Does Aleve Affect The Liver Or Kidneys

What About Statins And Liver Damage

You may wonder about the cholesterol medications known as statins and whether they can hurt your liver. While , , , and can frequently affect liver function blood tests, they do not tend to cause concerning liver damage.

Clinical studies on animals reveal that very high doses of statins may cause liver toxicity, but typical doses of these drug were not associated with significant liver injury. Liver cell injury from statins is exceptionally rare in humans.

Are Nsaids Safe To Take If You Have Kidney Disease

NSAIDs are usually safe for occasional use when taken as directed. However, if your doctor has told you that you have low kidney function, NSAIDs might not be right for you. These medications should only be used under a doctor’s care by patients with kidney disease. Also, they might not be the best choice for people with heart disease, high blood pressure or liver disease. Some of these drugs affect blood pressure control. High doses over a long period of time can also lead to chronic kidney disease and even progress to kidney failure.

For people without kidney disease, the recommended dose of aspirin can be safe if you read the label and follow the directions. When taken as directed, regular use of aspirin does not seem to increase the risk of kidney disease in people who have normal kidney function. However, taking doses that are too large may temporarily and possibly permanently reduce kidney function. In people with kidney disease, aspirin may increase the tendency to bleed.

The 10 Worst Medications For Your Liver

Medications are an important cause of liver injurya scary thought considering that the liver is the main organ for maintaining the bodys internal environment and ridding it of chemical toxins and waste. Its not like the kidneys or lungs where we can use a dialysis machine or mechanical ventilator if those organs fail. For liver failure, we have no such fix.

Two thousand cases of liver failure occur each year in the United States, and half of them are due to medications. While there are more than 900 drugs and herbs reported to cause liver injury, 10 medications stand out as rare causes of liver damage.

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The Need To Monitor Kidney Function With Certain Drugs

Experts have suggested that after the initial assessment of kidney function, physicians should consider regular monitoring after starting or increasing the dosage of drugs associated with nephrotoxicity, especially those used chronically in patients with multiple risk factors for impaired kidney function, Dr. Naughton noted. If there is any sign of kidney harm, the provider should review the medications you are taking in order to identify which one is causing the problem.

If multiple medications are present and the patient is clinically stable, physicians should start by discontinuing the drug most recently added to the patients medication regimen. Once that has been taken care of, further harm to the kidneys may be minimized by keeping blood pressure stable, staying hydrated, and temporarily avoiding the use of other medications that may cause nephrotoxicity.

These safety tips can ensure you get the care you need while keeping your kidneys safe. That way, they can tend to essential functions like keeping things flowing .Originally published May 11, 2017

Is Aspirin Safe For Regular Use

When taken as directed, regular use of aspirin does not seem to increase the risk of kidney disease in people who have normal kidney function. However, taking doses that are too large may temporarily- and possibly permanently- reduce kidney function. In people with kidney disease, aspirin may increase the tendency to bleed. People who already have reduced kidney function, or other health problems such as liver disease or severe heart failure, should not use aspirin without speaking to their doctor.

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Cats Are Not Small People Or Small Dogs

You have to be even more careful with cats. Compared to other species, cats have a reduced ability to break down NSAIDs.

These differences may lead to toxic effects in pets, such as ulcers and perforations in the digestive tract as well as liver and kidney damage.

Table 2: Common Over-the-Counter Pain Relievers for People

Active Ingredient
ALEVE, MIDOL EXTENDED RELIEF, NAPROSYN
Acetaminophen	TYLENOL

Acetaminophen is not a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug and doesnt have much anti-inflammatory activity. Scientists dont fully understand how acetaminophen works. The drug seems to have more than one mode of action to reduce fever and relieve pain.

• Dose-dependent liver toxicitymeaning the higher the dose, the worse the liver damagethat may lead to liver failure and
• Red blood cell damage that causes these cells to lose their ability to carry oxygen.

Dogs and cats can develop both forms of acetaminophen toxicity, but cats are more prone to red blood cell damage while dogs are more likely to get liver damage.

Acetaminophen is fatal to cats. Cats should never be given acetaminophen because they lack certain enzymes that the liver needs to safely break down the drug.

Precautions About Aspirin Acetaminophen And Ibuprofen In Other Medicines

Some opioids also contain aspirin or acetaminophen in the same pill. A few also contain ibuprofen. It can be dangerous if you take these drugs without being aware of this.

• If one of your doctors tells you not to take aspirin or ibuprofen, or if you cant take NSAIDs for some reason, be sure to check your medicine labels carefully.
• If one of your prescription medicines has acetaminophen in it, and you also take over-the-counter acetaminophen for pain, you can get too much without knowing it. Too much acetaminophen can damage your liver.
• If youre not sure if a medicine contains aspirin, acetaminophen, or ibuprofen, ask a pharmacist.
• If you take any non-prescription medicine for a cold, sinus pain, or menstrual symptoms while youre taking pain medicines, read the label carefully. Most of these drugs are combination products that contain aspirin, ibuprofen, or acetaminophen. Check with a pharmacist to find out what you can safely take with your pain medicines.

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How Drugs Are Named

A drug may have as many as 3 different names: Brand, generic, and chemical. For example:

Brand names: Tylenol, Tempra, Liquiprin, Anacin, Paramol

Drug companies give their products brand names, and some products have more than one brand name. You should also know that the same brand name may be used on different drugs, since the name belongs to the company. Read the labels to see what ingredients are in each medicine.

Generic names: acetaminophen

The US Food and Drug Administration approves the generic names by which drugs are usually known. Sometimes medicines can have the same generic name, but are made by different companies. Because the companies may produce the medicines differently, they may differ slightly in the way theyre absorbed by the body. For this reason, your doctor may sometimes prefer that you take a brand-name drug. Generic drugs usually cost less than brand-name ones. Ask your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist if you can use a cheaper generic medicine. Pharmacists are careful to get high-quality generic products, so its often possible to substitute a generic.

Chemical names: N- acetamide

Chemical names tend to be long and hard to pronounce, so they are not used often.

What you need to know about drug names

Stomach And Digestion Toxicity

One of the most common side effects of ibuprofen when a person takes it at recommended dosages is heartburn. When ibuprofen blocks the COX-1 receptors in the stomach, it can disrupt its protective layer.

People who take too much ibuprofen may experience side effects that range from stomach pain to severe bleeding in the digestive tract. The latter can occur within a few hours of an overdose.

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Before Taking This Medicine

Aleve may also cause stomach or intestinal bleeding, which can be fatal. These conditions can occur without warning while you are using naproxen, especially in older adults.

You should not use Aleve if you are allergic to naproxen, or if you have ever had an asthma attack or severe allergic reaction after taking aspirin or an NSAID.

Ask a doctor before giving Aleve to a child younger than 12 years old.

Ask a doctor or pharmacist if it is safe for you to use this medicine if you have:

• heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, or if you smoke

• a history of heart attack, stroke, or blood clot

• a history of stomach ulcers or bleeding

• asthma

• fluid retention: or

• if you take aspirin to prevent heart attack or stroke.

If you are pregnant, you should not take Aleve unless your doctor tells you to. Taking a NSAID during the last 20 weeks of pregnancy can cause serious heart or kidney problems in the unborn baby and possible complications with your pregnancy.

It may not be safe to breastfeed while using Aleve. Ask your doctor about any risk.

Aleve is not approved for use by anyone younger than 2 years old. Do not give this medicine to a child without medical advice.

Tips For Taking Ibuprofen To Avoid Liver Damage And Other Side Effects

Is ibuprofen bad for your liver? Maybe, and it can have other side effects if taken in a wrong way. So extra care is needed when taking ibuprofen.

Before Taking Ibuprofen

Note that you should inform your doctor, pharmacist or dentist in the following cases:

• You have a history of high blood pressure or hypertension.
• You have ever had deep vein thrombosis or any other blood clotting conditions.
• You have had a problem with your liver or kidney functions.
• You have a history of blood sugar and cholesterol.
• You have allergic reactions to certain medicines or asthma.
• You have any history of stomach or duodenal ulcers.
• You are either pregnant, trying for a baby or already breastfeeding.
• You have a heart condition.
• You have ever experienced an allergic reaction to any other NSAIDs such as diclofenac, aspirin, indomethacin, and naproxen.
• You suffer from any connective tissue conditions like lupus .

How to Take Ibuprofen

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Ibuprofen Could Impact Liver Health

A new study in mice suggests that ibuprofen, perhaps the most common pain relief medication, could affect aspects of liver health.

Ibuprofen is a common nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug . In the United States, drugstores tend to sell the brand-name versions Motrin or Advil.

In the U.S. and other countries, ibuprofen is readily available over the counter. People tend to use it to relieve pain or the symptoms of a mild cold.

Like any other drug, ibuprofen can have side effects. One of them is liver damage, though this is rare.

And now, a new study in mice from researchers at the University of California, Davis suggests that ibuprofens adverse effect on liver health may be more significant than doctors suspect.

The liver plays a key role in energy metabolism and is essential for whole-body homeostasis via the regulation of glucose, lipid, and amino acid metabolism, the researchers explain in their study paper, which appears in Scientific Reports .

The liver is the bodys key filter, processing elements of everything we ingest, including drugs. As a result, medication can have unintended

Painkillers And The Kidneys: Analgesic Nephropathy

An analgesic is any medicine intended to relieve pain. Over-the-counter analgesics include aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, naproxen sodium, and others. These drugs present no danger for most people when taken in the recommended dosage. But some conditions make taking even these common painkillers dangerous for the kidneys. Also, taking one or a combination of these drugs regularly over a long period of time may increase the risk for kidney problems. Most drugs that can cause kidney damage are excreted only through the kidneys.

Analgesic use has been associated with two different forms of kidney damage. Some patient case reports have attributed incidents of sudden-onset acute kidney failure to the use of over-the-counter painkillers, including aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen. The patients in these reports had risk factors such as systemic lupus erythematosus, advanced age, chronic kidney disease, or recent heavy alcohol consumption. These cases involved a single dose in some instances and generally short-term analgesic use of not more than 10 days. Acute kidney failure requires emergency dialysis to clean the blood. Kidney damage is frequently reversible, with normal kidney function returning after the emergency is over and the analgesic use is stopped.

For more information

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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.

What About Opiates And Nsaids

For those with chronic liver disease, options for a safe and effective pain reliever are limited.Patients are told to avoid opiates, such as oxycodone, because they can have undesirable side effects such as constipation and sedation, and they can be addictive. Opiates are also broken down by the liver and this process can cause even worse side effects, such as serious mental confusion in patients with liver dysfunction.Another class of pain relievers are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs. These over-the-counter drugs include ibuprofen and naproxen . However, NSAIDs can cause kidney damage, and patients with chronic liver disease are particularly susceptible to this. So while patients with chronic liver disease should minimize their use of acetaminophen and opiates, they should avoid NSAIDs altogether to help protect their kidneys.

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Who Can And Cannot Take Naproxen

Most adults can be prescribed naproxen.

It can also be prescribed to children to treat:

• muscle and bone disorders for babies from 1 month
• diseases of the joints for children from 2 years
• period pain for children under 15

Adults and teenagers aged 15 and over can buy it from a pharmacy for period pain.

Naproxen is not suitable for certain people. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you:

• have had an allergic reaction to naproxen or any other medicines in the past
• have had an allergic reaction to aspirin or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines , such as ibuprofen
• have or have had stomach ulcers, bleeding in the stomach or intestines, or a hole in your stomach
• have a blood clotting disorder
• are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or breastfeeding

Can Analgesics Hurt Kidneys

Check with your doctor to be sure you can use these medicines safely, particularly if you have kidney disease. Heavy or long-term use of some of these medicines, such as ibuprofen, naproxen, and higher dose aspirin, can cause chronic kidney disease known as chronic interstitial nephritis. The warning labels on over-the-counter analgesics tell you not to use these medicines for more than l0 days for pain and more than three days for fever. If you have pain and/or fever for a longer time, you should see your doctor. The doctor can check for possible medical problems and advise you about what medications you should take.

If you have decreased kidney function, painkillers called NSAIDs and higher dose aspirin are not recommended. Even with normal kidney function, you should use analgesics:

• Exactly as prescribed or as on the label
• At the lowest dose possible
• For the shortest period of time

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Here Is What The Fda Says About Nsaids And The Heart:

Patients taking NSAIDs should seek medical attention immediately if they experience symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath or trouble breathing, weakness in one part or side of their body, or slurred speechthe prescription NSAID labels will be revised to reflect the following information:

Patients and health care professionals should remain alert for heart-related side effects the entire time that NSAIDs are being taken.

The FDA requires no such warnings on OTC NSAID packaging. The FDA assumes that people will follow the instructions on the label that say to take for only a short period of time. We suspect that many people ignore that recommendation.

Could Diclofenac Gel Harm Your Kidneys

Q. I am especially sensitive to NSAIDs because of impaired kidney function. My doctor prescribed diclofenac gel for a muscle injury. Am I absorbing enough of this product to be harmful?

A. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like diclofenac, ibuprofen or naproxen can be hard on the kidneys. The official prescribing information for diclofenac warns that long-term administration could cause renal injury.

It is not clear whether you would absorb enough diclofenac from a topical gel to harm your kidneys. This is best determined by frequent monitoring. Ask your doctor to check your kidney function carefully.

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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 . Diuretics remove excess water from the blood vessels.
• ACE inhibitors, such as Prinivil and Zestril . ACE inhibitors are drugs that relax the blood vessels.
• ARBs such as Cozaar . ARBs are another group of drugs that relax the blood vessels.

Naproxen May Damage Kidneys

One of the most popular NSAIDs in the pharmacy is naproxen. It was originally only available by prescription under the name Naprosyn. Now doctors can write prescriptions for naproxen as a generic pain reliever or under the brand names Anaprox, Anaprox DS, EC-Naprosyn, Naprelan and Vimovo .

Naproxen has also been available over the counter for years in products like Aleve, Aleve PM, Menstridol or Midol Extended Relief. There are also dozens of house brand naproxen products people can buy without medical supervision.

We fear that this NSAID as well as similar drugs have a long list of serious side effects that most people are either unaware of or ignore. Kidney damage is just one complication to pay attention to as this reader notes.

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