Red Flags About Over-the-Counter Pain Relievers
In
the medical field, one of the hardest to deal with is pain management. If you
are the doctor, how can you manage the pain felt by your patient? Usually
through pain relievers. Depending on the level of pain, doctors will recommend
pain relievers with different strength or effect. If the patient suffers from
severe pain, doctors may opt for high-strength painkillers – strong enough to
put the patient in a sedated condition.
For
ordinary and regular pains like headache, toothache, pain from injury or fall,
some over-the-counter pain relievers may do the magic, but that will depend of
course on the type of painkiller you take.
Over-the-counter
pain killers or pain relievers are of two types:
Acetaminophen
For
some reasons, a lot of people think that acetaminophen like Tylenol is a whole
lot safer than aspirin. However, a recent study showed that even a low dose
acetaminophen for long term can be more damaging to the body than a high single
dose.
While
these painkillers can bring about a positive outcome to someone’s pain, it is
not to say that they don’t have any harmful side effects. Hence, it is really
important and critical to take precaution before taking any over-the-counter
pain reliever. Did you know that taking over-the-counter pain relievers may not
just provide temporary relief from pain but also, increases the risks of having
a heart attack especially for those who had previously suffered from heart
attack or stroke.
NSAID
What
is NSAID? It stands for Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and these are
widely used for a variety of pain. Millions of Americans rely on NSAIDs to
reduce pain and inflammation, too. By blocking the chemical production in the
body which contribute to inflammation and pain, NSAIDs are able to control the
level of pain you feel. But like all medications, NSAIDs have some harmful side
effects as well. The following are some of the red flags about over-the-counter
pain relievers:
- Heart Attack – Reports by the American Heart Association stated that
taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) increases the risk
of suffering a stroke or having a heart attack. The risk goes even higher
if the person had already suffered a heart attack in the past. Possibly
exempted are aspirin and naproxen.
- High Blood Pressure – Some of the NSAIDs like ibuprofen,
naproxen sodium and ketoprofen can cause blood pressure to shoot up.
NSAIDs reduce the flow of blood into the kidneys, which filter our blood,
which will cause the kidney to work slowly that will result in the
build-up of fluids in our body that causes blood pressure to increase. A
precautionary advice is not to take pain relievers for more than 10 days.
- Gastrointestinal Risk – NSAIDs cause damage to the lining of the
stomach that leads to ulcers and bleedings. It causes an estimated 24,000
North American deaths every year. It prevents the enzyme COX 1 from protecting the stomach lining.
More prone to this are those who are 60 and above and those who are under
blood thinning medication.
- Kidney Risk – Prolonged use of NSAIDs and acetaminophen can
damage the kidney permanently. The abusive use of unnecessary
over-the-counter pain relievers could lead to renal failure that will
require dialysis for the kidneys to function.
- Liver Risk – High dosage of acetaminophen can cause
severe liver damage. Studies showed that too much use of acetaminophen is
the cause of more than 40% of acute liver failure for a period of
six years.
Understand
and know the dangers of some of the commonly used over-the-counter pain
relievers and prevent a potential disastrous medical situation. Before thinking
of self-medicating, be aware of the dangers that self-medicating can bring to
you. If you think that it will save you enormous amount of money by not
consulting healthcare providers, think again because it actually pays to
consult a doctor than incur disastrous medical condition because of improper
drug use.
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