Reta linked to elevated gallbladder enzymes

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Dardarbinks

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Hey everyone,

I began reta in feb, but over the past 2 months, my gallbladder and liver enzymes have all come back elevated. Do I have to quit the meds to resolve this, or does anyone have ideas for bringing these enzyme levels down and cutting the risk of bile blockage?
 
Seems like the usual bile acid jam.

Drink plenty of water.

Add more healthy fats to what you eat (eggs, olive oil, avocados)

More fiber

Keep weight loss at 2-3 pounds per week at most.

Stay away from fried foods.

Get exercise

Switched "avoid greasy" to "avoid fried." I figure that advice is better.
 
What exactly are the lab results showing?

What's your fat intake like? When you're losing weight, a low-fat diet puts stress on the gallbladder since it isn't being emptied.

Whether the fat is healthy or greasy and tasty makes no difference when it comes to making your gallbladder contract. I just had a prime NY Strip — let's just say it was for my gallbladder 😂
 
If you're looking to add more healthy fats, cottage cheese is a solid option. I crunched the numbers recently and realized I'd gone through 1.6 gallons of cottage cheese in the last month, yet I still dropped 15 pounds during that time. It also works well for boosting protein intake.
 
woundcarping said:

What exactly are the lab results showing?

What's your fat intake like? When you're losing weight, a low-fat diet puts stress on the gallbladder since it isn't being emptied.

Whether the fat is healthy or greasy and tasty makes no difference when it comes to making your gallbladder contract. I just had a prime NY Strip — let's just say it was for my gallbladder 😂
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Down the hatch, mate....
 
Dardarbinks said:

Hey everyone,

I began reta in feb, but over the past 2 months, my gallbladder and liver enzymes have all come back elevated. Do I have to quit the meds to resolve this, or does anyone have ideas for bringing these enzyme levels down and cutting the risk of bile blockage?
Click to expand...
Has a physician actually reviewed this? Reta and other GLP medications are capable of triggering severe liver toxicity—rare, but it does happen. Far more often, what shows up is a milder rise in enzyme levels, and the response may be either to discontinue the drug or in some cases to keep going and watch whether things normalize. That kind of decision really needs a specialist's input. You haven't said how far above normal the values are, or which enzymes are affected, so there isn't much to work with. Mild elevations above the reference range tend to be unremarkable, whereas 3-5 times normal is a real concern.

In Victoria, Australia, there were 6 recent cases of liver toxicity thought to stem from a contaminant in grey market reta. No additional details emerged about what that contaminant was. Since you appear to be in the US, a connection seems unlikely, though it may still be worth noting.

Liver enzyme irregularities generally fall into 2 patterns. One is cholestatic, where bilirubin rises—which sounds like what you're describing—but that pattern isn't usually driven by gallbladder or bile duct problems directly; rather, it reflects damage and leakage from the cells lining the small ducts where bile is produced. The other pattern involves enzymes more typical of generalized liver cell toxicity. Drug toxicity can produce either pattern. I'm not certain which one GLP's usually cause, but it shouldn't be hard to find out.
 
woundcarping said:

What exactly are the lab results showing?

What's your fat intake like? When you're losing weight, a low-fat diet puts stress on the gallbladder since it isn't being emptied.

Whether the fat is healthy or greasy and tasty makes no difference when it comes to making your gallbladder contract. I just had a prime NY Strip — let's just say it was for my gallbladder 😂
Click to expand...
I believe I'll get the grill going today for my gallbladder medicine!
 
woundcarping said:

What exactly are the lab results showing?

What's your fat intake like? When you're losing weight, a low-fat diet puts stress on the gallbladder since it isn't being emptied.

Whether the fat is healthy or greasy and tasty makes no difference when it comes to making your gallbladder contract. I just had a prime NY Strip — let's just say it was for my gallbladder 😂
Click to expand...
Man, that really hits the spot. I may have to do that this evening alongside a baked potato.

Skidude said:

woundcarping said:

What exactly are the lab results showing?

What's your fat intake like? When you're losing weight, a low-fat diet puts stress on the gallbladder since it isn't being emptied.

Whether the fat is healthy or greasy and tasty makes no difference when it comes to making your gallbladder contract. I just had a prime NY Strip — let's just say it was for my gallbladder 😂
Click to expand...
I believe I'll get the grill going today for my gallbladder medicine!
Click to expand...
As mentioned earlier, I've got 2 racks of BB's ready for the pellet grill tomorrow, around 11:00, set to 225*.
 
BNLFL said:

woundcarping said:

What exactly are the lab results showing?

What's your fat intake like? When you're losing weight, a low-fat diet puts stress on the gallbladder since it isn't being emptied.

Whether the fat is healthy or greasy and tasty makes no difference when it comes to making your gallbladder contract. I just had a prime NY Strip — let's just say it was for my gallbladder 😂
Click to expand...
Man, that really hits the spot. I may have to do that this evening alongside a baked potato.

Skidude said:

woundcarping said:

What exactly are the lab results showing?

What's your fat intake like? When you're losing weight, a low-fat diet puts stress on the gallbladder since it isn't being emptied.

Whether the fat is healthy or greasy and tasty makes no difference when it comes to making your gallbladder contract. I just had a prime NY Strip — let's just say it was for my gallbladder 😂
Click to expand...
I believe I'll get the grill going today for my gallbladder medicine!
Click to expand...
As mentioned earlier, I've got 2 racks of BB's ready for the pellet grill tomorrow, around 11:00, set to 225*.
Click to expand...
Fire up that pellet grill, man... 🤣
 
macgreggor said:

BNLFL said:

woundcarping said:

What exactly are the lab results showing?

What's your fat intake like? When you're losing weight, a low-fat diet puts stress on the gallbladder since it isn't being emptied.

Whether the fat is healthy or greasy and tasty makes no difference when it comes to making your gallbladder contract. I just had a prime NY Strip — let's just say it was for my gallbladder 😂
Click to expand...
Man, that really hits the spot. I may have to do that this evening alongside a baked potato.

Skidude said:

woundcarping said:

What exactly are the lab results showing?

What's your fat intake like? When you're losing weight, a low-fat diet puts stress on the gallbladder since it isn't being emptied.

Whether the fat is healthy or greasy and tasty makes no difference when it comes to making your gallbladder contract. I just had a prime NY Strip — let's just say it was for my gallbladder 😂
Click to expand...
I believe I'll get the grill going today for my gallbladder medicine!
Click to expand...
As mentioned earlier, I've got 2 racks of BB's ready for the pellet grill tomorrow, around 11:00, set to 225*.
Click to expand...
Fire up that pellet grill, man... 🤣
Click to expand...
I don't look at the keyboard while typing, so unless spell check highlights it in red, I never go back to review it.
 
Dardarbinks said:

Hey everyone,

I began reta in feb, but over the past 2 months, my gallbladder and liver enzymes have all come back elevated. Do I have to quit the meds to resolve this, or does anyone have ideas for bringing these enzyme levels down and cutting the risk of bile blockage?
Click to expand...
Indeed, when weight comes off fast this kind of thing can show up, and Reta might play a part too. Problems with the gallbladder or stones forming are a recognized danger during quick weight reduction, so blaming Reta alone for liver trouble isn't something I'd jump to.

What matters most is pinning down which enzymes came back high. Elevated AST/ALT tells a different story than high alkaline phosphatase/GGT plus bilirubin, and the latter pattern leans more toward a bile or gallbladder problem.

Two months is a long stretch for this to continue, so rather than tinkering with numbers or trying to sort it out on your own, I'd push to get it evaluated. A pretty straightforward first step is an abdominal ultrasound, and it can clear up a lot of uncertainty fast.

Permanent Reta cessation may not be necessary, but if you haven't done so yet... while you're working out what's happening, definitely bring your doctor into the loop for their 2 cents, particularly when weight is dropping very fast. Also, don't go on a crash diet in the meantime..... that can actually make the gallstone problem worse.
 
Just so you know: the underlying issue here tends to be fast weight reduction rather than a GLP-1 effect happening directly. The link goes back to the source article.

According to Lisa Iucci, DO, FACS, of Premier Surgical Network in Egg Harbor Township, NJ the connection between rapid weight loss and gallbladder problems has been known for years. Similar patterns were observed decades ago with bariatric, or weight loss, surgery.

“When patients lose weight quickly, the body processes and eliminates cholesterol more rapidly,” Dr. Iucci explains. “That cholesterol can concentrate in bile, which is stored in the gallbladder. Over time it can crystallize and form gallstones.”

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Take your lab results to your doctor. That’s the place to begin, not this forum. We’re able to share research and personal stories. Not one of us has the qualifications to give medical advice; giving it is actually against the law.
 
Dardarbinks said:

Hey everyone,

I began reta in feb, but over the past 2 months, my gallbladder and liver enzymes have all come back elevated. Do I have to quit the meds to resolve this, or does anyone have ideas for bringing these enzyme levels down and cutting the risk of bile blockage?
Click to expand...

There's something else I forgot to bring up....

Beyond the lab work, have you noticed anything else going on?

HereKittyKitty said:

Take your lab results to your doctor. That’s the place to begin, not this forum. We’re able to share research and personal stories. Not one of us has the qualifications to give medical advice; giving it is actually against the law.
Click to expand...

On its surface, consulting a physician sounds reasonable. From there, it drifts further and further from being a sound argument.

Talking about medical subjects isn't the same as practicing medicine. The OP happens to be Canadian, but most people posting in this thread are located in the US, and the First Amendment broadly shields this kind of exchange.

Nothing about this situation sets it apart in any real way from the many other medical conversations this forum was created for. Similar details have already been shared across 3 other gallbladder threads here.
 
♥️ Offering medical advice is certainly not against the law. The situation gets more complicated for those in certain occupations (such as teachers), where it could be seen as unethical and might lead to disciplinary measures, especially when it involves mental health topics and/or minors.
 
Talk to your doctor — they're able to check your liver through a panel and arrange an ultrasound. It would also help to take a detailed inventory of any other medications and hormones you're currently taking. I hope this is useful.
 
BNLFL said:

macgreggor said:

BNLFL said:

woundcarping said:

What exactly are the lab results showing?

What's your fat intake like? When you're losing weight, a low-fat diet puts stress on the gallbladder since it isn't being emptied.

Whether the fat is healthy or greasy and tasty makes no difference when it comes to making your gallbladder contract. I just had a prime NY Strip — let's just say it was for my gallbladder 😂
Click to expand...
Man, that really hits the spot. I may have to do that this evening alongside a baked potato.

Skidude said:

woundcarping said:

What exactly are the lab results showing?

What's your fat intake like? When you're losing weight, a low-fat diet puts stress on the gallbladder since it isn't being emptied.

Whether the fat is healthy or greasy and tasty makes no difference when it comes to making your gallbladder contract. I just had a prime NY Strip — let's just say it was for my gallbladder 😂
Click to expand...
I believe I'll get the grill going today for my gallbladder medicine!
Click to expand...
As mentioned earlier, I've got 2 racks of BB's ready for the pellet grill tomorrow, around 11:00, set to 225*.
Click to expand...
Fire up that pellet grill, man... 🤣
Click to expand...
I don't look at the keyboard while typing, so unless spell check highlights it in red, I never go back to review it.
Click to expand...
No shade at all, dude. Enjoy yourself. A solid barbecue gets me too 😆
 
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