As flu season takes hold, a wave of illnesses is leaving many people under the weather, with some confined to bed. While no one enjoys being sick, a UK-based pharmacist warns that your regular medications might increase your risk of severe illness.

In a TikTok video, clinical pharmacist Anum highlighted that certain medications should be paused if you fall ill with symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, or fever. Continuing these medications during such illnesses could potentially harm your kidneys, leading to serious health issues.

The medications in question include ACE inhibitors, commonly used for managing blood pressure, like ramipril, as well as diuretics such as furosemide and the diabetes medication metformin.

Anum explained, “If you’re experiencing symptoms like diarrhea, vomiting, or fever, and can’t keep fluids down, some medications should be temporarily stopped. This is crucial to prevent the risk of acute kidney injury.”

She further advised, “Medications to be cautious of include ACE inhibitors, like ramipril and lisinopril, and diabetic medications such as metformin. Halting these during acute illness can help protect your kidneys from potential damage.”

In the video’s caption, Anum provided a detailed list of medication categories that could pose a risk to kidney health if taken during severe illness.

These include: SGLT2 inhibitors such as dapagliflozin and empagliflozin, diuretics like furosemide, ARBs including losartan, candesartan, and even NSAIDs like ibuprofen and naproxen.

Anum stressed that if you do cease taking these medications temporarily, they should only be resumed once you’ve recovered and have been eating and drinking normally for at least 24 to 48 hours.

Most crucially, however, you should seek guidance from your GP or pharmacist before making any alterations to your medication regimen, including discontinuing and restarting it.

She added: “Don’t stop insulin or essential meds without advice. Always ask your pharmacist or GP if unsure!”.

Anum’s guidance aligns with NHS recommendations, which refer to this as the “sick day rules”. The NHS guidelines clarify that the advice does “not apply to minor sickness and diarrhoea, meaning single episodes happening only once in a period of time”, but is instead designed to provide guidance during prolonged periods of illness.

They state: “Fluid loss and dehydration can be a significant risk to patients taking certain medicines, particularly when intercurrent illness is present with existing medical conditions like diabetes, hypertension, or chronic kidney disease.

“Dehydration, Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) and complications of diabetes can be reduced by applying sick day rules for certain medications during acute severe intercurrent illness.”

Always consult your GP before making changes to your medication.