OTC supplements safe?

[Sdtagoo]

I am taking fish oil & Primrose oil twice a day. Are these ok for kidneys?

[Hidden]

Hi,

Have you looked at the ingredients of those supplements? Make sure that nothing will exacerbate your CKD. Are there ingredients that will help your CKD or other health issues?

Have you spoken to your Care Team about the benefits and/or risks of taking those supplements?

It doesn't matter what others say works for them, as each of us is different and the degree of our personal health issues is what the doctors will use to determine what will be okay for you.

[KelliC_NKF]

Great advice - talk to you doctor. Everything you put in your body is filtered by your kidneys. What might be safe for someone with healthy kidneys may not be safe for someone with a low GFR because this means their kidneys are not filtering as well as they should. For more on supplements and kidneys visit: kidney.org/atoz/content/her...

[SN23]

My son who has IGAN Stage 3 takes fish oil supplements recommended by his Nephrologist.

[Hidden in reply to SN23]

If the nephrologist has recommended that supplement and results are positive either in feeling better or good labs then continue to take it. Make a list of all your medicines, including any OTC products and share with all of your Care Team. It can be a balancing act when all doctors have input but it is best for overall health.

[SN23 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks. And that's correct this should be done in consultation with the care team. It appears to have helped my son and in fact recently the doctor doubled his fish oil intake. There are some NIH studies that show some benefits especially in IGAN.

[WYOAnne NKF Ambassador]

You need to run everything you take past your doctors'. Everyone is different, so what is OK for one may not be for another. It always depends on your own labs, type of kidney disease and how long you have been diagnosed with CKD. In later stages of CKD your kidneys don't filter like they should. Even if it is something you have taken for a long time, it could become almost toxic because you are not getting rid of it like you should

I am post transplant and even though a surgeon had prescribed a supplement for me, my transplant team said I could not take it.

So check with your own nephrologist.