Symptoms
of drug induced liver injury
The symptoms of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) are very like the symptoms of some other liver conditions. For some people the symptoms will be very mild, others may feel very unwell. Some people will have no symptoms. Liver damage may only be found when they have blood tests or a scan for something else.
The information on this page is for:
- Adults and children with DILI or suspected DILI.
- Family, friends, carers, and healthcare professionals.
On this page:
Symptoms
If there are symptoms of DILI, these usually start within a few days or weeks of starting a new medicine.
If the medicine was taken for only a short time, symptoms of drug-induced liver injury might not appear until after treatment ends. For example, if it was a course of antibiotics.
Some of the most common symptoms of drug-induced liver injury are:
- tiredness or fatigue
- loss of appetite
- developing a yellow colour to your skin or eyes (jaundice)
- itching
- pain on the right-hand side of your body under your ribs
- feeling sick (nausea)
- a skin rash
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How Liver UK can help
A diagnosis of liver disease can be worrying, and you may have a lot of questions.
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This content was last reviewed: February 2026
Our expert reviewers:
We would like to thank everyone who helped with creating and reviewing this page. Including Catherine Wood, virtual hepatology nurse specialist. Dr Hyder Hussaini, consultant hepatologist. And all our patient reviewers.
Find out how we make our patient information.
Everyone’s experience of liver disease will be different. Always talk to your specialist medical team for personal advice.
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