Liver Function: What It Does, How to Support It, and What Affects It

When you take a pill, your body doesn’t just absorb it—it liver function, the process by which the liver breaks down substances to make them usable or safe to remove. Also known as hepatic metabolism, it’s the reason some drugs work and others cause harm. Your liver isn’t just a filter. It’s your body’s chemical factory, turning food into energy, cleaning toxins, making proteins, and balancing hormones. If it slows down, everything else feels it—fatigue, brain fog, bloating, even mood swings.

Many medications you take—like leflunomide, a drug used for rheumatoid arthritis that can stress the liver, or anastrozole, an estrogen-blocking treatment that affects how the liver processes hormones—depend on liver function to work safely. That’s why doctors check liver enzymes before and during treatment. High ALT or AST levels? It’s not just a number. It’s your liver signaling it’s under pressure. Even common painkillers like ibuprofen, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug that can cause liver injury with long-term use need caution if your liver isn’t at full strength.

Liver damage doesn’t always come from alcohol. It can come from obesity, diabetes, herbal supplements, or even long-term use of antibiotics like clindamycin, an antibiotic that occasionally triggers drug-induced liver injury. The good news? Your liver can regenerate—if you give it a chance. Cutting back on sugar, avoiding unnecessary meds, staying hydrated, and eating fiber-rich foods help more than most supplements. And if you’re on meds that affect liver enzymes, regular blood tests aren’t optional—they’re your early warning system.

What you’ll find below isn’t just a list of articles. It’s a practical guide to how drugs interact with your liver, what signs to watch for, and how to protect yourself while still getting the treatment you need. From how birth control affects hormone processing to why weight-loss pills like orlistat, a fat-blocking medication that can cause liver enzyme spikes in rare cases need monitoring, these posts give you the real talk—not the hype.