A number of prescription drugs can help manage CKD, including ones that help treat diabetes and high blood pressure, two health conditions that are closely linked to this disease.
Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) Inhibitors
These drugs were developed to treat type 2 diabetes, but they are also effective at slowing down CKD progression. SGLT2 inhibitors work by helping your kidneys remove more sugar and salt from your body through the urine. Medications in this class include:
- canagliflozin (Invokana)
- dapagliflozin (Farxiga)
- empagliflozin (Jardiance)
Canagliflozin is an option specifically for people who have type 2 diabetes and CKD, but dapagliflozin and empagliflozin can both be used by people with CKD who don’t have diabetes.
Some possible side effects include more frequent urination, low blood pressure, and a decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), which is a measurement of how well your kidneys are filtering waste and excess fluid from your blood.
Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) Receptor Agonists
- tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound)
- dulglutide (Trulicity)
- extendatide (Bydureon)
- liraglutide (Victoza)
Renin-Angiotensin System Inhibitors (RASi)
Medications in the ACE inhibitor class include:
- lisinopril (Prinivil, Zestril)
- perindopril (Aceon)
- ramipril (Altace)
Medications in the ARB class include:
- losartan (Cozaar)
- olmesartan (Benicar)
- valsartan (Diovan)
Common side effects of ARBs and ACE inhibitors include possible blood pressure drops, fatigue, and cough, which is more common with ACE than ARB medications.
Statins
Some examples of statins include:
- atorvastatin (Lipitor)
- rosuvastatin (Crestor)
- simvastatin (Zocor)
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