Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are a drug class that reduce pain, decrease fever, prevent blood clots and, in higher doses, decrease inflammation. The most prominent NSAIDs are aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen, all of which are available over the counter.

NSAIDs can be found over the counter and by prescription. Prescription includes: Celebrex, Mobic, and Feldene, and with over-the-counter use, more than 30 billion doses of NSAIDs are consumed annually in the United States alone!

Side Effects

The most frequently reported side effects of NSAIDs are stomach symptoms, such as:

• Gas
• Feeling bloated
• Heartburn
• Stomach pain
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea and/or constipation

There are other serious side effects of taking NSAIDs. If taken on an empty stomach it can cause bleeding, due to NSAIDs destroying the protective barrier of the stomach. If you have high blood pressure or heart problems, NSAID use can cause problems with your heart and blood pressure.

In patients with pre-existing heart failure, NSAID use may lead to cardiac decompensation and worsen heart failure. Education and monitoring patients is key to preventing kidney and heart failure. In 2005, the FDA warned that taking NSAIDs like ibuprofen and naproxen increased the risk of having a heart attack or stroke.

If you are newly pregnant or trying to get pregnant. Researchers compared newly pregnant women who used NSAIDs around the time of conception or early in their pregnancy to those who used acetaminophen or no painkillers, and found using NSAIDs around conception carried a more than four-fold higher risk of early miscarriage.

Chiropractic

Why are you using NSAIDs? Is it due to a pain? Headache? Menstrual cramps? What if you could discontinue your use of popping a pill? Would you try it? When you put a chemical into your body, there will ALWAYS be a reaction, whether you know it by having side effects, or whether you don’t. Build up of continual use will lead to bigger issues down the road.

Chiropractic along with taking anti-inflammatories like; turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and green tea (to name a few) will help. Next, look at your diet and see what you are putting into your body to cause issues.

Try chiropractic!! If you have questions if chiropractic can help, call or contact a chiropractor near you.

~Dr. Lacey~
Carder Chiropractic Clinic, INC.
El Reno, OK 73036