Merck Manual

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Drugs and the Liver

By

Danielle Tholey

, MD, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University

Reviewed/Revised Mar 2023
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The body must process (chemically alter, or metabolize) drugs to be able to use and eliminate them. Most of this processing occurs in the liver, done by liver enzymes. Thus, drugs and the liver can affect each other in several ways:

Drugs can affect how quickly certain other drugs are metabolized in the liver. If a drug is metabolized more quickly, it may be broken down and eliminated before it can do what it is supposed to do. In slower drug metabolism Drug Metabolism Drug metabolism is the chemical alteration of a drug by the body. (See also Introduction to Administration and Kinetics of Drugs.) Some drugs are chemically altered by the body (metabolized)... read more , side effects are more likely.

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The following English-language resource may be useful. Please note that THE MANUAL is not responsible for the content of this resource.

NOTE: This is the Consumer Version. DOCTORS: VIEW PROFESSIONAL VERSION
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