heptor;
• Ornithine is the main active ingredient of Hepa-Merz.

Ademetionine is an important amino acid involved in the formation of phospholipid molecules and other biologically active substances in the body, as well as providing cell restoration and detoxification acceleration. Similar properties allow the use of Heptral and Heptor for fatty changes in the liver tissue and various types of hepatitis.

Ornithine, which is part of Hepa-Merz, reduces the level of ammonia in the blood and tissues of the body. In this regard, it is indicated for violations of the brain on the background of liver diseases.

Amino acid components have an average level of effectiveness in clinical practice. In this regard, when prescribing them, the doctor must carefully study the patient's medical history and conduct a comprehensive examination to identify all available indications for the use of such medications.

Bile acid preparations

Tablets containing ursodeoxycholic acid have the highest degree of evidence of their effect in protecting liver cells against the background of cholelithiasis, as well as diseases of the biliary tract. This bile acid has a complex effect on the body, starting with a hypoglycemic effect, ending with an effect on the immune system. In this regard, before using such drugs, you should consult a doctor.

This group of medicines includes:

• Ursofalk;
• Ursosan;
• Ursodez;
• Urdox;
• Livodex.

Ursodeoxycholic acid is used for biliary cirrhosis of the liver, cholelithiasis, toxic and viral hepatitis, as well as for violations of the liver during pregnancy. Such drugs require a long course of treatment, which, against the background of chronic diseases, should be repeated regularly.

Herbal preparations

Many patients are interested in the question of which pills to restore the liver can be used with minimal disruption of its functions with a low risk of side effects. Such remedies include all preparations containing herbal ingredients, such as milk thistle or artichoke.

Milk thistle extract contains Silimar, Silymarin, Legalon. These drugs and dietary supplements have a high level of safety and rarely lead to the development of side effects, however, their effectiveness remains a big question today. Silymarin is used for hepatosis and hepatitis in the form of courses lasting from 3 months and can reduce the intensity of the growth of connective tissue in the liver. Very often, doctors prescribe Legalon or Karsil Forte, which have a large dosage of the active substance to increase efficiency.

Medicines with artichoke - Hofitol, as well as dietary supplements based on it - Cynarix, etc., according to manufacturers, have a pronounced hepatoprotective effect. Doctors prescribe them for various types of hepatitis, against the background of cirrhosis of the liver, as well as diseases of the biliary tract. It is important to note that these pills have not been proven effective in clinical trials. Their use should always be part of a comprehensive treatment, and in no case should monotherapy with artichoke products be allowed.

In addition to tablets with herbal ingredients, there are others: Dipana, Liv 52, Hepatrin, Milona 10, Ovesol, etc. All of them contain several herbal extracts, as well as vitamins, antioxidants and other active additives. The use of such dietary supplements is often indicated in patients with liver disease as adjuvant therapy, the effectiveness of which is not strong evidence, but the potential harm is unlikely.

The effectiveness of drugs to restore the liver

The effectiveness of most hepatoprotectors is a big question. In this regard, when a person has a question about what to drink to restore the liver, he needs to contact a doctor at a medical institution. Only a specialist doctor is able to conduct a proper examination of the patient, identify indications and indications for such drugs, and prescribe a specific drug.

If you arrange all the medicines according to the level of evidence of their effect, from the most effective to the doubtful, you get the following list:

1. Tablets containing ursodeoxycholic acid.
2. Preparations with amino acids: ornithine and ademetionine.
3. Silymarin and its derivatives, for which there are great doubts.
4. Phospholipids that have any effect when administered intravenously.
5. Tablets and dietary supplements based on plant extracts.

In accordance with this, using hepatoprotectors, one should not expect quick and significant positive effects. Even the right drug can give a positive effect on the patient after 6 or more months of regular use.

Hepatoprotective agents are an important part of the treatment of inflammatory and non-inflammatory liver diseases. Approaching the choice of a specific medication, the attending physician must conduct a full medical examination of the patient and assess the stage of development of the disease and the degree of damage to the liver tissue. It is important to remember that hepatoprotectors should always be used as part of complex therapy.

Liver Recovery Pills - Video