Painkillers For Polycystic Kidney Disease

Back pain, abdominal pain or flank pain is one common symptom and discomfort among polycystic kidney disease patients. It will become worse with the increase of age and cysts and it is more common in women patients.

The abdominal or flank pain can be chronic or sudden, it can be dull or sharp. There are several causes of pains in PKD. It can be due to kidney cysts or liver cysts or kidney stones. Since both the number and size of renal cysts will increase and they will stretch the renal capsule, enlarge the kidneys, oppress and replace normal renal tissues, that is why many PKD patients will feel persistent and dull pains.

PKD can also cause kidney stones, urinary tract infections or blood clots in the urinary tract or even cyst rupture and cyst bleeding. In such cases, patients can have suddenly sharpened or unbearable pains.

Patients often turn to painkillers for pain relief especially when the pain is intense and severe. Painkillers are usually very effective at easing pains, however since the root problem is not solved, patients will have to take painkiller every now and then. We know that over-the-counter drugs such as painkillers can cause serious renal damages and worsen the already impaired renal functions, therefore, more caution should be paid while taking these painkillers. It is necessary to consult your doctor and take medicines under the doctor’s permission and guidance.

Besides painkillers, there are other alternative pain managements for PKD patients.

1. Surgery. If the cyst is larger than 3cm, it will begin to cause obvious symptoms besides back pains, surgeries such draining the cyst fluid and burning the affected tissues or laparoscopic decortication can remove the cysts and much relieve the pains in short time. But the recurrent rate is high and the removal of large renal cysts often provide more chance for the smaller ones to grow and enlarge.

2. Micro-Chinese Medicine Osmotherapy. It is an externally applied therapy based on traditional Chinese medicines. It takes relatively longer time to treat pains and PKD, but the recurrent rate is much lowered and it can have effects on all the cysts in the kidneys. Micro-Chinese Medicine Osmotherapy can shrink renal cysts by softening the cyst wall, increasing its permeability and promoting blood circulation. It can also act on the epithelial cells of the cyst wall so as to prevent further secretion of cyst fluid so that the growth tendence of these cyst will be eliminated.