Staying Hydrated Before Moderate to High-Dose Cisplatin

This information will help you hydrate yourself to get ready for your cisplatin chemotherapy.

Cisplatin can affect your kidneys. To keep your kidneys from getting damaged, you’ll need to drink plenty of liquids before you get cisplatin chemotherapy.

If you don’t drink enough liquids leading up to your chemotherapy appointment, your health care team may not be able to give you the chemotherapy.

How Much to Drink

The day before your chemotherapy

Drink more liquids than you normally would. Start in the morning and drink at least 10 (8-ounce) glasses of liquids throughout the day.

The day of your chemotherapy

Keep drinking liquids before your chemotherapy appointment. While you’re receiving chemotherapy, you’ll also get hydration fluid intravenously (IV, through a vein) to protect your kidney function.

What to Drink

• You should drink all types of caffeine-free liquids, such as:
  • Water
  • Milk
  • Juices
  • Gatorade^®
  • Propel^®
  • Soft drinks (soda) without caffeine (such as lemon-lime soda, ginger ale, or caffeine-free cola)
• Avoid drinks with caffeine or alcohol. You may have 1 cup (8 ounces) of caffeinated coffee or tea per day.
• Add water to sweet drinks, such as juice (for example, half water, and half juice) to lower the amount of sugar. Having too much sugar can cause diarrhea (loose or watery bowel movements).
• If you have diabetes or problems with your blood sugar, choose drinks with no sugar.

Keep Track of What You Drink

On the day before your chemotherapy appointment, write the date and time you had something to drink, and the number of ounces that you drank on the table below. Follow the same steps on the day of your chemotherapy appointment. This will help you make sure you’re reaching your goal.

Bring this table with you to your appointment.