Secondary hyperparathyroidism is a condition that can be caused by kidney disease. It happens when your kidneys can’t filter out waste products the right way. This leads to too much parathyroid hormone in your blood. Cinacalcet (sin-a-KAL-cet) is a medicine used to lower the level of parathyroid hormone in your blood. This will help to balance your calcium and phosphorous levels. Sensipar® is a brand name for cinacalcet. How to take this medicine and what side effects to watch for are reviewed.
Lanthanum (LAN-tha-num) is a medicine used to treat high levels of phosphorus (a mineral that builds strong bones and teeth) in the body. Lanthanum binds (attaches) to the phosphorus in the foods you eat and stops your body from taking it in. People with kidney disease are less able to remove phosphorus from the body. When phosphorus levels in the blood get too high, it pushes calcium out from your bones. This makes them weaker. Hemodialysis can remove some of the extra phosphorus, but medicin…
One-Alpha® is a medicine that contains the active ingredient alfacalcidol, which is a form of vitamin D. The liver changes alfacalcidol to calcitriol, which is a form of vitamin D that can be used by the body. It acts as a hormone in your body to control the levels of calcium and phosphate, which are needed to build healthy bone. People with kidney disease cannot change enough vitamin D into calcitriol. We get vitamin D from sunlight, and from eating oily fish and milk products. This can cause …
Your red blood cells need iron to help carry oxygen through your body. Many people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have anemia (not enough red blood cells or hemoglobin in the blood). Oral irons, such as ferrous sulfate, ferrous gluconate, ferrous fumarate, and FeraMAX® 150, will give you enough iron to make make hemoglobin. This will make sure your body gets enough oxygen. How to take and store these medicines, and what side effects to watch for are reviewed.
If you have chronic kidney disease, you need to be aware of certain over-the-counter medications that are your best choices and those that could cause unpleasant side effects. This pamphlet lists common ailments (e.g., cough and cold, fever or pain, allergies, upset stomach or heartburn, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, constipation) and over-the-counter medications that are your best choices, their costs, and medications to stay away from. It also lists your best choices for multivitamins, creams…
Rocaltrol® is a medicine that contains the active ingredient calcitriol, which is a form of vitamin D that can be used by the body. It acts as a hormone in your body to control the levels of calcium and phosphate, which are needed to build healthy bone. People with kidney disease cannot change enough vitamin D into calcitriol. We get vitamin D from sunlight, and from eating oily fish and milk products. This can cause low levels of calcium in the blood and bone problems. This medicine skips the …
Sevelamer (se-VEL-a-mer) is a medicine used to treat high levels of phosphorus (a mineral that builds strong bones and teeth) in the body. People with kidney disease are less able to remove phosphorus from their body. When phosphorus levels in the blood get too high, it pushes calcium out from your bones. Hemodialysis can remove some of the extra phosphorus, but medicines such as sevelamer are often needed to help remove more. How to take sevelamer and what side effects to watch for are reviewe…
This pamphlet lists medications to avoid when you are sick while managing chronic kidney disease. The pamphlet includes instructions for what to do if you are throwing up or have diarrhea, what to do if you are diabetic, as well as what to do if you are unsure whether to take a certain medication. It also gives a page for writing a sick day plan.