NSAIDS - TO TAKE OR NOT......
Posted , 8 users are following.
I am waiting for a THR but told I will have a long wait as there is a very very long waiting list of "months" [sad]I had a full blood test three weeks ago which showed I could have kidney disease so have to have it repeated next week. I googled "high kidney creatinine" and one of the side effects for this was taking NSAIDS over a long period. Last week I had a UTI and was prescribed an antibiotic. I have never had problems with my kidneys/bladder so I decided to stop taking iboprufen or naproxen to see if my creatinine level would have gone down in my next blood test in two weeks time. I'm in agony now so I will have to start taking iboprufen/naproxen again
I'm not diabetic nor overweight nor is my blood pressure elevated. Is there anyone on here who found out their Creatinine/Urea level in their blood test had only increased due to taking NSAIDS? I'm in so much pain in my hip I've had to give in and start taking them again but I'm worrying a lot. If anyone has any ideas I would be very grateful. Thank you.
0 likes, 19 replies
TCup sarah22500
Posted
sarah22500 TCup
Posted
Thanks for that. What is your lifestyle like TCake? Were you shocked to discover you had stage 3 CKD? i was gobsmacked. Are you now eating/drinking anything to help it not go any higher? Have you seen a kidney doc yet? I'm 74 by the way.
MrsO-UK_Surrey sarah22500
Posted
Sarah, firstly, what is a "THR", please?
Secondly, what test result has led you to believe that you "could have kidney disease", ie what tests, what results?
I was actually diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease Stage 3 immediately following months on a small daily dose of Ibuprofen for such pain and stiffness in my body that left me completely immobile. Shortly after the CKD diagnosis, I also finally received a diagnosis for my pain - an autoimmune, inflammatory disease that needed long-term high dose steroids to regain my quality of life. The jury is still out on how much the cause of the CKD was attributable to the Ibuprofen and how much to the undiagnosed, therefore untreated, inflammation coursing through my body. But during my undiagnosed days, one of the consultants to whom I was referred noticed I was taking Ibuprofen and she told me to stop immediately as it would damage my kidney function. I only have a sole kidney so perhaps I was slightly more at risk that perhaps someone with two.
So, in my case it wasn't a case of Ibuprofen having caused raised creatine levels, but it did cause CKD. I would suggest that you might be wiser to find the cause of your hip pain and, if possible, treat that, negating the need for long-term NSAIDs in the first place.
sarah22500 MrsO-UK_Surrey
Posted
Thank you, and yes I agree but the waiting list for a Total Hip Replacement (THR) IS "many months". I can't afford to go private. I'm also 74.
I have no quality of life. I'm on morphine patches for the pain, now in both legs (sometimes) not to mention absolute agony in one groin. I have both kidneys but I was shocked to find out I had stage 3 CKD. Here is my blood test report that mentions my raised creatinine/urea level.
helen54849 sarah22500
Posted
I am sorry to hear that you are in pain and you have a long wait, my friend who is nearly 60 has been waiting nearly 4 years for a new knee and she like you struggles. Can you not swap to paracetamol and co codamol both are safe for kidneys (you get given the later after transplant in the later days). Regarding your creatinine 86 is nothing to be too concerned about it is normal for your age. You GFR may recover slightly if you stop the ibuprofen based meds but please also remember than your GFR drops naturally as you age, lots of people are not aware of this change as they may never needs kidney bloods doing. I wish you the best of luck with your hip op when you finally get it done.
Amein77 sarah22500
Posted
Hi @sarah23500.. I also had a test showing high creatinine. My best advice for you is to stop taking the Nsid's they are brutal to your kidneys! I have stage 3 kidney disease and experience the same issues in relating to pain. My pain is in my lower back. My primary dr prescribed pain meds and I'm on a antibiotic on for 7-10 days then off for 10 bc of my recurring kidney infections. Currently I'm having trouble keeping my blood pressure under control with readings of 185/135. Which is due to my kidney failure. But I suggest you tell your dr about your pain so that he can prescribe something that's not so hard on your kidneys. Best wishes
sarah22500 Amein77
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Hi Amein,
What pain meds are you on? I'm on morphine patches 10mg, paracetamol, and Vitamin D3 for a Vitamin D count of only 27
Thanks,
Sarah
LynQ sarah22500
Posted
Hi Sarah,
You should stop taking NSAIDs. They are really bad for kidneys especially if you take them for a long time. Has the antibiotic not fixed your bladder infection? if not, you should go back to your GP. The only really safe painkiller is paracetamol, which don't often do the job, I admit. Yoy don't say if you have any other suources of pain apart from that infection? If so there may be other ways to treat it. I hope you feel better soon.
sarah22500 LynQ
Posted
I have another MRI in two weeks on my back as the spine consultant says he's sure it's my hip that's causing all the pain but he just wants to compare the MRI of 2 years ago to the new one.
I think the UTI still hasn't quite cleared up and I'm going back to docs next week. Yes you're right, Paracetamol doesnt do anything at all for the level of pain I'm in but the 10mg Morphine patch helps a fair bit. I'm dreading having to go onto the level 3 Morph patch (20mg) as this is is only one left and I'm thinking "what if this doesn't work?" There's nothing left really is there? I was prescribed Tramodol 15 years ago but it spaced me out too much.
MrsO-UK_Surrey sarah22500
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TMNA sarah22500
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Try Tramadol. Long term use of NSAIDs prob was the major factor in my mom's kidney failure. Interestingly, her kidney failure and UTI's started at around the same time. I. Once she stopped the Advil popping, her creatinine cams e down significantly.
I do think the UTI's were not given priority, and she never got follow-ups. The assumption was that if she didn't have a fever, she didn't have an infection. Not so in elderly.
From our experience, get follow up cultures, even if doctors balk. Ask for pain killers that do not interfere with the kidneys, and unfortunately, NSAIDs are not among them. Finally, if you ever notice shortness of breath or chest discomfort, don't assume a cardiology workup is all you need. My mom had pulmonary embolisms... perhaps from.....the UTIs? Breathing issues are not always a result of fluid overload or heart - related. I wish we had consulted a pulmonologist back then.
Sadly, she passed away on Wednesday. She was 83.
sarah22500 TMNA
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I'm so sorry to read that. I hope your mum didn't suffer too much at the end........x
helen54849 TMNA
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So very sorry to hear your sad news x
MrsO-UK_Surrey TMNA
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TMNA, I am so sorry to hear about your Mum and all both you and she has been through. It is very kind of you to offer such helpful advice from your Mum's sad experience.
LynQ sarah22500
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Hi Sarah,
I was given Tramadol for a meningitis type infection and it spaced me out, too. I have similat hip pain to you which the consultant says is reffered from my back as my hip xray is not really too bad but all of my back shows deterioration consistent with moderate arthritis. I have CKD 3b and a GFR of around 22%, so I try to take care of my kidneys to preserve the remaining function. I has acupuncture on the NHS for my arthritis ( back and knee as I need a joint replacement but I'm told the risks to my kdneys is too high to operate. I was very sceptical but found it helpful.
I hope you find some relief
sarah22500 LynQ
Posted
Hi Lyn,
It's rather strange reading your message because my hip x ray wasn't too bad either. I've always thought my leg pain was coming from my back. I've had "back problems" for years but they've always "got better". Terrible leg pain one day, gone the next. Terrible back/buttock pain one week but gone the next. Unable to weight bear for a whole week then suddenly I can! etc etc etc.
My right inner thigh pain started two years ago. It was so bad I was limping everywhere and eventually I was prescribed Lyrica. Then it went as suddenly as it came......
This year, January 1st, that thigh pain came back in the same leg. I took Lyrica expecting it to go but it didn't. By the end of January all I could manage was a short walk to the shops and back. The inner thigh pain was sharp and burning. Really really painful. In February the leg pain was so awful I broke down in tears in a supermarket and had to sit down and call a taxi. At the start of March I had to SOMETIMES use a mobility scooter to get aroung the shops but I limped badly all the time. At the start of April the pain spread to both thighs and both knees. I was in so much pain I was prescribed Morphine patches. Now, in May, I can't sleep lying down due to excruciating pain in both thighs, both knees and lower legs. The 10mg morphine patch hasn't helped one bit so I've drafted a letter to my GP saying I simply can't cope with this level of pain,
I have another MRI spine scan booked for two weeks time. The first one was 2 years ago and that was quite bad....I have no quality of life whatsoever. I often think this is going to be my life now, going everywhere in a mobility scooter. I'm not overweight, eat healthily, don't smoke and I'm not dioabetic. I'm seriously thinking of going to see a Chiropractor. I don't have funds for this but there doesn't seem anything else..................
LynQ sarah22500
Posted
Hi Sarah,
I was very surprised to be told my hip pain was referred pain from my back. I know that I have quite bad arthritis in my back with reduction of intervertebral disc space, facet joint arthrosis and osteophytes ( had to look up what all these were!) and it is always somewhat painful and sometimes extremely painful. The consultant describes my hip joint as "reasonably well preserved" but I have had bursitis in the hip which made me hobble about for months. I was told that you can use the ibuprofen topical gel as it is not absorbed by the stomach and that has helped me. I find that the arthritis flares so I can be in a lot of pain for some weeks, then it gets slowly better though it never goes away entirely. It has restricted my mobility considerably. Unfortunately, I also have stage 3b CKD so am now having iron infusions and have to inject EPO. The good news is that it has improved my haemoglobin levels greatly and I don't feel so tired. I find the forum a great help and support as you don't always get much information from consultants.
I hope that the doctors will be able to find a treatment that works for you and improves your qualty of life. I think that acupuncture works by stimulating your own endorphins to fight the pain so give it some thought.
Best wishes.
sarah22500 LynQ
Posted
Thank you again for interesting message Lyn. I'm not taking iboprufen at the moment as a lot of people on here say it affected their CKD level. Surely the topical gel must affect it too? (if what I've read is correct....).
I'm glad you get some lessening of your pain sometimes. It's terrible to be in constant pain. I will post when I get my MRI results in 2 weeks time.
LynQ sarah22500
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I don't think ibuprofen gel affects the kidneys because not much is absorbed. At least that's what my consultant said.