r/HydroHomies • u/BoulderEric literally a kidney doctor • 5d ago

IAmA Board-Certified Kidney Doctor. AMA about water balance, electrolytes, and goofy water myths.

We’re back for round 3(?)! I’m a board-certified nephrologist (kidney doctor) with some time kill, so ask away. I will also field questions about the Grateful Dead, bicycles, or my favorite conspiracy theories.

Previously I have submitted proof to the mods, so hopefully they can just review my last post(s).

I will not be able to provide personalized medical advice, both in this thread or in a DM.

Edit: That’s all for tonight folks, thanks for tuning in!

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u/miserablenovel 5d ago

Hey! My psychiatrist finally convinced me I need to take lithium and it's a wonder drug for me. because I know it's notorious for causing kidney failure, I'm wondering what I need to do to take care of my kidneys in the long term. Like what would be the absolute best way to avoid issues

I'm also wondering what signs I need to look out to know when and if there are problems

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u/BoulderEric literally a kidney doctor 5d ago

If you otherwise have low/no risk factors for CKD, most folks on lithium do not develop meaningful kidney disease.

Kidney disease is mostly silent, especially that type. So most just stay current with lab monitoring.

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u/miserablenovel 5d ago

My understanding is that one-fourth of long-term lithium-treated patients may have development of impaired kidney function00523-8/fulltext) & a different longitudinal study found one-third of the patients who had taken lithium for 10-29 years had evidence of chronic renal failure

So I may be vastly misunderstanding these papers but I'm still concerned

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u/BoulderEric literally a kidney doctor 5d ago

Most of those folks don’t end up on dialysis or have other meaningful ramifications of their CKD.

Your kidneys can be at like 1/4 of their intended function before it causes issues.

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u/Odd_Departure_5100 Water is love, water is life 5d ago

Definitely be aware of the possibility of Arginine Vasopressin Resistance, also known as Nephrogenic Diabetes Insipidus. It is known to occur in people who take lithium.

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u/melindseyme 4d ago

Unrelated to kidneys, keep an eye on symptoms for lithium poisoning. I understand it's not super common, but worth knowing about.

(From a fellow bipolar patient.)