New York Times: The Heart Perils of Pain Relievers

An interesting look at the risks that come from taking anti-inflammatory medications.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/17/the-heart-perils-of-pain-relievers/?_r=0

The article quotes one doctor as saying, “If these drugs are making your life a lot better, that may be worth the risks.  But a lot of people will tell you, ‘I can’t tell if they’re doing anything, I just take them every day anyway.'”

I think a lot of people with chronic pain are told by their doctors to take these medications.  They are considered by most doctors to be a lot safer than some of the alternatives, which carry a risk of dependency and have a potential for abuse.

But NSAIDS have never really done much for me.  They help if I’ve  strained a muscle in a very acute manner, or when I’ve had a specific injury such as an ankle sprain.  But for ongoing, chronic pain where the original injury happened a long time ago, NSAIDS don’t seem to do much.

Don’t take NSAIDS just because your doctor recommended them.  Make sure they are actually producing a reduction in pain before subjecting yourself to the risks.

3 Comments

  1. I found that naproxen helped with the pain from an old injury, but it made the fibro actually worse. Luckily I have found a good doctor who for a start actually believed me, and secondly said ‘Ok lets get sneaky, lets try ibuprofen gel at the site of injury, as there will be minimal amounts in the bloodstream’. So thats the plan at the moment. If that doesn’t work I will work my way through herbal anti-inflammatories. Ginger tea definitely helps the pain as well, in a gentle way. x

    1. Wow… that’s really interesting about naproxen making the fibro worse. I would love to know how, exactly, it was producing that effect.

      I’ve always meant to try some sort of ibuprofen-gel, as I can barely take the pills anyway due to a weak stomach… none of the doctors I’ve asked for it have ever seemed very familiar with it. I don’t think it is very widely-used over here.

      I also love ginger tea 🙂 Let me know how the gel works out for you!

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