Will a person need to take medications after my liver transplant?

A liver transplant is a medical procedure to replace a damaged or failed liver with a healthy liver from a deceased person or a portion of a liver from a living person. You need a liver transplant when the liver stops functioning properly.

How much does a liver cost? The liver transplant cost in India is an average range of 20 lakhs to 30 lakhs INR. The cost in India is very less compared to treatment in other western countries.

The liver is the largest internal ■■■■■ performing the following critical functions:

• Making proteins that help the blood clot
• Removing bacteria and toxins from the blood
• Processing nutrients, hormones, and medications
• Regulating immune system and preventing infection
• Producing bile- bile helps the body to absorb fats, fat-soluble vitamins, and cholesterol.

The number of patients awaiting liver transplants exceeds the number of liver available from deceased persons. Another alternative for liver transplant is through living person liver transplant. This is possible because the human liver regenerates and returns to its normal size shortly after surgical removal of part of the ■■■■■.

Liver transplantation has the highest survival rates. The liver transplant survival rate is more than 95% at advanced and well-equipped healthcare centers meaning out of 100 patients, 95 patients recover and are discharged in healthy conditions.

Why is a Liver transplant required?

A liver transplant is a medical procedure to replace damaged liver with a healthy liver. The surgery takes place when no medication works to control liver failure. Liver failure that happens quickly is called acute liver failure. This results from complications of certain medications.

Liver failure that happens over a period of time or slowly over months and years is called chronic liver failure. Chronic liver failure arises because of a variety of conditions and the most common being scarring of the liver known as cirrhosis.

The average cost of liver transplant in India ranges between 20-30 lakhs INR. This is inclusive of investigation, surgery, and post-surgery recovery period.

The complication of the procedure:

Liver transplant surgery carries a proportion of risk and complication with it. Following are certain risks associated with liver transplant:

• Bleeding
• Blood clots
• Infection
• Rejection of donated liver
• Seizures
• Failure of a donated liver
• Bile duct complications such as leaks or shrinking of the ducts.

As you now have the basic information on what is a liver transplant and how it happens and the risks associated with the liver transplant. Let’s get back on our main heading- Will a person need to take medications after a liver transplant?

In a nutshell, the answer is YES - for the rest of your life. You will have to take a number of medications after the transplant and some may carry them for the rest of your lives. Some medications are prescribed to fight infection and some are prescribed to avoid rejection of the new liver while others are given to treat side effects of the immunosuppressants. Drugs called immunosuppressants which are also given in kidney transplants help keep the immune system from attacking the new liver in the body. Meanwhile, other medicines will help reduce the complications which take place after the transplant.

To heal and recover, a patient needs to take around 7-10 different types of medicines. As the patient recovers, the number of medications reduces. By 6 months, the dosage and medication come down to 1 or 2. However, in all cases, patients need to take immunosuppressants for the rest of their lives. It is advised to take these medications exactly as said by the doctor. Missing dosage or taking at the wrong time may lead to ■■■■■ failure and rejection.

The first three months after the transplant are the toughest. The body is adjusting to the “new” liver and all medication needs to be maintained on schedule.

You need at least 6 months or more to heal from liver transplant surgery. You may be able to resume back to normalcy or getting back on physical activities at least after a month of surgery. How much time it will take for you to recover completely depends on how ill you were before the liver transplant.

Following are the side effects of medicines after the transplant:

• Change in mood
• Elevated Blood pressure
• Hair loss or hair growth
• Weakness in bone and muscle
• Elevated blood sugar
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Kidney dysfunction
• Headache
• Diarrhea

Most patients will experience side effects at an early stage, but it may diminish over a period of time as the dosage reduces. Side effects may be troublesome but it should be discontinued without the advice of the doctor.

The liver transplant survival rate is 95% meaning that for every 100 people who receive a liver transplant, about 95% will live for 30 years and above and the rest 5 will die within 30 years.

Diet and nutrition:

After a liver transplant, it is vital to eat a balanced diet to help you recover and keep your liver healthy. You may seek help from a nutritionist (part of the healthcare team) to guide you well on healthy eating. The general diet after the transplant includes low sugar, fats, salt and cholesterol. To prevent infection and damaging of the new liver, you need to avoid alcohol. Do not use alcoholic beverages.

Your dietitian may recommend the following:

• Indulging high fiber diet in daily meals
• Choosing whole-grain food over processed food
• Eating at least 5-6 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables
• Drinking low fat or fat-free dairy products
• Avoiding grapefruit in solid and liquid form because of their effect on medications.
• Eating fish, poultry, and lean meats
• Staying hydrated at all times.

Exercise:

After the liver transplant, exercise and physical activity will become more important than before to improve overall physical and mental health. Soon after recovery, you must walk as much as you can. Some of the physical activities that you must include are swimming, walking, cycling, strength training, and other exercises. Be sure to check with your doctors before starting to exercise post-liver transplant.

Liver transplant has shown considerable outcomes. A person can live a normal life over 30 years after the surgery. For prolonged life, one must pay close attention to a medication schedule, change in lifestyle, healthy eating and physical activity are all necessary. The average cost of a liver transplant in India is 20 lakhs to 30 lakhs INR. The cost in India is very less compared to treatment in other western countries.