we’ll I was on monjaro and it lowered my GFR to 36. My doc has put me on ozempic siting it would not hurt my kidneys. My left kidney is smaller than my right and he seems to think it is not getting enough blood supply thus making my other kidney work harder and maybe why my numbers are going down. I have an ultrasound next week. Has anyone been on ozempic and had good experience. I read ozempic actually helps with the kidney levels.
thanks a little discouraged in Alabama
I am on Ozempic and have been for 2 years. My GFR has declined, but it is very minimal and not from the Ozempic. What Ozempic has done for me is lowered my A1c to 5.5 on average. I am on the .25 dose. I am stage 5.
Did u have bad side effects
I am not going to lie. YES, I had side effects. First of all, forget going to the bathroom for a morning constitutional. Ain't happening. I am on a very strong poop regiment of stool softeners and if needed laxatives. All natural. It took a while for my body to adjust and now I am much more regular, but I am talking a least a year. Also, you have to drink plenty of water and move... your body. Ozempic slows down the process of digestion and that is why you feel full sooner. I did not lose weight on.25 so I went up to .5. About six months on that dose, I had 2 pancreatitis attacks, one pretty bad. I knew what they were from having them before when my gallbladder was bad. I went back to .25 and they stopped.
I would certainly question "would not hurt my kidneys" - see links below including scientific evidence of acute kidney injury in some. There's other side effects (some more serious!) too.
msn.com/en-us/health/health...
sciencedirect.com/science/a...
Please read the whole article "Ozempic can aggravate kidney issues because you can become dehydrated from the common side effects of diarrhea and vomiting." In other words, IF you become dehydrated just drink water when on this drug. There are plenty more drugs that can cause the same issue. The next article states 2, yes that is TWO cases....one lady was 80 and the article goes on to say MAY..... not conclusive.... TWO CASES. And from this same article "The association of AKI with GLP-1 receptor agonists and particularly semaglutide is not necessarily causative"
So you wouldn't question the OP's doc stating categorically that it would NOT harm kidneys when clearly there is the potential for it doing so? The authors of the scientific report recommend caution whereas the doc does not appear to. I suppose docs are bullet-proof so he can have that approach!.
And yes I agree that other drugs may also cause damage and ALL have side effects so should be avoided, where possible. Particularly when other scientific reports indicate those side effects can be life-threatening for drugs like ozempic.
After reading all replies I have decided not to take it. Last week he said he think my left kidney which is smaller than the right is not getting enough blood flow. I am scheduled for an ultrasound. I sure as hell don’t won’t to do anything else to hurt them. My numbers were .36 last week. After taking monjaro he was concerned but yet prescribed ozempic. I am just going to have to learn to eat right. I am sad but not as sad as I would be being on dyalissis.
My mum managed to get her eGFR from the same figure (36) 6y ago to ~60 latest. She has done that by following a Nutritional therapy protocol with the added bonus of successfully weaning off a BP drug. Now totally drug free at age 67.
I would love to know what exactly she did.
It would actually be wrong to try to copy precisely what mum has done because any health therapy/protocol should be personalised (even allopathic, but sadly docs dont generally consider individuals). So my best advice is to seek a qualified Nutritional Therapist that specialises in renal - I can send you relevant links if you wish?.
The choice is up to you, of course. But there are many of us who have used Ozempic successfully. Please express your concern to your doctor and have a frank discussion about using. You never said if you were taking it for diabetes, which it is excellent in controlling or weight loss. The harm to the kidneys from any of the new GLPT1 and SGLT-2 inhibitors is from dehydration... So drink and don't become dehydrated. If you read the articles submitted above, that is what they indicated. And remember everyone is different. Just because someone used Nutritional Therapy, or Ozempic, doesn't mean it will be the best for you. By the way, Nutritional Therapy is just a big name for DIET!
I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic. Basically I was in the cusp. I am going to wait and see what the ultrasound show and talk to him again. Thanks to all for all replies. Much appreciated.
I was on ozempic up to the wegovy weight loss dose for 3 years. It didn't impact my gfr. My weight loss stalled so now I'm on mourjurno. I sure hope it doesn't impact my kidneys!
Confused with Nephrologist advice 
CKD and Kidney Stones
