Elevated creatinine

[Kiss_my_grits]

my labs are consistently coming back with elevated creatinine. I’m taking Ibrance and letrazole. Anyone else?? Any suggestions to lower this? Dr is not concerned but I like to be proactive.

[goat2017]

Hi,I was taking the same medication for about 1 and a half years and was doing wll. It stopped working then. Medicine was changed and I am doing very well. My last scan was a week ago and it didn't show any cancer. I started with breast cancer about 5 years ago . About 2 years ago it went into the liver. Now this last scan showed nothing. There are so many medicines available now so try not to worry. All the best.

[OneLump22]

I'm with goat. Nothing wrong with being proactive unless there's no reason to be. Mine are always a little on the high end too, but a change from Exemestane to Faslodex is shrinking them & that makes me happy. Just saw my Onc last Thurs. & she gave me a big 👍.

[Kiss_my_grits in reply to OneLump22]

Interesting, thanks! I had t considered researching a medication change. Was that the reason you switched?

[OneLump22 in reply to Kiss_my_grits]

No. Dr. switched my meds because new CRT scans showed new tumors development in my abdominal peritoneal sack around my organs & I had been complaining of real bad (7 out of 1-10) pains in my stomach region every time I tried to take a deep breath & if I sneezed! OMG the pain (10)! I would have to hold my stomach while I sneezed & even then it still hurt like 🤬. Also, I took myself off of Ginger (I was putting it in everything, I was using Ginger beer to settle an upset stomach or for mild heartburn attacks). I did some research, can't remember the articles, I think I Googled Ginger & cancer, but found out that it triggers the HER2- something or other & that Tumeric shuts it off. I was putting both seasonings on my food! Also found out that Ibrance has a bad reaction to the Eugenol oil in cloves (waaaah!😭), so I'm off that too, but looking for alternatives.It's been 3 mo. now since the switch & I'm doing much better now. I can actually take deep breaths again & sneezing isn't so horrible.

[neosha]

I just had tests that indicate that mine is also elevated. I am taking Ibrance. As soon as I meet with my doctors, primary care and Oncologist, I will get back to you.

[Rbeth]

Mine too, on Piqray. Creatinine- It’s your kidney function. Check your Bun too. To get mine to lower, I drink a lot of water, ice tea or peach Snapple tea no sugar. I keep a glass of water with ice , as I like it cold, in my bathroom at night. It helps keep the fluids moving. Your body gets used to it having more fluid. You won’t be dehydrated. I was in the hospital during Covid with dehydration for six days. Terrible time. Keep hydrated. Thanks for your feedback. Reenie

[Kiss_my_grits in reply to Rbeth]

My BUN was fine, so the dr isn’t worried. I’ll up the water and see if it helps. Thanks!

[Fiercefighter13]

I’m on Verzenio, and I read higher creatinine levels are normal and inconsequential on Verzenio. I’m not sure if it’s the same for Ibrance. I did take Ibrance for 3 years. My creatinine levels were fine with both though. You should definitely check with your doctor for your peace of mind. Hopefully it’s just a normal thing. Take care!

[NShaft]

Mine are high and onc says it is from Ibrance. He isn't concerned and tells me to drink lots of water.

[1stgradeteach1]

I'm on Ibrance and Lerazole. My creatinine gets high from time to time. I was advised to drink LOTS of water and when I do it's better.

[SpongebobMom]

there's pretty benign reasons creatinine can rise...exercise, high protein, dehydration...

[Kiss_my_grits in reply to SpongebobMom]

Yeah, I read that. I’m not a big meat eater but I’m going to cut back meat and increase water

[SpongebobMom in reply to Kiss_my_grits]

cut back on meat??? why??? meat is nutrient dense & good for you!!!

That's ALL I eat & my creatinine & BUN are fine.

[Totheriver]

My creatine is on the high side too. I try to drink a little extra water which is hard cause I also had congestive heart failure. I am also on I ran ibrance and letrozole. Theresa

[Gingerann1]

When I see something in my bloodwork that peaks my curiosity I bring it up when my Onc comes in. I see the lab results on my online chart before he comes in so have time to think what I want to ask. Haven’t had elevated creatinine but monocytes where way elevated last visit 8/2 so I asked why he wasn’t concerned. I was surprised when he said it is a curious thing about monocytes, it is believed they can actually be eating away at cancer cells (actually he said “munching away”) so not necessarily a bad thing but he will continue to monitor. I know the creatinine is related to the kidneys and is highly monitored as well as liver enzymes for evidence of progression so I would definitely ask questions so you can have peace of mind.

[Lynn-in-California]

I, too, have elevated creatinine and it translates to stage 3 kidney failure. It's a puzzlement as to why this has happened and we will probably never know, according to my oncologist and nephrologist. I have not done anything obviously bad for kidney health that shows why I have this problem---and my 125 mg Ibrance and 2.5 mg Letrozole (that I have been on for over seven years!) are not to blame, I am told. The top three reasons that I have researched for why I have kidney failure are:1) the contrast in the CT and PET scans can cause an assault to the kidneys in some patients,

2) I previously took a fair amount of ibuprofen to control arthralgia/arthritis (joint pain and stiffness) but only 1 or 2 pills a day, which is within normal dosage, and

3) I previously took a daily Loratadine tablet (generic Claratin, which is a non-drowsy antihistamne) to control hay fever allergy symptoms.To address these issues, I am now doing the following:

1) I now, under the direction of my oncologist, take an oral dose of antioxidant N-acetylcysteine on the day prior and day of my CT scans. Also, since I have been stable on Ibrance and Letrozole for over seven years, I am now being scanned every four months instead of every three months. Also, for my last CT scan, the oncologist ordered it "without contrast." I don't know if he's going to keep doing that or not or if he will only order with and without contrast intermittently or as needed.

For seven years, I have had multiple diffuse stable breast cancer tumors in my lungs, with no other metastases.

2) I no longer take any ibuprofen.

3) I no longer take any Loratadine

By the way, research shows that extra hydration cannot cure or reverse kidney damage---so there is no great benefit in pounding fluids, folks. In general, it's simply prudent for everyone to avoid getting dehydrated.

The good news is that my level of kidney failure or damage is remaining stable at stage 3, and there is nothing devastating about having stage 3 kidney failure. One doctor explained, "It's kind of like driving around your car with half a tank of gas instead of a full tank. Your car still drives just fine, right? It's the same with kidney damage, you are only in trouble when you actually run out of gas totally. Don't worry about this too much."

[Kiss_my_grits in reply to Lynn-in-California]

Wow, that’s so detailed and informative. Thank you. And I’m sending good vibes for your continued stable health

[Nunky]

Drink drink drink - water of course - and don’t worry too much. Loved the analogy about the car and the gas tank!! What we think affects everything so try not to let worry overtake you. Wishing you well x