Pharmacy Remedies for Kidney Disease Patients

“People with low levels of kidney function whose kidney disease is advanced have to be the most careful,” says consultant renal physician, Dr Donal O’Donoghue. “Most people with mild-to-moderate kidney disease who are otherwise healthy can safely take the same OTC remedies as the rest of the population.
“Whatever the stage of your kidney function, however, I’d always recommend talking to your pharmacist or doctor before taking OTC remedies so you can weigh up the risks and benefits.”

According to Dr O’Donoghue, you’re at higher risk of being harmed by certain OTC remedies if:

· you have advanced kidney disease (stage 4 or 5, or a kidney function below 30% of normal)

· you have mild-to-moderate kidney disease (stage 3 with a kidney function between 30 and 60% of normal) and are elderly with another serious illness, such as coronary heart disease.

Indigestion

What's safe:

For occasional treatment of indigestion, Gaviscon liquid or tablets are safe as are Remegel and Rennie tablets, which contain calcium carbonate.

What to avoid:

Don't use Gaviscon Advance to treat indigestion as it contains potassium. And avoid aluminium- or magnesium-containing medicines, such as Aludrox or Maalox, unless they're prescribed by a renal doctor.

Heartburn remedies

What's safe:

Ranitidine (Zantac), famotidine (Pepcid) and omeprazole (Losec) are safe to use for short-term relief of heartburn

What to avoid:

Avoid cimetidine (Tagamet), for heartburn as it can lead to a rise in the blood test for creatinine, making it seem as if your kidney function has got worse.

Hay fever and other anti-allergy medicines

What's safe:

Antihistamine tablets, nasal sprays and eye drops, including well-known brands such as Piriton (chlorpheniramine), Clarityn (loratadine) and Zirtek (cetirizine) are safe to take to relieve allergy symptoms. Preparations containing sodium cromoglycate, such as Opticrom Eye Drops, are also safe.

Complementary remedies and kidney disease

What's safe:

Homeopathic medicines are safe for kidney patients.

What to avoid:

Avoid herbal medicines if you have kidney disease because they can raise blood pressure. Some, such as St John’s wort (for low mood), can interact with medicines prescribed for kidney disease. Others, such as echinacea (used as a colds and flu remedy), can directly affect kidney function.

Another problem is that different brands (and even different batches of the same brand) of herbal remedy can vary widely in terms of the amount of active ingredient they contain. This makes it difficult to predict how strong a dose will be.