Mirror<\/a> this week, Anil Sharma, a Committee Member and Regional Representative for the East of England at Community Pharmacy England, said patients should avoid taking certain medications for a short while if they experience three symptoms. Explaining a ’48-hour rule’ the NHS recommends, he said: “You should temporarily pause taking [them] if you have a stomach bug that causes severe vomiting, diarrhoea, or a high fever.”<\/p>\nWhat illnesses cause dehydration?<\/p>\n
As temperatures drop and we move deeper into late autumn and winter, people face a greater risk of contracting sickness bugs such as norovirus. Stomach bugs can trigger dehydrating conditions, including vomiting, diarrhoea, or high fevers.<\/p>\n
Sweating, shivering, and inadequate fluid intake can also lead to dehydration, which occurs when your body loses fluid. Certain routine medications can place additional strain on your kidneys, which can prove particularly dangerous when you are dehydrated. Temporarily suspending these drugs until you have fully recovered may help to prevent serious kidney damage.<\/p>\n
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Health experts recommend temporarily pausing the medications if you experience dehydrating illnesses, like vomiting and diarrhoea (stock image)<\/p>\n
While the NHS advises pausing certain routine medications during a dehydrating illness (such as vomiting or diarrhoea) to protect your kidneys, you should always confirm that this is appropriate for your specific prescriptions. It is essential to consult a healthcare professional, such as your GP, pharmacist, or NHS 111, before discontinuing any regularly prescribed medication. Abruptly stopping certain medicines can cause your underlying condition to deteriorate.<\/p>\n
What does the NHS advise?<\/p>\n
The health service says: “Taking certain medication when you are dehydrated or very unwell can lead to more serious illness. This is because they can increase the risk of serious side effects affecting your kidneys when you are dehydrated”. This can be caused by:<\/p>\n
Diarrhoea or vomiting (unless very minor)Fever (high temperature), sweats or shakingNot drinking enough (insufficient fluid intake)<\/p>\n
It further states that during periods of heightened risk of dehydration, these medications should be temporarily suspended as part of standard sick-day management protocols. Once you have recovered and maintained normal eating and drinking habits for approximately 24-48 hours, these medications can typically be safely resumed.<\/p>\n
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Medicine sick day guidance explained (stock image)(Image: Getty)<\/p>\n
Which medications should you pause taking?<\/p>\n
According to the NHS, if you develop a dehydrating illness, you should temporarily stop taking any medicine listed here:<\/p>\n
ACE inhibitors and ARBs: names ending in \u201cpril\u201d or \u201csartan\u201d \u2013 e.g. Lisinopril, Ramipril, Candesartan, Losartan. A medication for high blood pressure and heart conditions.<\/p>\n
Entresto (Sacubitril\/Valsartan): contains a combination of both an ACE inhibitor and an ARB. A medication for heart conditions.<\/p>\n
Diuretics: water tablets \u2013 e.g. Furosemide, Spironolactone, Eplerenone, Bendroflumethiazide. A medication for excess fluid, high blood pressure and heart conditions.<\/p>\n
SGLT2 inhibitors: names ending in \u201cflozin\u201d \u2013 e.g. Dapagliflozin, Empagliflozin, Canagliflozin. A medication for diabetes, kidney or heart conditions.<\/p>\n
Metformin: A medication for diabetes.<\/p>\n
Sulfonylureas: e.g. Gliclazide, Glimepiride, Glipizide. A medication for diabetes.<\/p>\n
GLP-1 agonists: e.g. Tirzepatide (Mounjaro), Semaglutide (Wegovy), Liraglutide (Victoza). A medication for diabetes and weight loss.<\/p>\n
NSAIDs: Anti-inflammatory painkillers \u2013 e.g. Ibuprofen, Naproxen, Diclofenac.<\/p>\n
What steps does the NHS recommend?<\/p>\n
The NHS states: “If you develop a dehydrating illness you should temporarily stop the above listed medication. Drink plenty of clear fluids (water or rehydration drinks) in small, frequent sips” while unwell.<\/p>\n
“It is important to restart your medication once you have recovered from the illness, usually after 24-48 hours of eating and drinking normally again. Continue to take them as you usually would and do not take any additional doses for those missed.”<\/p>\n
Seek advice from your GP or pharmacist should your illness persist for longer than 48 hours, or if you have stopped taking your medication for more than five days. Always verify your specific list of medicines with a healthcare professional.<\/p>\n
If you are uncertain or have any worries, get in touch with your GP surgery or NHS 111 to speak with a medical professional. They will be able to offer further guidance and advice concerning your symptoms and medication.<\/p>\n
When should you get urgent medical help?<\/p>\n
Contact a medical professional or call NHS 111 urgently if you experience the following:<\/p>\n
Inability to keep fluids downSigns of dehydration (such as dark urine or dizziness) despite rehydration sachetsDiarrhoea lasting more than seven daysVomiting lasting more than two daysBlood in your vomit or stool<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you experience three symptoms in particular, the pharmacist has explained what you should do Charlotte Smith Senior…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":634050,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[2121,7466,103,61,60,371,351,782,37825],"class_list":["post-634049","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-medication","tag-womens-health","tag-expert-advice","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-medication","tag-mens-health","tag-nhs","tag-real-life"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/634049","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=634049"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/634049\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/634050"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=634049"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=634049"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=634049"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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