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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Improving the understanding, detection, and management of kidney disease.

Medicines and Kidney Disease

Medicines to Treat Kidney Disease

People with kidney disease often take medicines to lower blood pressure, control blood glucose, and lower blood cholesterol. Two types of blood pressure medicines - ACE inhibitors and ARBs - may slow kidney disease and delay kidney failure, even in people who don't have high blood pressure.

The most important step you can take to treat kidney disease is to control your blood pressure. Many people need to take two or more medicines for their blood pressure, often including a diuretic (water pill). These medicines may work better if you limit your salt intake. The goal is to keep your blood pressure at or below the target set by your health care provider.

Other Medicines

Because you have kidney disease, you need to be careful about all the medicines you take. Your kidneys do not filter as well as they did in the past. This can cause an unsafe buildup of medicines in your blood. Some medicines can also harm your kidneys.

Your pharmacist and health care provider need to know what medicines you take so they can give you advice on how to protect your kidneys.

These medicines include:

You may be told to:

Do you take over-the-counter medicines?

If you take OTC medicines for headaches, pain, fever, or colds, you may be taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). NSAIDs are OTC medicines that can be harmful to your kidneys. Ibuprofen and naproxen are NSAIDs.

Ask your pharmacist or provider if the OTC medicines you take are safe to use. You also can look for NSAIDs on Drug Facts labels like the one below.

Drug Facts

Active Ingredients (in each caplet) Purposes
Ibuprofen 200mg (NSAID)* Pain reliever/fever reducer
Pseudoephedrine HCI 30mg Nasal decongestant

*nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug

Uses: Temporarily relieves these symptoms associated with the common cold, or flu:

  • headache
  • fever
  • sinus pressure
  • nasal congestion
  • minor body aches and pains

What you can do

Remember that you can always talk with your pharmacist or health care provider about your medicines.

  • An older woman speaks with a pharmacist about a prescription

    Take Charge of Your Kidney Health

    Talk to your pharmacist about your medicines and how they affect your kidneys.

Page last updated: March 1, 2012