People should always consult their GP before making changes to their medication
Pharmacist shares ‘sick day rules’ for those on certain medications
A pharmacist has shared some ‘sick day rules’ for those on certain medications – as taking them when unwell could have a huge impact on the kidneys.
Some regular medicines – include ACE inhibitors taken for blood pressure, such as ramipril, diuretics like furosemide, and metformin, which is used to help treat diabetes – require people to ‘temporarily stop’ if they have severe sickness or diarrhoea and are unable to keep fluids down.
In a video shared on TikTok, Anum, a clinical pharmacist in the UK, explained that continuing to take some medication during this time could make you very ill.
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“There are some medications that require you to temporarily stop them in the event that you become unwell with diarrhoea, vomiting, fever, and/or you’re not able to keep any fluids down,” she said.
“The reason for this is to prevent the likelihood of you developing acute kidney injury.
“Medications that fall under this criteria include things like ACE inhibitors, which we commonly prescribe for blood pressure, and include things like ramipril and lisinopril.
“Also commonly prescribed diabetic medications, such as metformin.
“Stopping these during acute periods of illness will reduce the likelihood of you having any damage to your kidneys.”
The Mirror reports that in the caption, Anum highlighted different medications that could cause kidney problems if taken during periods of severe illness.
They included SGLT2 inhibitors like dapagliflozin and empagliflozin, diuretics like furosemide, ARBs including losartan, candesartan, and even NSAIDs like ibuprofen and naproxen.
She said those who do stop taking these medications for a short period of time, should only restart once they feel better and are eating and drinking normally for at least 24 to 48 hours.
However she did urge people to consult a GP or pharmacist before making any changes to their medication, including stopping and starting again.
“Don’t stop insulin or essential meds without advice,” she said. “Always ask your pharmacist or GP if unsure!”
The NHS echoes Anum’s advice with its ‘sick day rules’, however it stated the advice did “not apply to minor sickness and diarrhoea, meaning single episodes happening only once in a period of time”, but was for longer periods of illness.
Advice reads: “Fluid loss and dehydration can be a significant risk to patients taking certain medicines, particularly when intercurrent illness is present with existing medical conditions like diabetes, hypertension, or chronic kidney disease.
“Dehydration, Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) and complications of diabetes can be reduced by applying sick day rules for certain medications during acute severe intercurrent illness.”