Occasional Kidney Discomfort

When people have pain, they often take pain medicines called NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). These include:

Dehydration can cause a build-up of wastes and acids in the body, and it can clog the kidneys with muscle proteins (myoglobin). All these things can hurt the kidneys. Dehydration can also contribute to the formation of kidney stones and urinary tract infections, both of which can lead to kidney damage if not treated quickly. The symptoms of a kidney infection usually develop quite quickly over a few hours or days. Common symptoms include: pain and discomfort in your side, lower back or around your genitals; high temperature (it may reach 39.5C or 103.1F) shivering or chills; feeling very weak or tired; loss of appetite; feeling sick or being sick diarrhoea.

• Advil and Motrin (generic and store-brand ibuprofen). Ibuprofen is also in other over-the-counter drugs, such as cold medicines.
• Aleve (generic and store-brand naproxen).
• Celebrex (generic celecoxib).

Left Kidney Discomfort

NSAIDs help ease pain and inflammation. But if you have high blood pressure, heart failure, or kidney disease, you should not take an NSAID. And you should not take any drugs that have ibuprofen or another NSAID in them. Here’s why:

NSAIDs are bad for your blood pressure.

NSAIDs can cause high blood pressure. And if you have high blood pressure, they can make it worse. This increases your chances of having a heart attack or a stroke.

NSAIDs can also keep some blood pressure drugs from working right. NSAIDs can interfere with:

• Diuretics, or water pills, such as Hydrodiuril (generic hydrochlorthiazide). Diuretics remove excess water from the blood vessels.
• ACE inhibitors, such as Prinivil and Zestril (generic lisinopril). ACE inhibitors are drugs that relax the blood vessels.
• ARBs such as Cozaar (generic losartan). ARBs are another group of drugs that relax the blood vessels.

NSAIDs are bad for your heart and kidneys.

Long-term use of NSAIDs can make your body hold onto fluid. This can make the symptoms of heart failure, such as shortness of breath, swollen ankles, and a rapid or irregular heartbeat, worse. NSAIDs can also keep the kidneys from working well. This makes taking NSAIDs risky for people who already have kidney disease.

Which painkillers can you use if you have heart or kidney disease?

There is no simple answer. The best painkiller to use depends on your health problems. It also depends on any other drugs you take. Be sure to tell your doctor about any prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, or herbal medicines you take.

Over-the-counter Tylenol (generic acetaminophen) is often the best choice for people with high blood pressure, heart failure, or kidney problems.

Occasional Kidney Discomfort Definition

• However, high doses of Tylenol can damage the liver, so take the lowest dose you can to get enough pain relief.
• Never take more than 4,000 milligrams (mg) a day. That’s equal to twelve 325 mg pills.

If Tylenol or generic acetaminophen do not work, ask your doctor about using a stronger prescription painkiller, such as Ultram (generic tramadol) for a short time.

• If you have kidney problems, do not take more than 200 mg a day. And take it once every 12 hours to limit the risk of side effects.
• Do not use tramadol if you have epilepsy or if you take Paxil (generic paroxetine), Prozac (generic fluoxotine), or Zoloft (generic sertraline). Taking tramadol with these drugs can increase your risk of seizures.

This report is for you to use when talking with your healthcare provider. It is not a substitute for medical advice and treatment. Use of this report is at your own risk.

© 2016 Consumer Reports. Developed in cooperation with the American Society of Nephrology (ASN).

08/2012

What are possible causes of kidney pain?

Because the kidneys filter the blood, form urine, and pass it out of the body through tubes called ureters, problems in any of these areas could result in pain. Some of the more common causes of kidney pain include:

Occasional Kidney Ache

• Kidney stones: Kidney stones form from the buildup of minerals or chemical wastes inside the body. Stones may be as small as a grain of sand or larger than a pearl. If they are small they may pass out of the body. However, larger stones may get stuck in the urinary tract and prevent urine from passing. In either case, intense pain can result.
• Urinary tract infection: An infection anywhere along the urinary tract caused by bacteria left behind after urination. Symptoms may include fever, painful urination, cloudy urine, and general fatigue.
• Kidney infection (pyelonephritis): A kidney infection occurs when bacteria from a bladder infection has spread to the kidneys. People with diabetes or who have a blockage in the urinary tract are more likely to get a kidney infection. In chronic cases, some problem in the urinary tract causes urine to flow backwards from the bladder up to the kidneys, resulting in repeated infections and possibly permanent kidney damage.
• Polycystic kidney disease: An inherited condition in which fluid-filled sacs (cysts) develop inside the kidneys. As the cysts expand, the kidneys become enlarged and may eventually lose their ability to function.
• Injury or trauma: Any strong impact or blunt force to the kidney area (such as in contact sports or an accident) may cause a laceration or other physical damage to the kidneys. Such incidents may also cause a disruption of normal blood flow to the kidneys. Acute (sudden) kidney failure may result from kidney trauma.
• Kidney (renal) cancer: Renal cell carcinoma is the most common type of kidney cancer. It usually affects people in their 60s or 70s, rarely appearing in those under the age of 50. If they occur at all, symptoms include blood in the urine, a persistent pain in the back or side just below the ribs, and a lump or swelling in the side.