Journal of Pain & Relief
Open Access

Pain Medications include over the medication drugs that you can buy without a doctor’s prescription. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are drugs that help reduce inflammation, which often helps to relieve pain. In other words, they’re anti-inflammatory drugs. NSAID can be very effective. Read on for this information as well as tips on how to use NSAID safely and effectively. NSAID work by blocking prostaglandins, which are substances that sensitize your nerve endings and enhance pain during inflammation [1]. Prostaglandins also play a role in controlling your body temperature. By inhibiting the effects of prostaglandins, NSAID help relieve your pain and bring down your fever. NSAID are especially important for managing the symptoms of arthritis, such as joint pain, inflammation, and stiffness. NSAID tend to be inexpensive and easily accessible, so they’re often the first medications prescribed to people with arthritis. The prescription drug celecoxib is often prescribed for long-term management of arthritis symptoms. This is because it’s easier on your stomach than other NSAID[2]. NSAID block the enzyme cycloxygenas from creating prostaglandin. Just because you can buy some NSAID without a prescription doesn’t mean they’re completely harmless. There are possible side effects and risks, with the most common being upset stomach, gas, and diarrhoea. NSAID are intended for occasional and short-term use. Your risk for side effects increases the longer you use them. Always talk to your healthcare provider before using NSAID, and don’t take different types of NSAID at the same time. In more serious cases, taking NSAIDs can irritate your stomach lining enough to cause an ulcer. Some ulcers can even lead to internal bleeding. You can decrease your likelihood of developing stomach issues by taking NSAID with food, milk, or an antacid. People with cardiovascular disease are at an increased risk of developing heart-related issues from taking NSAID [3]. Stop taking the NSAID immediately and seek medical attention if you experience any of the following symptoms likely ringing in your ears, blurry vision, rash, hives, and itching, fluid retention, blood in your urine or stools and vomiting and blood in your vomit. NSAID can interact with other medications. Some drugs become less effective when they interact with NSAID. Two examples are blood pressure medications and low dose aspirin. Other drug combinations can cause serious side effects, too. NSAID can actually enhance the effect of warfarin, a medication used to prevent or treat blood clots. The combination can lead to excessive bleeding. Cyclosporine is used to treat arthritis or ulcerative colitis. It’s also prescribed to people who’ve had an organ transplant. Taking it with an NSAID can lead to kidney damage. Combining NSAID with the mood-stabilizing drug lithium can lead to a dangerous build-up of lithium in your body [4]. Taking NSAID with low-dose aspirin can increase the risk of developing stomach ulcers. Bleeding within the digestive system may also be a problem if you take NSAID with selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors. It’s usually not a problem to take NSAID if you also take diuretics. However, your healthcare provider should monitor you for high blood pressure and kidney damage while you take them both [5]. Ibuprofen is the most commonly used NSAID in children. It’s also the only one approved for use in children as young as 3 months old. Naproxen can be given to children over the age of 12 years old.

Acknowledgement

Conflict of Interest

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