Drugs that Cause Hepatitis Mnemonics (Drug Induced Hepatitis)

Drug-induced hepatitis is the inflammation of the liver parenchyma caused by the intake of certain medications. The liver is one of the busiest organs of the human body. One of the important functions of the liver is detoxification and elimination of drugs by subjecting them to chemical processes i.e biotransformation (rendering nonpolar substances to polar ones, thus helping their excretion) and alterations in their biological activity. In this article, we are going to share with you drugs that cause hepatitis mnemonics so that you can easily remember all cases of drug-induced hepatitis for your exams.

But before we go to the mnemonics for drugs that cause hepatitis, let’s a look at the mechanism of hepatic drug metabolism:

Notice the “ACTIVE METABOLITE”, which causes liver damage/hepatitis. One of the common examples of highly active metabolite is N-Acetyl Para Benzoquinone Imine (NAPQI), a toxic byproduct produced by the metabolism of Paracetamol. Normally, the NAPQI is produced in very small quantities and is immediately detoxified and eliminated from the body. But in some conditions (i.e Paracetamol overdose), NAPQI is not efficiently detoxified and thus causes severe liver damage leading to fulminant liver failure and ultimately causing death.

Alright, now without further ado, let’s get to our main topic. 🙂

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Drugs that Cause Hepatitis Mnemonics

Below are the mnemonics for drugs that cause hepatitis:

Mnemonic: VAMPIRES

V: Valproate
A: Amiodarone
M: Methyldopa
P: Pyrazinamide
I: Isoniazid
R: Rifampicin
E: PhenYtoin (sounds like “E”)
S: Simvastatin

Mnemonic: FAT PINK CARS

F: Fe (Iron salts)
A: Amiodarone
T: Tetracyclines

P: Pyrazinamide
I: Isoniazid
N: Nitrofurantoin
K: Ketoconazole (and other antifungals, esp Itraconazole)

C: CCl4
A: Anaesthetic agents (esp Halothane)
R: Rifampicin
S: Statins (HMG CoA inhibitors)

That’s it! We hope that you find this article useful. 🙂

GOOD LUCK! 🙂

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