In order to start with the right foot forward on this topic we need to know what inflammation is and what role it plays in your body. Essentially, inflammation can be interpreted as the body’s response in fighting against everything that’s doing it harm. These can include toxins, infections, and injuries your body combats in an effort to heal itself. It does so by releasing chemicals that trigger the immune system into action.
NSAIDs
These are over-the-counter (OTC) drug medications that you can purchase without having a doctor’s prescriptions to back up your buy.
And the good news is that you can obtain any antibiotic medication that your need here on this website if you navigate your way through it.
These drug medications are known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and their primary role is to help decrease inflammation, which very often helps to alleviate pain.
Because of their propensity to reduce pain from the inflamed area of your body, they are also called anti-inflammatory drugs.
Some of the more common OTCs that have been used for relieving pain caused by inflammation are:
- high-dose aspirin
- naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn)
- ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, Midol)
It’s medically proven that NSAIDs can be very efficacious, they have the propensity to do their work quickly and are known to cause fewer side effects than corticosteroid drugs which also alleviate inflammation.
It’s a forgone conclusion that if you take drug medications for the treatment of your inflammatory condition, you will inevitably find yourself face to face with drug interactions and the side effects that may result from such interaction.
How NSAIDs do their work
In order to alleviate your pain, NSAIDs are known to effectively block the actions of prostaglandins which means that the lower the amount of prostaglandins in your body, the lesser the propensity of your body to suffer from inflammation.
These are hormone like substances has the propensity to render your nerve endings sensitive and exacerbate your pain during the onset and progress of inflammation. What prostaglandins also do is they control your body temperature.
In its work of interfering with the effects of prostaglandins, NSAIDs actually assist in mitigating you pain as well as reducing your fever. They not only accomplish these results, they also treat a variety of bodily discomforts such as:
- sprains or other injuries
- headaches
- pains caused by a minor injury
- backache
- aches and pains from menstruation
- aching muscles
- stiffness and inflammation caused by arthritis and other inflammatory infections
The need for NSAIDs really becomes necessary when the symptoms of arthritis are the problem, especially the onset of stiffness, inflammation, and joint pain.
For the effective treatment of arthritis symptoms over the long term, a certain prescription drug medication known as celecoxib (Celebrex) is normally prescribed by healthcare professionals.
The reason is that the medication is not as demanding on your stomach as other NSAID medications.
The different types of NSAIDs
The main producer of prostaglandins that induce inflammation start forming in your body is the enzyme cyclooxygenase or COX and as already pointed out prostaglandins are responsible for causing and exacerbating inflammation. COX then is the enemy of NSAIDs
It’s medically known that your body produces two types of COX – COX-21 and COX-2.
COX-1 protects the lining tissue of your stomach and COX-2 causes inflammation. For their part, NSAIDS are nonspecific, meaning that they block both COX-1 and COX-2.
This means less prostaglandins being produced which in turn means less inflammation and pain.
Some of these nonspecific NSAIDs that are available in the U.S. include the following:
- naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn)
- high-dose aspirin
- ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, Midol)
Typically, low-dose aspirin isn’t classified as a true NSAID.
In the U.S. some nonspecific NSAIDs are also made available under prescription for the treatment of inflammation and these include:
- flurbiprofen
- diclofenac (Zorvolex)
- famotidine/ibuprofen (Deuxis)
- diflunisal
- etodolac
- indomethacing (Tivorbex)
- sulindac
- ketoprofen
- piroxicam (Feldene)
- mefenamic acid (ponstel)
- oxaprozin (Daypro)
- meloxicam (Vivlodes, Mobic)
- nabumetone
The selective COX-2 inhibitors are NSAIDS that are capable of blocking more COX-2 than COX-1.
The only selective COX-2 inhibitor available by prescription in the United States is Celecoxib (Celebrex).
NSAIDs side effects
It should be noted that purchasing certain NSAIDs without a prescription, doesn’t mean that the medications are totally harmless.
Being man-made, they are always prone to some risks and hence side effects, the principal ones being diarrhea, stomach upset and gas release.
Using NSAIDs is usually intended for short-term treatment, the reason being that an increased risk of side effects often results the longer you take them for treating your inflammation.
It’s always a sound idea to consult your healthcare expert first before using NSAIDs and to personally help prevent inflammation from the very beginning you should avoid using different types of NSAIDs simultaneously.
Gastrointestinal problems
You may sometimes be subject to stomach problems and the most appropriate treatment for these issues is NSAIDs action in blocking COX-1 that facilitates the protection of your stomach lining.
Taking NSADIDs will effectively treat minor gastrointestinal issues that may include the following:
- constipation
- upset stomach
- nausea and vomiting
- generation of gas
- heartburn
- diarrhea
For more serious incidences of stomach upsets, the taking of NSAIDS has the propensity to irritate your stomach lining in such a way that an ulcer can form. Note that the formation of ulcers can ultimately lead to internal bleeding.
You should promptly cease taking NSAID you are using if your notice the following symptoms developing and contact your healthcare professional for advice:
- blood in your stool
- severe abdominal pain
- black or tarry stool
The following people who have a greater risk of developing stomach problems are those who:
- are above 65 years of age
- take NSAIDs on a frequent basis
- use blood thinners or corticosteroids
- have a life history of having had stomach ulcers
It’s possible to reduce your risk of developing stomach problems when you take NSAIDs with an antacid, food, or milk.
It’s very likely that once your healthcare provider realizes you’ve developed gastrointestinal problems, he would suggest you make a change to selective COX-2 such as celecoxib (Celebrex).
Heart disorders
When you take NSAIDs for treating your inflammatory condition you increase your risk for getting:
Your risk of developing these conditions can worsen if you use higher doses of the NSAID medication you are taking.
It should be noted that people who have cardiovascular disorder are more likely to develop heart-related problems by taking NSAIDs.
Conclusion
Having an inflammatory condition isn’t an easy experience to live with because any inflammation that occurs has the propensity to impede the smooth operation of different parts of your body and can ultimately affect its pulmonary functions as well. Anything that affects your heart can have dire consequences and even death. As suppliers of these amazing NSAID medications we can help you combat your condition by making them available online on this very website.
