{"id":11214,"date":"2021-05-31T16:53:26","date_gmt":"2021-05-31T16:53:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/?p=11214"},"modified":"2021-06-01T15:49:14","modified_gmt":"2021-06-01T15:49:14","slug":"health-what-to-know-about-certain-pain-killers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/spring-summer-2021\/health-what-to-know-about-certain-pain-killers\/","title":{"rendered":"Health: What to Know About Certain Pain Killers"},"content":{"rendered":"

7 Things You Need to Know if You Regularly Take NSAIDs<\/strong><\/h3>\n

By Prudence Leung, PharmD<\/p><\/p>\n

I<\/span>f you’re among the one in five adults in the U.S. with chronic pain, you may reach for an over-the-counter (OTC) painkiller often, if not daily, to experience some relief. Many OTC pain medications are classified as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and carry brand names such as Advil, Motrin IB, Nuprin, Aleve, and others.<\/p>\n

NSAIDs are used to decrease fever or relieve pain or swelling due to conditions such as arthritis, headache, toothache, sprains, or strained muscles. While NSAIDs are generally safe when taken as directed on the label or prescribed by a physician, here are seven facts you should know about the drugs to help protect yourself and your family:<\/p>\n

1. Minimum effective dose is safest<\/h3>\n

Some people believe that if a little bit of something is good, then a lot must be much better. While that sentiment is true when it comes to vegetables, it is not the case with NSAIDs. That is why it is best to limit NSAIDs to the lowest effective dose and the shortest time needed.<\/p>\n

If you are using a nonprescription NSAID product to treat fever or pain, check with your doctor if your pain worsens or lasts more than ten days. If you are taking it for fever, check with your doctor if your fever worsens or lasts more than 3 days.<\/p>\n

2. Long-term use can be risky<\/h3>\n

Long-term NSAID use, which usually occurs by people with chronic pain, can, unfortunately, increase your risk for health problems in many parts of your body, including the heart, kidneys, and gastrointestinal tract (including the esophagus, stomach, and intestines).<\/p>\n

The risk of these side effects may be higher with larger doses and in older adults. Researchers studying chronic NSAID use in seniors found it increased their risk for peptic ulcers, renal (kidney) failure, stroke, or myocardial infarction (heart attack).<\/p>\n

3. May worsen other health conditions<\/h3>\n

As such, NSAIDs may also be risky for people that have been diagnosed with heart disease, high blood pressure, or diabetes. In 2015, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) strengthened an existing warning that stated NSAIDs increase the chance of a heart attack or stroke. The FDA further cautioned that the health risk increases the longer NSAIDs are used and can increase the risk of heart attack or stroke in people with or without heart disease.<\/p>\n

4. Often combined with cold\/flu meds<\/h3>\n

Another word of caution: Since headache and body aches are common with colds and flu, drugmakers often combine NSAIDs with other drugs and market them as multi-symptom medications for those conditions. Some people may be unintentionally overdosing on the NSAIDs if they take an additional painkiller along with the cold or flu drug.<\/p>\n

5. Stomach problems most common side effect<\/h3>\n

NSAIDs’ most common side effects include upset stomach, nausea, stomach or intestinal ulcers, or bleeding. These side effects occur because NSAIDs reduce the production of a hormone that creates mucous and other substances that neutralize stomach acid to protect it from irritation.<\/p>\n

Researchers have found that long-term users who took NSAIDs daily for three months or more developed stomach ulcers visible with an endoscope. That said, taking NSAIDs with food or a meal can reduce some of that stomach upset without reducing the drug’s effectiveness.<\/p>\n

6. Aspirin is also an NSAID\u2014with the ability to prevent blood clots<\/h3>\n

People whose doctor has directed them to take low-dose aspirin (such as 81 milligrams daily) for heart attack or stroke prevention should continue taking this medication. Aspirin is used in this case for its antiplatelet effect (ability to prevent blood clots), and it does not necessarily carry the same risks as other drugs in this class when taken as prescribed.<\/p>\n

If you are taking low-dose aspirin daily along with another NSAID, check with your doctor or pharmacist if you should separate the time(s) from any other NSAIDs you may be taking, such as ibuprofen.<\/p>\n

7. Drugs not the only pain relief option<\/h3>\n

If you’re uncomfortable with NSAID risks, there are several drug-free pain relief methods to try. Some options include rest, ice packs to decrease swelling, heating pads, or other topical products that contain counterirritants (e.g., menthol or capsaicin).<\/p>\n

Physical therapy may be helpful for some types of arthritis. Exercises can improve your range of motion and strengthen the muscles surrounding joints.<\/p>\n

Tylenol (acetaminophen) is not an NSAID and may be used to treat fever and reduce pain but carries its health risks.<\/p>\n

Generally Safe for Most People<\/h3>\n

Sales for NSAIDs continue to grow each year and are expected to reach more than $27 billion by 2027. That is because for mild to moderate pain or fever, NSAIDs have been shown for decades to be overwhelmingly safe. Like all drugs, though, NSAIDs pose risks.<\/p>\n

If you’re an older adult or have heart, kidney, gastrointestinal, or other chronic conditions, you should consult your physician if you need to take a painkiller frequently. Together, you and your doctor can develop a pain management plan that, ideally, helps you experience the pain relief you need without associated health risks.<\/p>\n

Prudence Leung, PharmD, is a clinical pharmacist at First Databank (FDB)<\/a> in the Consumer Drug Information Group.<\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

7 things you need to know if you regularly take NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11299,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[139,140],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11214","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spring-summer-2021","category-spring-summer-2021-columns"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11214","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11214"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11214\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11477,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11214\/revisions\/11477"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}