Current dogma holds that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs NSAIDs act by inhibition of the synthesis and release of prostaglandins. However, NSAIDs also inhibit the activation of neutrophils, which provoke inflammation by releasing products other than prostaglandins.
Other common side effects of NSAIDs include: raised liver enzymes detected by a blood test, this is more commonly associated with diclofenac than other NSAIDs diarrhoea headache dizziness salt and fluid retention high blood pressure. Less common side effects include: ulcers of the oesophagus food pipe rectal irritation if suppositories are used heart failure hyperkalaemia high levels of potassium in the blood reduced kidney function confusion bronchospasm difficulty breathing skin rash skin irritation, reddening, itching or rash if skin products are used, such as a cream.
NSAIDs can provide relief While NSAIDs can potentially cause many side effects — some of which may be serious or life-threatening — if prescribed under the right conditions and used as instructed, they can be of great benefit. Risk factors include: increasing age side effects are more common in people aged 65 years and over asthma previous or current gastrointestinal problems such as ulcers, bleeding or Helicobacter pylori infection the germ that can cause ulcers having particular heart problems for example, heart failure , high blood pressure, diabetes or kidney disease drinking alcohol taking high doses of NSAIDs taking NSAIDs for more than a few days at a time a previous allergic reaction to NSAIDs taking certain other medicines while taking NSAIDs.
NSAIDs can cause kidney failure when they are combined with ACE inhibitors medicines used to treat heart problems and high blood pressure and diuretics medicines to remove excess fluid. NSAIDs can oppose the effects of medicines for heart failure and high blood pressure and stop them working effectively, including ACE inhibitors, beta blockers and diuretics.
When combined with another type of NSAID including low-dose aspirin or with a corticosteroid medicine for example, prednisolone NSAIDs increase the risk of gastrointestinal ulceration or bleeding.
Stop taking your NSAID and seek advice from your doctor immediately if you develop: swollen ankles difficulty breathing black stools dark, coffee-coloured vomit. Other general suggestions when taking or planning to take NSAIDs include: Always tell your doctor and pharmacist about any other medical conditions you have or other medicines you take or plan to take , including over-the-counter and complementary medicines , such as herbal remedies and vitamin supplements.
Discuss your concerns with your doctor. Explore different ways to manage your pain. For example, you could try physical therapies or a different medicine that might be less likely to cause side effects for example, paracetamol, anti-inflammatory creams. If you need to keep taking NSAIDs, your doctor may be able to prescribe other drugs to help manage some of the side effects.
Medications , Musculoskeletal Australia. Medication information , Australian Rheumatology Association. Give feedback about this page. NSAIDs are a broad group of non-opioid analgesic drugs. Although their chemical structures are different, they have several effects in common:. The body, therefore, produces more of these substances when an injury occurs.
Reducing the number of prostaglandins at the site of damaged tissue lowers inflammation. As a result, these medications have anti-clotting properties. In the case of aspirin, this property may help prevent the blocked arteries that can cause heart attack or stroke. Some conditions that may cause temporary pain include:. Healthcare professionals previously also recommended that adults aged 50—70 years with an increased risk of cardiovascular health issues take low doses of aspirin to help prevent artery disease that can lead to heart attack and stroke.
However, experts now believe that the health risks of taking this drug every day outweigh the benefits, so they no longer advise daily aspirin for most people. However, although these drugs relieve some of the symptoms, such as fever and pain, they neither kill the virus nor improve the course of the illness. Evidence shows that NSAIDs tend to help more with bodily pain and throat irritation and less with respiratory symptoms such as coughing and sneezing. For instance, it is best to limit or avoid alcohol while using NSAIDs, as this combination of drugs can irritate the gut and increase the risk of internal stomach bleeding.
Other people who may need to avoid these drugs or take them with medical guidance include those who:. Serious side effects are less common than mild ones, and the likelihood of any side effect varies among individuals.
This usually prevents bleeding and ulcers from developing if you take an anti-inflammatory. Another option sometimes considered is to take an anti-inflammatory that some studies suggest may possibly have a lower risk of causing stomach bleeding.
These types of anti-inflammatories are called selective COX-2 inhibitors described earlier. However, you should not take a selective COX-2 inhibitor if you have a cardiovascular disease such as angina, heart attack myocardial infarction , stroke, peripheral arterial disease, etc.
Studies have shown that people who take anti-inflammatory painkillers have a small but significant increase in the risk of developing a heart attack or stroke. Although it can occur in anybody, the risk is mainly in people already known to have cardiovascular problems such as angina or peripheral arterial disease , and in the elderly.
Perhaps the highest risk is in people who have previously had a heart attack. For example, one research study looked at people who had previously had a heart attack. The results showed a marked increase in the rate of a second heart attack in people who were taking an anti-inflammatory compared to those who were not. So, it seems that the use of anti-inflammatory painkillers should be kept to an absolute minimum for people with heart disease and other cardiovascular diseases.
In some people with asthma , symptoms such as wheeze or breathlessness are made worse by anti-inflammatories. If your asthma does suddenly become worse you should stop the anti-inflammatory and seek medical help. Also, anti-inflammatories can sometimes make high blood pressure, heart failure, or kidney failure worse. If you have any of these conditions, you may be more closely monitored if you are prescribed an anti-inflammatory. If one or more of these occur they will usually ease off if you stop taking the tablets.
There are also a number of other uncommon side-effects - see the leaflet in the tablet packet for details. Anti-inflammatory painkillers may sometimes react in the body with certain other medicines, sometimes to cause harmful effects. Therefore, it is best to check with a doctor or pharmacist if you take any other medication before taking an anti-inflammatory painkiller. If you think you have had a side-effect to one of your medicines you can report this on the Yellow Card Scheme.
You can do this online at www. The Yellow Card Scheme is used to make pharmacists, doctors and nurses aware of any new side-effects that medicines or any other healthcare products may have caused. If you wish to report a side-effect, you will need to provide basic information about:. Epub May 9. Hello,My wife is suffering from a very strange illness wherein she is getting lower back just above lower right near spine and abdomen pain lower right side at the same time.
This pain some time Disclaimer: This article is for information only and should not be used for the diagnosis or treatment of medical conditions.
Egton Medical Information Systems Limited has used all reasonable care in compiling the information but make no warranty as to its accuracy. Consult a doctor or other health care professional for diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions. For details see our conditions. In this series.
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