Urological Disorders

Analgesic Nephropathy

What is analgesic nephropathy?

An analgesic is any medicine intended to alleviate pain. Over-the-counter analgesics include:

aspirin
acetaminophen
ibuprofen
naproxen sodium
others

Some conditions make taking these common painkillers dangerous for the kidneys. Taking one or a combination of these drugs regularly over a long period of time may increase the risk of kidney problems for some people.

Analgesic nephropathy is a chronic kidney disease that gradually leads to end-stage renal disease and the need for permanent dialysis or a kidney transplant to restore renal function. It can result from taking painkillers every day for several years. And, the painkillers that combine two or more analgesics (for example, aspirin and acetaminophen together) with caffeine or codeine are the most likely to damage the kidneys. These mixtures are often sold as powders.

People who take any painkillers on a regular basis should check with their doctors to make sure they are not causing damage to their kidneys.

And, patients with conditions that put them at risk for acute kidney failure should consult their physicians before taking any medications (over-the-counter or prescription).

What is acute kidney failure?

Some reports have attributed incidents of acute kidney failure to the use of painkillers, including aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen. Many of the patients in these reports had risk factors such as:

systemic lupus erythematosus
advanced age
chronic renal conditions
a recent binge of alcohol consumption

These cases involved a single dose in some instances and never more than 10 days of analgesic use.

Consult your physician for more information about diagnosis and treatment of analgesic nephropathy and acute kidney failure.

This page was last updated on: February 28, 2008.

For more information, call the University Physicians Consultation and Referral Service at 1-800-492-5538 (patients) or 1-800-373-4111 (physicians).