Any medication that is prescribed for you will, of course, be based on your own individual requirements and explained clearly by your Renal Unit staff. Here, though, we highlight some of the most commonly needed drugs and explain their role.

Treating kidney failure through dialysis

If the kidneys fail, it is possible to replace their function using dialysis, an artificial way of getting rid of toxins.

How a patient is feeling and blood tests determine when it is necessary to begin dialysis. Some patients do not need to start until some time – occasionally years – after diagnosis. But even if this is the case, they need to know in advance about the different options available, because they should have a choice about which method of dialysis they use.

There are two different kinds of dialysis – haemo dialysis, where the blood is cleaned outside the body via a machine, and Peritoneal dialysis, where the cleaning is done inside the body. Occasionally, there may be medical reasons to prefer one sort of dialysis to another – this is something to discuss with your doctor.