The medication can also cause ulcers, bleeding or holes in the stomach and intestine for some people. The risk may be higher if you take NSAIDs for a long time, are older or in poor health, and have three or more alcoholic drinks per day. Hide Caption. Acetaminophen — This compound can ease minor muscle, back, tooth and joint pain and reduce fever. Sold under brand names such as Tylenol, Liquiprin and Panadol, it works by regulating the part of your brain that controls your body's temperature and inhibits the synthesis of prostaglandin in the central nervous system.
A study has found that it could reduce pleasure as well. Too much of the drug can cause rashes, liver failure and even death. Aspirin — Aspirin is one of the cheapest and oldest manufactured painkillers on the market. German-born scientist Felix Hoffman is credited with creating and popularizing what was then known as acetylsalicylic acid in to help ease his dad's arthritis pain.
Today, it is used to ease minor aches and headaches. It works by reducing the substance in the body that causes inflammation and fever. Doctors also tell some adults to take an aspirin daily to help prevent a heart attack or stroke. People with bleeding conditions like ulcers or cardiovascular troubles like asthma are often advised to take another painkiller, as it may make those conditions worse. Some Americans are also allergic to aspirin.
Americans consume more than 15 billion aspirin tablets a year. Here's a guide to some of the most commonly used pain relief medications:. Marijuana — There's been a growing acceptance of marijuana as a legitimate pain reliever.
The American Medical Association supports making marijuana a Schedule I controlled substance in order to promote research into its therapeutic abilities. Doctors in some states may prescribe it to ease chronic pain that comes from arthritis, migraines, Crohn's disease or other ongoing pain issues where other medicines have failed.
It works by blocking the pain sensations felt by peripheral nerves. The cannabinoids in marijuana bind to endocannabinoid receptors throughout the body and can reduce pain but also give the feeling of being high.
Some research shows that it can also slow cancer development and increase appetite. Forty states and the District of Columbia allow some legal uses of marijuana, mostly for medicinal purposes. Hydrocodone — Hydrocodone is available only in combination with other ingredients, with different products prescribed for different uses. Some products are used to relieve moderate to severe pain, while others combat a cough, according to the National Institutes of Health.
An opiate narcotic analgesic, hydrocodone relieves pain by changing the way the brain and nervous system respond to it. It may be habit-forming, and abuse of drugs, including hydrocodone, has become a concern in recent years.
Now, in order to use these drugs, patients will have to get a written prescription from a doctor -- instead of one submitted orally by phone. And refills are prohibited; patients would have to check in with their doctors to get another prescription. Fentanyl — Fentanyl is a prescription-only pain medication often given to cancer patients. They must be at least 18 years old to take it, or at least 16 for lozenges branded as Actiq, and they should also be taking regular doses of another narcotic pain medication.
Patients must also be accustomed to the effects of narcotics. Fentanyl itself is a narcotic and changes the way the brain and nervous system respond to pain, according to the National Institutes of Health. This drug comes in the form of a lozenge, a tablet under the tongue, a film and a buccal between the gum and cheek tablet, as well as in injectable form.
But Donald Miller, PharmD, professor of pharmacy practice at North Dakota State University, in Fargo, cautions that the dosages in the study may be lower than those that some patients take.
Thank you for this post. I was put on this medicine but was scared to take it. Now I feel more comfortable doing so after reading these facts. You have really helped me. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. How should physicians be advised as to best treat arthritis pain in this population?
The FDA asked Pfizer to sponsor a study to answer that question. Steven Nissen of the Cleveland Clinic and involved 24, patients, a third of whom were randomly assigned to Celebrex, a third each to prescription doses of ibuprofen and naproxen.
The key inclusion criteria for the trial were that patients had established CV disease or increased risk for the development of CV disease. The primary outcome measured was death from CV causes, including hemorrhagic death, nonfatal myocardial infarction and non-fatal stroke. They were presented yesterday by Dr. Nissen at the ongoing American Heart Association meeting with simultaneous publication of the results in the New England Journal of Medicine.
There were deaths 2. While the primary purpose of the trial was to assess CV outcomes, GI and renal outcomes were looked at as secondary endpoints. But the rates of renal adverse events and hospitalizations for high blood pressure were also significantly lower for Celebrex compared to ibuprofen although Celebrex and naproxen were no different on this effect.
Adherence and retention were lower than in most trials that assess cardiovascular outcomes, which reflects the challenges of long-term treatment of a painful condition in patients who frequently experience frustration with unrelieved symptoms and switch therapies or leave the trial. Low levels of adherence have also been found in previous pain studies. The events that surrounded the withdrawal of Vioxx from the market led to a slew of attacks on the pharmaceutical industry.
The industry, specifically Pfizer and Merck, were looked at as profiteers, committed not to patients but to profits. Celebrex is an important drug for physicians to use in treating arthritis patients in significant pain.
It is safer to use from a GI perspective than non-selective NSAIDs and, in patients with kidney function issues, it is safer than ibuprofen. Furthermore, Pfizer will benefit little from these results.
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