What Drugs and Herbs Cause Hepatotoxicity?
Many different drugs are known to cause liver toxicity. Acetaminophen is the one of the leading causes of acute liver failure, responsible for more than 50,000 emergency room visits and some 100 deaths in the U.S. each year. Liver cell death occurs when the liver’s normal drug-processing pathway is overwhelmed and a toxic byproduct called NAPQ1is produced. Usually severe hepatotoxicity occurs when people take twice the normal dose or more, but some individuals are susceptible to liver damage at lower doses; liver toxicity is especially likely when the drug is used with alcohol. N-acetylcysteine, which replenishes a natural protein called glutathione, is an antidote to acetaminophen poisoning. Many anti-HIV drugs are associated with liver toxicity—a cause for concern among people coinfected with HIV and hepatitis B or C. All classes of anti-HIV drugs have been linked with liver toxicity. The non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor nevirapine (Viramune) can cause liver inflammatio
