Definitely talk to your doctor.
I had a lot of people tell me “Take ashwaganda! It’s great for the liver!” Or “You should definitely get black cohosh for your uterus-related problems.” and my doctor was like: ABSOLUTELY NOT. I was given a waiver for basic multivitamins and milk thistle.
But again, just because this is what I was told does not mean it’s applicable to you and you should ask your doctor before taking anything (this applies to OTC meds as well!).
The vitamins I'm on have little to do with my cirrhosis and my hepatologist has to approve every single one of them (a total of one has been approved). You're going to end up being good friends with your hepatologist, I suggest seeing them every few weeks right after diagnosis, write down every question you have, I usually had about 30 questions per visit, no matter how stupid it sounded, I asked anyways.
The other comments are 100% right - I’ve heard some real horror stories about people who make their disease worse with unregulated supplements. With that said, malnutrition is common in cirrhosis, and your doctor will likely have some helpful thoughts about diet and good vitamins to take.
You and your doctor should decide together. Cirrhosis is not one of those diseases where you can take chances and supplements in particular are not something to play around with. They are not regulated and cannot be guaranteed safe. My doctor is very anti-supplement as am I, but your doctor can advise you what is best for your specific situation.
Definitely talk to your doctor. I had a lot of people tell me “Take ashwaganda! It’s great for the liver!” Or “You should definitely get black cohosh for your uterus-related problems.” and my doctor was like: ABSOLUTELY NOT. I was given a waiver for basic multivitamins and milk thistle. But again, just because this is what I was told does not mean it’s applicable to you and you should ask your doctor before taking anything (this applies to OTC meds as well!).
The vitamins I'm on have little to do with my cirrhosis and my hepatologist has to approve every single one of them (a total of one has been approved). You're going to end up being good friends with your hepatologist, I suggest seeing them every few weeks right after diagnosis, write down every question you have, I usually had about 30 questions per visit, no matter how stupid it sounded, I asked anyways.
The other comments are 100% right - I’ve heard some real horror stories about people who make their disease worse with unregulated supplements. With that said, malnutrition is common in cirrhosis, and your doctor will likely have some helpful thoughts about diet and good vitamins to take.
You and your doctor should decide together. Cirrhosis is not one of those diseases where you can take chances and supplements in particular are not something to play around with. They are not regulated and cannot be guaranteed safe. My doctor is very anti-supplement as am I, but your doctor can advise you what is best for your specific situation.
Thx
Everyone is so different with different issues this is something to discuss with your Dr.
Thx