Popping painkillers for 5 years, he needed dialysis: The hidden cost of self-medication

Five years of routinely taking painkillers for work-related aches ended in irreversible kidney failure in 49-year-oldAs a nephrologist, few moments in an outpatient clinic are as gut-wrenching as looking at a patient’s blood reports and realizing that an avoidable habit may have permanently changed his life.