These are various treatments and drug options for kidney disease

In general, medication and treatment for kidney disease is based on the cause and type of disease. Keep in mind that some kidney diseases can be cured, but some are not completely cured. However, kidney disease treatment is done to relieve symptoms.

Choice of drugs and treatment for kidney disease

Kidney disease is often referred to as silent killer because it reduces the function of this bean-shaped organ slowly. In fact, symptoms of kidney disease that are quite severe are not uncommon when they are about to enter the final stage.

Therefore, the sooner kidney disease patients are given medication and undergo treatment, the better their chances of recovery. Here are ways that can be used to treat kidney disease.

1. Medicine for kidney disease given by a doctor

When doctors treat kidney disease, they will start to address the underlying cause. One way to deal with kidney disease is to give the patient several drugs, namely:

a. Blood pressure control drugs

High blood pressure or hypertension is one of the causes of kidney disease. Most people who have hypertension need medication to lower their blood pressure. Medicines to control blood pressure can also be used to treat kidney disease and slow down its severity.

This is because high blood pressure can damage blood vessels, heart and kidneys. If left for too long, you may need an early kidney transplant or dialysis.

There are two types of blood pressure-lowering drugs that are also used to treat kidney disease. First, ACE Inhibitor drugs that help enlarge blood vessels so that blood pressure is reduced.

In addition, ARBs are also used to treat kidney disease. This medicine, which requires a doctor's prescription, causes the muscles around the blood vessels to contract and make them smaller. Then, ARBs will protect blood vessels from the effects of angiotensin II so that blood pressure can be controlled.

b. Diuretic

In addition to blood pressure-lowering drugs, diuretics are also used by doctors to treat kidney disease. If the kidneys are damaged, urine production is disturbed and causes fluids and toxic waste to accumulate in the body. As a result, your ankles will swell and you may have trouble breathing.

Therefore, diuretics are used to stimulate the kidneys to produce more urine. The diuretic drug most often used is Furosemide and it causes more frequent trips to the toilet.

Normally, your doctor may advise you not to drink too much water while taking diuretics. The reason is, too much liquid makes the drug less effective, so you need to increase the dose of the drug.

c. EPO injection

EPO or erythropoetin is a hormone produced by healthy kidneys to stimulate the bone marrow to produce red blood cells. However, the kidneys cannot produce enough EPO when it is impaired.

Low EPO can cause anemia and make the body easily tired, cold, and unhealthy. Therefore, there are times when your doctor prescribes you an injection of EPO as a way to treat kidney disease. The good news is, this injection can be done alone after being taught how to do it.

The administration of the drugs above is usually done to keep the body healthy when facing kidney disease. Meanwhile, for those of you who have entered the middle stage of chronic kidney disease, treatment is done to reduce the risk of complications.

2. Dialysis

In addition to the drugs prescribed by the doctor, the dialysis method will be used to treat kidney disease when it has entered its final stage. The reason is, the final stage of kidney disease causes the body to be unable to remove waste and excess fluid from the body.

Reporting from Kidney Health Australia, a method that uses this tool needs to be done for the rest of your life or at least until you get a kidney donor. If unsuccessful, dialysis will be restarted.

Types of dialysis also vary, there are several that can be done at home (peritoneal dialysis). However, there are also many things that can be carried out in both places, both at home and in the hospital (hemodialysis).

3. Kidney transplant

A kidney transplant is a procedure that replaces a damaged kidney with a healthy one from another person's body. These new and healthy kidneys usually come from people who are still alive or have recently died.

This kidney transplant operation is not easy to do because it generally has a long waiting list based on the priority of the patient's condition. After a kidney transplant is performed, the patient will continue to undergo postoperative care, such as taking medication so that kidney disease does not get worse.

4. Conservative therapy

For those of you who are entering the final stages of kidney disease and do not wish to undergo kidney transplants and dialysis, conservative therapy is a last resort. Conservative therapy is the treatment of kidney disease that focuses on improving the quality of life by trying to control the symptoms you are experiencing.

Generally, this treatment method is often preferred by the elderly and have health problems such as dementia. The following are some of the things that the team of doctors do to help plan treatment:

• Giving drugs to relieve symptoms due to kidney disease
• Diet changes
• Help manage other diseases caused by kidney disease

What about natural herbal remedies for kidney disease?

Some of you may consider taking traditional medicine to help with kidney disease. However, please note that you must be careful with herbal remedies and supplements.

The use of several traditional medicines and herbs is not recommended for kidney disease patients. The reason is, herbal supplements have the risk of causing damage to the kidneys to worsen your current condition. As a result, the kidneys are unable to clear excess fluid and waste from the body.

In addition, some herbal ingredients contain active substances such as steroids which can actually damage the kidneys.

Although these natural remedies seem to work on some people, it is best if you consult your doctor before trying them. This is because not everyone gets the same effects from herbal medicine.

Drug options and treatments for treating kidney disease should be discussed with your doctor before starting it yourself. Every person has different types of kidney disease with various treatments, so further diagnosis is needed so that treatment is appropriate.