1. Community
  2. Genito-urinary/Kidney
  3. Kidney Failure and CKD

Insomnia and intense itching due to Candesartan? (CKD linked)

Posted , 3 users are following.

LeeY1976
LeeY1976

Hi I have been taking Candesartan for about 20 years and have increasing symptoms that I have 'just lived with' which after MANY years have come to a head. I am awake no AGAIN at 02:45 researching whether or not I should just stop taking it. I have CKD diagnosed at the age of 16 and I feel the day I started taking BP meds, that I have rarely slept properly since. I also have INTENSE itching that I have always put down to psoriasis but after googling I feel the are linked. The insomnia is killing my relationship and I also have ZERO libido which is also putting a huge strain on my relationship. I am a very fit and healthy 41 year old male other than this sad

Any help would be fabulous please sad

0 likes, 10 replies

10 Replies

  • bryan1973
    bryan1973 LeeY1976

    Posted

    I've been taking condasatan for about 10 years And have no side effects. It is a blood pressure tablet.

    The insomnia is a side effect of ckd so too is low or no sexual interest. What stage are You??

    You sound like you have the same symptoms as me. The itching is a down fall of ckd made worse for me as I have eczema too

    • LeeY1976
      LeeY1976 bryan1973

      Posted

      Thanks for your comments Bryan much appreciated. I just googled Candesartan and people complained of itching and insomnia. Waking for a wee 2 times is fine bit layi g awake is getting too much.

      Often wake with furious itching in a couple of delicate areas lets say and it seems to be getting worse. Doc says it.is general jock itch etc but no way.

      I have congenital hydronephrosis btw resulting in CKD stg 3 i think.

  • KenR
    KenR LeeY1976

    Posted

    Hi Lee,

    I was put on Candesartan to control BP after a kidney removal- it caused side effects.  I had good experience with another ACE inhibitor before my operation, but could  not continue  that one as it was not 'kidney friendly'.  I went both to the Hospital Urology dept and my GP for advice and after discussion changed to lisinopril.  No side effects! My BP was better!

    I would go to your doc and ask for an alternative.  There are medications that do not have side effects.  But I would also consider that the sleeplessness may have some other cause?  There is evidence that BP meds cause sexual disfunction, but so long as you get weight down to normal for your height and age, and take great care to eat healthily, drink moderately, avoid smoking, and EXERCISE, then at your age you ought to be able to fully function. 

    KenR

    • LeeY1976
      LeeY1976 KenR

      Posted

      Thank you Ken. I use viagra for now which works great but it has saddened my wife who thinks i have gone off her sad

      I workout a lot and look pretty good but cannot shift the beer belly fully which i put down to lack of good sleep. The lack of sleep is dragging my wife down too. Not too bad when I can watch cricket in Oz at 3am which is a silver lining...

  • KenR
    KenR LeeY1976

    Posted

    Hi Lee,

    Well tough though it is, getting rid of the belly might answer a lot of problems.  I think that the need for blue pills is telling you that your arteries are furred up likely due to high colesterol, and in the belly dept there is likely more fat out of sight internally, which is not where you want it.  Now this is the pot calling the kettle black as I have similar problems.  However I have a daughter who is a personal trainer without an ounce of fat, who gives me the hard line about getting into shape  - not sure how she keeps her clients!  Basically the thing to do is seemingly to eat 20% less than your daily needs until you get into the fat burn stage, and stop when you can see signs of a six pack!  The old Service statement of ' no pain no gain'!  I used to sleep really well whe I was fit,  but I became lazy in my late 40s!

    I think you could really surprise yourself (and your wife) if you made an effort and it will add years to your life!

    KenR

    • LeeY1976
      LeeY1976 KenR

      Posted

      Love it Ken you have really held the mirror up to me there. I do train very very hard on conditioning and cardio but did get lazy with the booze and food.

      I did take a week off alcohol once and noticed it improved my sleep. Maybe I should try to be stronger and kick the booze for a month at least or switch from beer to more measured volumes of red wine occasionally.

      Not easy life eh and I have relied on grog far too much. I do have high Chol but not high enough for statins. I am sure you have hit the nail on the head with your very wise assessment.

      Great to have your advice smile

  • KenR
    KenR LeeY1976

    Posted

    Hi Lee,

    Im afraid it is a lot easier to give advice than to take it!  I was on statins but told the doc I was stopping as I had pretty much all over aching joints!

    My daughter is the tough love sort.  She has a diet with more veg and fruit in a day than I have in a week, but she is not vegetarian.  The diet I tried was to give up all sugars and carbs, but free to have anything else but limited alcohol.  It was very effective, and I did not feel hungry.  I did miss a cup of tea and a biscuit though! I think the biggest thing was stopping all prepared food as they are full of carbs, salt  and sugar, and desserts are mostly sugar.  For nibbling you could have nuts, and drink loads of water.  For about a week I felt tired, but no problem after that.  However Christmas has upset things so I am starting over.

    You seem to me like the sort of guy who will be able to get sorted.  I was pretty fit until past 50 as I played a lot of squash, but kind of gave up vigorous exercise after that, and weight went on.

    The very best of luck and I think most things will function better when the top button of the trousers comes back into view!  If not I think the NHS still does a bit of reconditioning to the vital parts if you push the system!

    KenR

    • LeeY1976
      LeeY1976 KenR

      Posted

      Thanks Ken. I am 33 inch waste so not fat by any stretch. I consider myself to be in great shape apart from the gut which seems to stick.

      Gonna take your advice more seriously re the calorie deficit. One Q tho. If you have one or two blowout days does it filly undo 5 good days?

      Re the itching I saw the doc who i fully trust and he said v unlikely to be the candesartan.

      Thanks for all the advice.

  • KenR
    KenR LeeY1976

    Posted

    Hi Lee,

    I think you have a great chance of getting fighting fit.  Keeping up the willpower to eat properly drink less and exercise sensibly is the difficulty, but I bet you find if you can really stick with it for a couple of weeks it will get easier and easier!  Your partner will appreciate the changes!

  • KenR
    KenR LeeY1976

    Posted

    Sorry Lee,  I forgot to say that your doc might be right about the Candesartan, but you will never know till you stop it and try something else.  When I was put on Candesartan far from reducing my BP it actually went up by 15 points - I took my own BP several times a day and plotted it out.  I showed the doc the plots, he changed me to lisinapril, and my BP went down with zero side effects from it!  He was amazed, but I had done the research on the net and knew that you could get odd effects.  The NHS likes to keep you on the cheapest stuff that they can find!

    KenR

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.