Do elevated creatinine levels following medication indicate renal failure?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am curious to know, if a kidney patient is given a drug and their creatinine level rises within 24 hours of taking the medication, it will continue to rise every time they take it. How do doctors help patient’s kidneys not fail or sustain irreparable damage? My creatinine level was constant at 2.8 and slowly decreasing. I took colchicine for pericarditis five days ago. Since day one, I have urinated far less than usual, and my creatinine level is now 3.9. My kidney doctors refuse to do anything other than check for rejection, which they also refuse to treat. The same thing happened with Bactrim about 1.4 years ago,a separate hospital assisted me). The same thing happened with Bactrim, which happened about 1.4 years ago. (I got assistance from a different hospital). The same thing happened with Fluconazole three weeks ago without any help. I am now taking the following drugs. Prograf, Myfortic, Metoprolol, Levothyroxine, and Prednisone 2.5 mg. Bactrim 800 three times a day. Fluconazole injection 200 mg once a day for two weeks. Please help.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I read your query and can understand your concern.

Your history is well documented. However, you did not specify how many years have gone since you became a transplant patient. Essentially, you have renal failure of the transplanted kidney. I believe your creatinine was previously stable at 2.8 mg/dl and has recently increased due to drugs. You should understand that creatinine levels will fall with every infection, and doctors worldwide will aim to rescue the patient rather than the kidneys. When a patient is in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) and is unwell and thriving for life, drugs will be administered to help him recover; some may impair his kidney function, but no others will. Depending on the time factor, kidney function usually returns to near-previous levels (but not to the same old level), such as one to two months for a fresh kidney, but an old kidney already failing cannot be trusted. Colchicine does not have the same effect on renal function as gout-induced septic arthritis. Doctors can administer intravenous fluids to boost kidney function if you are dehydrated. An abdominal USG (Ultrasonogram) can be performed to determine whether or not the kidneys are healthy. Urinalysis and urine PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) can be used to determine what is happening. The bactrim you mentioned was dangerous; the dose was rather high, but at the time, the most usual therapy would have been PCP (Pneumocystis pneumonia). If this is the case, the illness has deteriorated kidney function once again. Continue with the immunosuppressants, monitor the pangraf level, and adjust the dose accordingly. Drink plenty of water if you are allowed to.

I hope this information will help you.

Kindly revert in case of further queries.

Thank you.