For patients, an End Stage Kidney Disease (ESKD) diagnosis can feel life changing. It can be hard to cope with the demands of the illness and how it affects their daily life.
Adjusting to their treatment plan may take some time. The plan might include:
- Going to multiple dialysis sessions every week
- Making changes to their diet
- Balancing their fluid intake
- Exercising more regularly
- Taking an increased number of daily prescription medications
For patients, taking an active role in their health can reduce the stress and anxiety they feel around their diagnosis and treatment. It’s important for them to lean on their healthcare team of doctors, pharmacists, case workers and therapists for support, who can connect them with the tools and resources they need to stay healthier.
How Medication Management Can Help ESKD Patients
Getting help with their medications is one way patients can feel more in control of their health. It can help keep them safer and give them greater peace of mind.
This is especially true when a patient has ESKD, because they are likely taking multiple daily medications throughout the day. To ensure these medications work to their benefit, they need to take them exactly as directed by their doctor.
Many pharmacies offer medication management services to help patients do this. These services include:
- Sorting and packaging medications, vitamins and supplements by day and time. This makes it easier for patients to take their medications at the intervals their doctor prescribed. A note on phosphate binders: Day and time packaging is very useful if a patient has been prescribed a phosphate binder medication. Binders are usually taken at or around meal times, because they only work when an individual has food in their digestive system. They also may need to be taken separately from other medications to work effectively. When binders are packaged in single packets labeled by time of day, it makes it easy to take on the go and helps patients remember to take their binders with food.
- Delivering all of a patient’s medications to their house at the same time every month. Patients won’t have to worry about picking up prescription refills!
- Having medications reviewed regularly by a pharmacist to look for possible health risks. It’s a good idea for a patient to use a single pharmacy so the pharmacy can have all their medications on file.
- Coordinating with doctors for refills and medication changes to ensure patients have the medicine they need in a timely manner. Because a patient’s health is monitored closely when they have ESKD, they may have more frequent medication changes.
- Providing the patient and their family members or caregivers easy access to their medication information.
- Offering advice and information to patients about their medications. They’ll be more likely to stick to their treatment plan if they know more about how their medications work.
