Drug Therapies Affecting Renal Function: An Overview

Undesirable side effects of medication are inevitable. Due to the role of the kidneys in clearance and filtration, the renal system faces a unique situation when it comes to the side effects of drugs. It has an important role for different classes of drugs to be excreted, and drugs are a key factor for this system to be at risk. Medications in articles were divided into classes using the standard set by the Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal. Many drug classes cause renal insults. The top six classes were pain killers, antibiotics, proton pump inhibitors, antidiabetics, antihyperlipidemics, and agents for erectile dysfunction. Renal insults caused by these agents could vary in severity. Some drugs could cause nephrotoxicity from one dose, while others may only need continuous monitoring. Different populations also operate under different rules, as some people need dose adjustments while others who are medically free of major illnesses do not. A variety of unfavorable outcomes for the kidney could take place, such as acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease, and end-stage renal disease, and unfortunately, some of these issues could lead to the need for renal replacement therapies. The outcome of this review paper will help multidisciplinary physicians to understand the renal side effects of the most used drug classes in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, their destructive mechanisms, and most importantly, the clinical presentations of renal dysfunction in relation to each class. Emphasizing these adverse effects will prevent future unfavorable outcomes, especially in commonly used drugs that are frequently prescribed for different age groups. Moreover, some of these drugs are considered to be over-the-counter medications, which makes them a serious problem that needs to be handled cautiously.