So, when a med says "Don't take if you have kidney failure"...

[Jess21]

The company may know what they are talking about!
I got put on Yaz for 3 months because my hormones were out of wack, and my PC told me it would make it better.  On Yaz's TV commericial, it says "don't take if you have kidney dz, etc etc etc".  So, I called my neph cause my PC has caused more issues than good before.  My neph said he had several patients on it, and it was fine, that all meds of that sort have that warning, and his other patients on it were fine.
So, I get my blood work back a few days ago, and my potassium was high for the first time ever.  Huh.  Strange.  I didn't think of any reason for it.  I mentioned it to my mom, and later she remembered... Yaz raises potassium!  That's why they say kidney patient's shouldn't take it!  Also, my dry weight has gone up 3.8kg.  Another wonderful side effect.  It took me about a month to realize that too (after extra treatments, etc. trying to get the weight off).  Some of the potential side effects of it are horrible, so I guess having these two isn't so bad, but still.  In like 2 months I should be  ing at the dietician when this all goes away!
And to think, I didn't get my gold star this month! 

[paul.karen]

  Jess same with Chantrix (to help quit smoking) says not to take it if your a kidney patient.  But my neph said i could take half a pill.  Then again the kidneys are already failing??  so does it matter.

[LightLizard]

some doctors have a cavalier attitude when it comes to kidney failure. heck, it isn't THEIR kidneys, or one of their family members' kidneys, so 'big deal' is the attitude. before i was diagnosed, they knew my kidneys were in trouble, but they prescribed a med that stated in the printout that came with the prescription 'may be fatal for kidney patients.' i took it once and blacked out. called my doc and said that we did some research and that med is lethal for someone with my condition. all he could say was 'well, let's put that one on the back burner.' all i can say is 'duh...'

the secret is to make sure when the doc talks about prescribing something new for you, ask 'WHAT ARE THE SIDE-EFFECTS'?
they really hate that question, but the truth is that over 100,000 people die every year because of inappropriate prescriptions.
the warnings that you hear and read are not to save your life, they are to save the drug company that kills you from being prosecuted. 'hey, we put the wrning on the label, if they didn't read it, that's THEIR problem.'

again, all you can say is, 'duhhh...'

[paul.karen]

So true LL about the warnings and saving there own hides.

I LOL when i see certain commercials on tv for pills.  The side effects seem so much worse then what the pill is suppose to fix or cure.
But in the end it is no laughing matter.  That blackout must have freaked you out.

[LightLizard]

no kidding PK, i can't help but laugh when they list all those side effects. my favourite is the one where the woman says TWICE, 'may cause death.' gee, thanks for the warning, let me know how it works for YOU, if you can.
 

[Jess21]

yea, this med I'm on does say even on the commercials "Do not take if you have kidney disease".  I think my overall thought was that my kidney's couldn't get MORE messed up..what was the worse that could happen?!?  I've learned.  My potassium is up, my dry weight is up, and this med really isn't doing a whole lot all the time. I can't wait to get this excess weight off!
Your blackout story sounds like when my PC doctor put me on more BP meds cause my BP was still "high" (turned out to be high for a normal person, not one w/ kidney failure!).  I almost blacked out several times a day for 2 weeks!

[LightLizard]

don't you just love it? the drug business is an endless source of comic relief, if you're into that kind of humor. i am.

i asked my neph to write me a note so i could get medical cannabis. he said he wouldn't do that because he didn't believe in it. (of course he doesn't believe in it, he doesn't get any residuals from it, so why should he endorse it?) he added; 'it's bad for your kidneys, you know.' uh, you mean my kidneys that have been classified as 'dead'? you mean the kidneys that you helped destroy with the interferon you t old me i had to take or die? and then after six weeks i was hospitalised with a gut-bleed, hemoglobin loss and finally, ESRD?
never mind that cannabis provides me with relief for a number if issues, such as constipation, insomnia, appetite loss, high blood pressure and the only side effect is a feeling of serenity. yeah, better not use that!
(luckily, my GP was a little more accomadating.  )

heehee, crazy monkeys.

 

 

[paul.karen]

A good reason to move back to Canada.

Just sayin

[ODAT]

when my mom was in the hospital the psychiatrist switched her from lycria to neurontin. She had it at 600 mg. I looked it up like all her meds and saw that people with kidney issues should only be on 300 mg daily max because it filters out of the kidneys. I called her neph and he told me to decrease it to 300mg. Crazy stuff.

[kellyt]

I agree that most doctors either flat out don't know how it will effect you or don't care.  I used to work for an allergist who is a fabulous allergist.  I had gone to him before transplant (months before) and was having some allergy problems.  He was out of the Allegra samples so he authorized them to give me samples of a new drug Zyzal (spelling?).  Before taking one I happened to catch a commercial on TV and at the very end of the commercial in tiny writing at the bottom it says "If you have kidney problems talk to you doctor first".  I did a google search on the med and sure enough it listed the drug as not safe if you're in Stage V kidney failure, which I was.

It's frustrating, but like many have said on this site you MUST be your own advocate from here on out.  Always check before taking a new med.  I go straight to my post-transplant nephrologist now and don't even bother with my PCP.

[Jess21]

yea I did check with my neph..he said all of that type of med have those potential side effects and that he had other patients on it and they were fine.