HealthInfo Canterbury

Medicines used in kidney disease

People with kidney disease often need to take several medicines. These are the commonly prescribed drugs. Your doctor will prescribe the medicines that will work best for you – let them know if you have any questions.

Click on each drug to read more information about it.

Ace inhibitors

Ace inhibitors are used to treat high blood pressure. They help your blood vessels relax and also reduce the amount of water your body retains. This helps to lower your blood pressure.

Captopril	Cilazapril	Cilazapril and hydrochlorothiazide
Enalapril	Lisinopril	Perindopril
Quinapril

Angiotensin 2 receptor blockers (ARBs)

These medicines are used to treat high blood pressure. They help your blood vessels relax and also reduce the amount of water your body retains. This helps to lower your blood pressure.

Candesartan

Losartan

Beta blockers

Beta blockers slow down your heart rate, and also help your blood vessels to relax and widen. They can help to lower your blood pressure and control your heart rate.

Atenolol	Bisoprolol	Carvedilol
Celiprolol	Labetalol	Metoprolol
Nadolol	Pindolol	Propranolol

Calcium channel blockers

These medicines block calcium's effects on your blood vessels. This helps the walls of the blood vessels to relax, which makes it easier for the blood to pass through.

Amlodipine	Diltiazem	Felodipine
Nifedipine	Verapamil

Water tablets (diuretics)

Diuretics increase the amount of water and salt you pass in your urine. You may have them to help control high blood pressure, which they do by decreasing the amount of water in your blood. You may also have them to prevent fluid overload, which causes symptoms such as swollen ankles or shortness of breath.

Amiloride	Amiloride and hydrochlorothiazide (Moduretic)	Bendroflumethiazide
Bumetanide	Chlortalidone	Cilazapril and hydrochlorothiazide (Inhibace)
Furosemide and amiloride	Furosemide	Indapamide
Metolazone	Spironolactone

Vasodilators

These medicines help to widen your blood vessels so the blood can flow more easily. This helps to lower your blood pressure.

Clonidine	Doxazosin	Isosorbide mononitrate
Prazosin	Terazosin

Immunosuppressants

Immunosuppressants help to stop your body rejecting a transplanted kidney. They are also used to treat some kidney diseases even without a transplant.

Antithymocyte globulin	Azathioprine	Ciclosporin
Cyclophosphamide	Mycophenolate	Rituximab
Sirolimus	Tacrolimus

Steroids

These help to relieve inflammation and treat some immune disorders.

Dexamethasone

Methylprednisolone

Hydrocortisone

Heart

These drugs are used to control conditions such as an irregular heart beat, and some also help to prevent chest pain (angina).

Amiodarone

Digoxin

Perhexiline

Cholesterol-lowering

These help to lower the level of cholesterol in your blood, including LDL (low-density lipoprotein, also called bad cholesterol).

Atorvastatin	Bezafibrate	Ezetimibe
Rosuvastatin	Simvastatin

Blood-thinning

Blood-thinning medicines help to prevent blood clots, or stop existing blood clots from getting bigger. They are sometimes called anti-platelets.

Aspirin

Clopidogrel

Warfarin

Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Endorsed by clinical director, Nephrology Department, Canterbury DHB. August 2016.

Page reference: 250689

Review key: HICKD-117713