Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Telling every doctor you have liver disease | CION Cancer Clinics
Tell every doctor, dentist and pharmacist about your liver disease before they prescribe anything. A damaged liver clears many medicines slowly, so a normal dose can build up and cause harm. This page explains who needs to know, what to tell them, how to make it a habit, and which warning signs after a new medicine mean going to hospital the same day. At CION Cancer Clinics, our team supports patients and families through symptoms, follow-up and life during and after treatment.
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Medically reviewed by Dr. Naresh GunduConsultant Medical Oncologist · MBBS, DNB (Internal Medicine), DM (Medical Oncology, AIIMS) · last reviewed October 2026, next review due October 2027
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On this page
- Do I really need to tell every doctor about my liver?
- Which doctors and staff should I tell?
- How do I make sure no doctor misses it?
- What exactly should I tell a new doctor?
- Four reasons people stay quiet, and why they should not
- What this page cannot tell you
- Common questions about telling doctors about your liver
The short answer
Do I really need to tell every doctor about my liver?
Yes. Tell every doctor, dentist and pharmacist that you have liver disease or liver cancer, every time, before they write anything. A damaged liver clears many medicines more slowly, so an ordinary dose can build up and cause harm.
Why it gets missed
Most people with liver cancer see several doctors at once. The oncologist, the hepatologist, the family physician, the dentist and the eye doctor each keep their own notes. None of them can see the others' files. A doctor treating a toothache or a cough is thinking about the tooth or the chest, and will not ask about the liver unless you say it first.
Who this applies to
It applies whether the cancer started in the liver or spread there from somewhere else, and to anyone with cirrhosis, fatty liver with scarring, or hepatitis B or C. If your liver tests have always been normal and your cancer is elsewhere, the risk is lower, but your oncologist should still be told about every new tablet. The page on how a damaged liver changes medicines explains the reason in more detail.
Saying "I have liver disease" takes five seconds. It is the most useful sentence in any appointment.Who needs to know
Which doctors and staff should I tell?
Anyone who can give you a medicine, an injection or an anaesthetic. That is a longer list than most families expect.
The family doctor and physician
They treat fevers, coughs, blood pressure and sugar. Several common medicines for these need a lower amount, a different choice or closer blood tests when the liver is weak.
The dentist
Dental pain relief, antibiotics and the numbing injection all pass through the liver. Cirrhosis can also make gums bleed more after an extraction, so the dentist may want a recent blood report first.
Any surgeon or anaesthetist
Even for a small operation such as a hernia or a cataract. Sedation and anaesthetic drugs can last much longer in a damaged liver.
The people who are easy to forget
- The pharmacist at the medical shop
- Skin, eye and bone specialists
- An Ayurvedic, Siddha or homeopathic practitioner
- The emergency doctor at a night casualty
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistMaking it routine
How do I make sure no doctor misses it?
Say it before the doctor writes
Open the appointment with it: "I have liver cancer and cirrhosis." Do not wait for the prescription and then ask whether it is safe. It is easier to choose well than to change a choice already made.
Carry one medicine list
Keep a single, dated list of everything you take, including tonics, powders and vitamins. Show it at every visit. The page on keeping one medicine list shows how to set it out.
Bring your latest liver report
A recent report of bilirubin, albumin and INR (a clotting test) tells a new doctor how well your liver is working. A photo of it on your phone is enough.
Ask the pharmacist to check too
When you collect anything new, tell the pharmacist about your liver and ask them to look at the list. A second check costs nothing and catches mistakes.
!
When a new medicine needs hospital today
If someone with liver disease becomes newly confused, very drowsy or hard to wake after starting a new tablet, especially a sleeping tablet, a strong painkiller or a cough syrup, go to hospital today. The same applies to vomiting blood, black stools or yellow eyes that appear suddenly with fever. Take the tablet strip and the medicine list with you, and say "liver disease" at the casualty desk.
The words to use
What exactly should I tell a new doctor?
- The diagnosis
- "I have liver cancer" or "cancer that has spread to my liver", and whether you also have cirrhosis, which means scarring of the liver.
- The cause of the liver damage
- Hepatitis B, hepatitis C, alcohol, fatty liver or something else. This changes which medicines are a concern.
- Your cancer treatment
- The name of any immunotherapy, targeted therapy or chemotherapy, and when your last treatment was given.
- Your hepatitis B tablets
- If you take an antiviral such as tenofovir or entecavir, say so. It must never be stopped by a doctor who does not know why it was started.
- Past problems
- Any earlier bleeding, fluid in the abdomen (ascites) or episodes of confusion. These mark a liver that needs extra caution.
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Commonly believed
Four reasons people stay quiet, and why they should not
"It is only a small problem. The doctor does not need my whole history."
A simple painkiller or antibiotic is exactly where a weak liver causes trouble. The smaller the visit, the less likely the doctor is to ask.
"The doctor will think badly of me if they hear about the drinking or the hepatitis."
A cause of liver damage is medical information, and nobody is asking for a confession. Doctors need it to choose safe medicines. Our page on telling your doctor the truth about drinking may help.
"My oncologist already told them."
Doctors in different hospitals rarely share notes automatically. Assume the new doctor knows nothing until you have told them yourself.
"Herbal and home remedies do not count as medicines."
They do. Some herbal products can injure the liver, and a cirrhotic liver is the one least able to cope. Mention them without embarrassment. No one at CION will judge you for it.
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you whether a particular tablet is safe for you. That depends on how well your liver is working, your kidneys, your cancer treatment and every other medicine on your list. Only a doctor who has seen all of that can decide.
It cannot replace your own team
If two doctors give you different advice about a medicine, do not pick one yourself. Ask your oncologist or hepatologist to speak to the other doctor, or bring both prescriptions to your next visit. The page on medicines to avoid with cirrhosis lists the common ones to ask about.
Who this does not apply to
If you had a small liver tumour removed long ago and your liver tests have stayed normal since, your team may tell you the risk is low. Ask them directly rather than assuming either way.
Not sure whether a new prescription is safe? Call the helpline before the first dose, and a member of the team will check it.Questions we are asked
Common questions about telling doctors about your liver
Do I need to tell the dentist about liver cancer?
Yes. The dentist may give a numbing injection, pain relief and an antibiotic, and all of them pass through the liver. Cirrhosis can also make bleeding after an extraction heavier. Take a recent blood report so the dentist can plan safely.
Should I tell the medical shop when I buy something?
Yes. Pharmacists know which common products contain paracetamol or other ingredients that matter for the liver. Tell them you have liver disease and ask them to check before you pay. It takes a minute.
What if I am taken to casualty and cannot speak?
Keep a card or a phone note with your diagnosis, your medicines and a family contact. Make sure the family member who usually comes with you knows the details too, so they can say it at the desk on your behalf.
Will telling a doctor about hepatitis B change how they treat me?
It should change only the medical choices, such as which tablets are safe and whether steroids need extra care. It is a medical fact, never a judgement on you. Your antiviral tablets must continue unless your hepatologist says otherwise.
Do eye drops and skin creams matter?
Usually far less than tablets, because little reaches the blood. Mention them anyway, so the doctor can decide. Steroid creams used over large areas, and some acne and fungal treatments taken by mouth, are the ones most worth checking.
My family doctor and my oncologist disagree. Who wins?
Neither, until they have spoken. Ask one to contact the other, or carry both prescriptions to your next oncology visit. Do not stop or start a medicine on your own while the question is open.
Do I need to tell my Ayurvedic doctor too?
Yes, and tell your oncologist what the Ayurvedic doctor gives you. Some herbal products can injure the liver, and the two practitioners rarely talk to each other. You are the link between them.
Can CION check a prescription from another doctor?
Yes. If you are a CION patient, bring or send the prescription and your medicine list, and your team will review it against your liver reports and your cancer treatment. One helpline serves every CION centre.
Your Specialists
Meet CION's liver cancer specialists. Bring your scan reports and liver blood tests.
Our medical and surgical oncologists plan liver cancer care together, weighing the tumour and how well your liver works before choosing surgery, a liver-directed procedure or medicines.
Medical Oncologist
Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
MBBS(Gold Medal), DNB(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Gold Medal)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
Medical Oncologist
Medical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Muralidhar Muddusetty
MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery) (AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh)
Surgical Oncologist
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Patient stories
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Sources
- Liver UK (formerly British Liver Trust) — Cirrhosis
- NIDDK — Treatment for Cirrhosis - NIDDK
- NCCIH — Using Dietary Supplements Wisely
- Liver UK (formerly British Liver Trust) — Hepatic encephalopathy (HE)
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
Keeping a single updated medicine listThe list you hand to every doctorWhich of my regular tablets are still safe?The everyday medicines, one by oneOver-the-counter medicines bought without a prescriptionWhat to watch at the medical shopA medicine safety checklist for liver patientsA short check before any new tablet
Talk to us
Not sure whether a new prescription is safe for your liver?
Send us the prescription and your medicine list, and a member of the team will check it against your liver reports. One helpline serves every CION centre.