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Promises of improved kidney function?
Kidney & Bladder | Last Active: Apr 17, 2023 | Replies (54)Comment receiving replies
HI Ginger, you seem to be well informed about all this kidney stuff so I was wondering if you could help me out? I had been holding steady at a GFR of around 60, (which I am kind of embarrassed to be complaining about), so I was never told that my kidney function was nearing Stage 3 CKD. Until it hit 59 and then all of a sudden "you have kidney disease". What? 60 is normal but 59 puts me at Stage 3? Anyway, I had a UTI at the time, when they mentioned my declining kidney function and was put on Bactrim. A recheck showed that while on Bactrim (and during the UTI) my GFR dropped 5 more points to 54. I was so panicked. Well, they added a new BP med (amlodipine) and my next two GFR's were miraculously improved at 64 and 73 (on 10/11). At the point, with a GFR of 73, my nephrologist felt it was okay to restart a tricyclic anti-depressant that had been very helpful in the past, but has some caution with kidney disease. I was supposed to start it today. I got a metabolic panel yesterday and my GFR was back down to 60. Now I don't know what to do about restarting the antidepressant and also wondering why I seemed to be improving and now declining again? I feel depressed because I fear further decline should I restart the meds. Any thoughts would be much appreciated. Thank you.
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@csage1010 Frustrating, isn't it!? It makes it appear like there is a "magic threshold" to recognize kidney issues at.
Perhaps you have seen my comments before, that I consider our bodies to be such miracles, and so many individual systems work together. When we are not feeling good, sometimes those systems show different values as they deal with whatever it is we are fighting. For the most part, our doctors are going to be looking at trends in blood values, not necessarily a one-time spike or dip. Or they should be.
An increase in GFR to 73 may be temporary, seeing it has been hovering around 60. A different set of lab machines running your samples, your hydration levels, your stress levels, all could contribute to a reading that isn't consistent to what you have been used to seeing. As for starting back on a medication you were off of, that is definitely something to speak to your dr about. You can question why he/she deems it is okay to restart. And then, make your decision. Is there something else that can be used, that has fewer negative interactions with the kidneys?
Let me know if this helps you, and how I may be of further service.
Ginger