Polycystic kidney disease treatment with conservative medications

Conservative medication therapy for polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is mainly oriented toward managing increased blood pressure and pain symptoms. Currently, most doctors routinely use diuretics (potassium-sparing, carbonic anhydrase, osmotic, and thiazide), painkillers (mostly non-opioid and compound), and medications that directly control blood pressure (beta-blockers, calcium-channel blockers, ACE inhibitors, and much more) as main medications. It is noted that many symptoms of patients with PKD are strictly related to increased levels of vasopressin (antidiuretic hormone). In April 2018, the FDA approved Tolvaptan, a vasopressin antagonist that can potentially effectively manage most polycystic kidney disease symptoms. Tolvaptan also shows proven efficiency in slowing the progression of PKD. Still, unfortunately, it does not renew or repair all previous damage kidneys receive during the disease. The main effect is strictly related to eliminating most vasopressin effects on the patient’s organism. Most medications for conservative therapy of PKD, including Tolvaptan, are for oral administration and look like pills. Also, it is always necessary for patients carefully manage the volume of their daily water intake because if they drink too much or insufficient water, their drugs will be less effective.