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Stage 3a + Lithium
Hi everyone,
It's wonderful to find a community to discuss this. I have recently been diagnosed with stage 3a. It's been very confusing- first there was one abnormal blood test, then I was told it's "just a dip", then I was told that I have "a decrease in kidney function," and then poof, stage 2, stage 3a. It is really confusing. I think my doctors are good and mean well, but I wish they would just tell it like it is and let me know what to expect. How can 60% function be "robust"?
I'm wondering if my psychiatrist was negligent letting my kidneys be damaged in a way I did not expect. Shouldn't he have been more vigilant?
The biggest part is I think I should change off of lithium to another medication. This is quite scary.
I live alone and support myself. What is going to happen if I get worse? If you have a similar situation or have something to advise, I'd be so grateful.
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I’m sorry!
I think I wouldn’t delay discussing this with your psychiatrist as it could be related to lithium. And there could be other medications you could use instead that don’t harm your kidneys. Or, there could be other causes?
I would ask for a referral to a nephrologist to find out more so you can preserve or improve your kidney function. Together, you can find out more about this.
Let us know, okay?
It would be good for your nephrologist and other doctor to coordinate care and meds. I was diagnosed with stage 3a CKD last summer, with minimal risk factors. It is a stressful waiting game, seeing if it progresses or stays at this level. Other than making sure you drink enough water, there are few changes to our lives and few is any symptoms. My nephrologist put me on very-low dose Lisinopril to decrease proteinuria (protein in urine, my BP is normal); unfortunately if caused colitis flares in me so no meds and just waiting. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5537577/
@mandedah Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I agree, hearing we have kidney concerns is never easy. We usually want to look at trends in our labwork, not one-time readings.
As for the lithium and its side effect of possibly causing kidney damage, here is a scholarly article from Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(24)00523-8/fulltext
Reading this, the use of lithium for bipolar personality disorder doesn't always cause CKD, and if it does, it can take many years of use to develop. It may be your doctor wanted to give you a medication he knew would help you.
You did not state how old you are, or how long you have taken lithium. Is your psychiatrist open to moving you to another medication? There certainly are things you can do yourself to help your kidney function. Renal friendly diet, moderate exercise, proper hydration, etc. all tips you can find here in our kidney and bladder support group.
Ginger