Non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs are a type of pain reliever at prescription doses,
which also reduce inflammation.
There are over the counter and prescribed anti-inflammatory
drugs. The non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that can be purchased over the
counter include
|
Brand
Name
|
Generic
Name
|
|
Advil, Motrin
|
Ibuprofen
|
|
Aleve
|
Naproxen sodium
|
|
Ascription, Bayer, Ecotrin
|
Aspirin
|
Ibuprofen is also
available as a prescription at doses higher than the over the counter
medications. The non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that are
available only with a doctor's prescription are
|
Brand
Name
|
Generic
Name
|
|
Anaprox
|
Naproxen Sodium
|
|
Celebrex
|
Celecoxib
|
|
Clinoril
|
Sulindac
|
|
Daypro
|
Oxaprozin
|
|
Disalcid
|
Salsalate
|
|
Dolobid
|
Diflunisal
|
|
Feldene
|
Piroxicam
|
|
Indocin
|
Indomethacin
|
|
Lodine
|
Etodolac
|
|
Mobic
|
Meloxicam
|
|
Naprosyn
|
Naproxen
|
|
Relafen
|
Nabumetone
|
|
Toradol
|
Ketorolac tromethamine
|
|
Vimovo
|
Naproxen/esomeprazole
|
|
Voltaren
|
diclofenac
|
All prescription non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs have a warning that the
medications may increase the chance of having a heart attack, stroke, and
stomach bleeding.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs work by blocking the production of certain
chemicals in the body that cause inflammation, there are no fundamental
difference in the ability of different drugs to reduce pain and inflammation.
However, you might find that you get more relief from one drug over another and
some drugs may have fewer side effects than others.
Although these non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs are reasonably safe medications, it is important that you are
aware of potential side effects. The most common side effects are
- Stomach pain and heartburn
- Stomach ulcers
- Increased bleeding tendency while taking drugs, especially aspirin
- Headaches and dizziness
- Ringing in the ears may result from certain drugs, including aspirin
- Allergic reactions such as rashes, wheezing, and throat swelling
- Liver or kidney problems. These problems can be evaluated by blood tests in people who take drugs for prolonged periods
- High blood pressure
- Leg swelling
Non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed in different doses depending on the condition.
Dosages may range from one to four times per day, depending on how long each
drug stays in the body. Your doctor may prescribe higher doses of the drug if
you have a severe and painful condition such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for
example, because frequently there is a significant degree of heat, swelling,
redness, and stiffness in the joints in RA. Lower doses may be adequate for
osteoarthritis and muscle injuries, since there is generally less swelling and
often no warmth or redness to the joints. No single drug is guaranteed to work.
Your doctor may prescribe several types of drugs before finding one that works
best for you.
Interestingly, NSAIDs are not to be taken in the third trimester of pregnancy. You might think this would be due to their ability to prevent clotting and inflammation (as these are necessary events in labor to prevent hemorrhage) however, it's because NSAIDs have been linked to preterm birth and miscarriage, as well as adverse renal effects in the developing fetus. Aspirin, however, is prescribed for women with antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS), where the body makes antibodies against phospholipids resulting in miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm birth, and preeclampsia. In France, however, they do not allow women to be treated even with aspirin. Given that aspirin and heparin are the only treatments for APS what other therapy could you think of for APS in pregnancy?
ReplyDeleteI find it really interesting to read about these side effects, because a lot of the medications you mentioned are medications that people take for different reasons on a day to day basis. My mom is a pharmacist so I grew up always reading the labels because it intrigued me, but most people do not bother. They think they don't need to, it's the doctors job or the pharmacists job to give them the right medication, or they see a commercial for an over the counter medication and they think its ok for everyone to take it (except for the meds that have so many warnings in the commercial alone, that I wonder what these meds don't have a risk of causing). It always blows me away how people can think about medications so absentmindedly and just take it. There is usually so much that plays into it.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering though, I've never taken prescription non-steroidal anti-inflammatories before. How much more severe are the side effects of the prescription medications that are not so common (so I'm not talking about extra strength Tylenol for example)? Do they have the same side effects? I know steroidal anti-inflammatories have different side effects, but they are very different medications as well...
So I've actually been prescribed ibuprofen before and it came in a stronger version of its over the counter counterpart, but what it is that puts a medication on that prescribed list? Is it merely a dosage thing such that those medications are just stronger versions of say Advil or Aleve, or are they actually different medications altogether?
ReplyDeleteOn the subject of NSAIDS, I've always wondered about the practice of some parents who administer these medications to their children prior to vaccination. Often the prevention of fever or soreness is cited. What are the immunologic implications? If we are trying to stimulate certain immune responses, then by administering NSAIDs are we risking blunting the immune system / inflammatory response?
ReplyDelete