Also called cholestatic jaundice, yellowing of the skin or eyes, icterus · Reviewed
Definition:Jaundice is a yellow color of the skin and the whites of the eyes, often with dark urine and pale stool. The NCI dictionary says it happens when the liver is not working properly or a bile duct is blocked. Cholestatic jaundice, the kind named on many hormone labels, comes from bile not flowing out of the liver normally.
Labels that list it
Testosterone: Depo-Testosterone lists cholestatic jaundice and liver test changes. Xyosted says long use of high-dose oral 17-alpha-alkyl androgens has been linked to serious liver problems, and that it is stopped while signs such as jaundice are checked.
Progestins and estrogens: Provera lists cholestatic jaundice, and Premarin says estrogen is stopped if jaundice from bile blockage returns.
Glucotrol XL (glipizide) lists liver injury with jaundice among reports after approval.
What labels say to do
The Xyosted and Premarin labels both say the medicine is stopped when jaundice appears or returns. Liver checks usually include ALT and AST and bilirubin, the yellow pigment that builds up. The NCI dictionary lists yellow skin and eyes, dark urine and pale stool as the signs.
Why it matters for your log
A list of everything being taken, including oral steroids and supplements, is the first thing a clinician will ask for. Keeping liver results with their dates makes any change easy to spot, and noting the date yellowing was first seen helps line it up with a new product or a dose change. Glucotrol XL lists it only from reports after approval, so how often it happens there is not known.
General education drawn from labels and published studies, not personal medical advice. Your prescriber, pharmacist and the label that came with your product are the final word.
The NCI dictionary says it happens when the liver is not working properly or a bile duct is blocked, so bilirubin builds up and turns the skin and eyes yellow.
Which medicines list jaundice?+
Among labels on this site: testosterone products such as Depo-Testosterone, progestins such as Provera, estrogens such as Premarin, and Glucotrol XL.