It seems there haven't been many cases, but the one I came across occurred following 5 years usage of 3,000 mg per day. Anyone have additional info on a possible link?
www.rxlist.com says lysine can cause kidney problems. Maybe ask your family doctor to order tests to monitor your kidney function while on lysine?
It wouldn't hurt to monitor it 2x a year or whatnot. I now have mild/moderate kidney disease of unknown cause. After Meniere's started, I was put on some of the really intense hard-core diuretics and went unmonitored for quite some time. Later in that time period I also took the lysine in high doses for about 2 years. Eventually I happened to have a blood screening and we discovered the kidney damage. The creatinine numbers haven't changed in the last 3 years since then, running steady at damaged but stable. No way of knowing if it was the lysine or diretics -- or something else. The only thing I know for sure is, my levels were fine with healthy kidneys just prior to starting those things (had pregnancy related bloodwork).
PND.....so sorry to hear that you have kidney damage! It would have been interesting to have had creatinine monitored during the diuretics, though I'm suspicious about lysine as possibly having caused the problems. As you say, could be totally unrelated to either. This just makes me leery of using it. I think I will consult with my local GP before proceeding further. That would be a good time to also discuss the possible use of AVs, although have to wonder about nephrotoxicity being possibly associated with those drugs as well. Thanks for your reply and certainly wishing you the best of luck going forward.
I, too was considering trying the lysine, but after reading about the risk of it causing kidney damage, I decided against it. Even if it helped, not worth it to me if it helps one thing but then causes an even bigger problem. As it is, I already seem to be getting a lot of it just from the foods I eat, and maybe more isn't necessarily better.
Suggesting what....that certain meds can also cause kidney damage? If so, true enough...but with the lysine we're talking about 3,000 mg / day consumed for an indefinite period. I'd like to see more research on it before I'd consider taking it long-term.
I agree. I dont take anything long term unless it is absolutely necessary. And supplements are no different than rx and otc meds exceptthey are fewer guarantees of purity and accurate dosing as well as long term risks. But i think most meds of all kinds cause risk to kidneys, liver and/or some other part of the body over time.
June, you're so right about this. It's easy to think that words like "natural" mean it's good for everyone or it's better than other medications. But in actuality, there's little assurance that what you get is good for, or in the proper amount for, what ails you; or that what's in the bottle is even consistent with what's on the label. The PBS network show Frontline did an unsettling expose of the supplement industry.
This. "Natural" doesn't necessarily equate to "safe". Also, while Rx drugs can certainly be unsafe and have some bad side effects, they are at least regulated and have gone through testing. When they are prescribed, we are generally warned by the doctor or pharmacist about possible dangerous side effects and interactions, and we get the information sheet with our prescriptions which we should read. The prescribing doctor will order any necessary followup testing to monitor us, to keep us as safe as possible. None of this is true for supplements, so to compare Rx drugs and supplements is an unfair and incorrect comparison as far as I'm concerned.
Some interesting thoughts have been shared here. I think I'm going to take a different approach - that of substituting my chlorthalidone (diuretic) for 25 mg. triamterene HCTZ. A family member with meniere's has been taking it for 2+ years with no recurring episodes.