Will Kidney Diet Help CKD3 If Cause Is Medication?

[DRGPS51]

I'm on Eliquis (5mg/2x a day) for a pulmonary embolism and due to family history, I will need to take it for life. I'm 66 and was in excellent health prior to my blood clot in January. No family history of kidney disease. But, my kidney function has declined since the clot--from eGFR of >66.6 to 50 in 6 months. I also have flank pain since the clot. All other blood results are in the normal range, as well as an ultrasound of my kidneys.

I've had 2 CT scans with contrast dye and was on Xarelto (20mg) until June, and since I had terrible side effects, I was switched to Eliquis. My primary doc thinks the anticoagulant is causing my kidney to get "wobbly." So, my question is...if the medication is the cause and I can't stop taking it, will a change in diet even help my kidneys?

[Hidden]

Hi, your kidneys are damaged and they will never work at 100% again. Regardless of what caused it, you need to do all that you can to prevent them from losing more function. Working with a Renal Dietitian and developing a kidney-friendly meal plan will help your kidneys work more efficiently and help you stay off dialysis for as long as possible. Until you get an appointment with an RD you can go to davita.com and look at the recipes and switch to a more beneficial meal plan. With a GFR of 66, you were already at Stage 2. Most doctors don't bother to tell their patients that until much later. To continue to monitor your CKD you can use drugs.com to help you with any other medications to prevent a slide. Avoid all NSAIDS and be wary of all OTC supplements as well.

[DRGPS51 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for the good info, Mr. Kidney. And, I got good news this morning! I went to a private lab yesterday to get my blood drawn for a creatine reading, because I wanted to see if the medication switch was making a difference. Sure enough, it is Since my last blood test on 7/2, my eGFR improved from 50 to 57!!! My creatine is 1.03. I switched medications on 6/10 and my kidney function has improved in a short time. With help from reading this forum, I made a few changes: increased water intake, walked daily and ate more vegetables/fruits. No red meat and no alcohol. I didn't think it was possible. I kept thinking my creatine would keep going up and there would be nothing I could do. I'm going to keep these new habits going and hopefully stabilize around this GFR number!

[Hidden in reply to DRGPS51]

Good for you. I had a low GFR at one time of 32. After learning all I could, making all appointments, watching medications, changing to a kidney-friendly meal plan, increasing my exercise program I've got it up to a 57. My next GFR is in late October, so I'm hoping to have it stabilize around there. Keep in mind that the GFR is only a snapshot of that time and many temporary issues can cause a temporary drop or increase.

[DRGPS51 in reply to Hidden]

I do understand about the GFR fluctuating, but mine was steadily going down while I was on Xarelto. I didn't know if it would bottom out and where. Doctors were looking for it stabilizing, so I would've been happy with just an increase above 50. To see it rise by 7 points in just 4 weeks was way beyond my expectations. Now, if it goes down to 55 or 54, no big deal, as long as it stays in a predictable range.

What I now know, thanks to this forum...changes in diet and exercise make a big difference, as does getting off an offending medication.

And, you really did great increasing your GFR so much! I hope it's even higher in October! I'm just hoping mine stabilizes when I get my next round of blood tests in September.

[taivin98]

Kidneys can come back from stage 3. You must be diligent though. My GFR was 34 and I was told that my kidneys were shot. That was 5 years ago and my blood work just came back with a GFR of over 60 (>60)very good. I was nearly a vegan and on a kidney diet, a full exercise program, good sleep and most important; mindset. Sorry there Mr Kidney but people do recover from stage 3 CKD. The mind is a great organ that is in charge of it all. If you don't believe; you will fail. You need to surround yourself with positive people, start meditation, no sodas, and all that bad stuff...do your body a favor and eat healthy. A GFR of 66 is good; what the hell are you trying to pull with people anyway there Mr Kidney? It's when the GFR starts to go below 60 (<60) is when you need to start to worry. Also, with age, the GFR can go down a bit and not be CKD. this is the thing when getting opinions from the internet: some people have no idea what they're talking about. If you don't change something it doesn't matter if you stop or change your medication. Every little but helps but it's up to you.

[DRGPS51 in reply to taivin98]

Taivin98, thanks for the positive and encouraging words! Congrats on your great GFR score--that is amazing and it sounds like your diligence paid off in a big way. I agree with all you've said--we can improve our kidney function and mindset has a lot to do with it. I've made dietary & lifestyle changes a month ago after researching kidney-friendly foods--no dairy, red meat, sodium, alcohol, soda-- in addition to switching meds, and see a difference already. Leaning vegan in all my recipes. I walk every day for 30 minutes as a baseline & then do other sports activities. To see my GFR improve by 7 points in just a few weeks made me a believer. I am hoping by my next blood work in September, my GFR will be back in the 60's. I FEEL better now and have a lot of energy, so I know it's what I'm eating. Thank you for giving me the boost I needed. Helps a lot!

[DRGPS51]

I have another update. I was retested yesterday and my GFR is now 63 and Creatinine is 0.96 after switching from Xarelto to Eliquis, just 3 months ago. My doctor is now removing CKD3 from my chart, since the cause of the kidney decline clearly was the medication. So, for anyone who is taking medication and seeing a decline in their kidneys, your kidneys may NOT be damaged and you may NOT have CKD--your kidneys can come back!!! Don't give up hope and don't let anyone convince you that your kidneys are hopelessly "damaged" and there's nothing you can do. You can stop/switch medications, follow a kidney-friendly diet, see your doctor regularly and stay positive. Hugs to all.