More often than we like, we feel pain, more so when we are advanced in age. Most of us complain about neck and back pains. There are many causes of these kinds of struggles, and one of them is inflammation. It is a common misconception that inflammation is related to gout. While this isn’t completely wrong, there is more to inflammation; not just gout. 

Inflammation

Contrary to popular belief, inflammation isn’t just about arthritis and older people. In fact, inflammation is actually the body’s initial response to change. When there is inflammation, it means that the person’s immune system is working since it has detected that the body has made contact with things such as viruses, bacteria, or chemicals. When inflammation occurs, it often leads to pain, swelling, bruising in the skin, or even itchiness or redness.

So in this light, this means that inflammation is the body’s way of alerting itself that something is wrong, and something is being done to cope with the situation. It also means that inflammation isn’t just for people who are advanced in years, but inflammation can happen in younger people, too.

There are two types of inflammation–acute and chronic. Let’s talk about these two. 

Acute inflammation results from a sudden discomfort or change in the body. This could be seen in injuries such as a sprained ankle, bacteria infections, or common viruses. 

On the other hand, chronic inflammation occurs when the body has no control when it comes to sending inflammatory cells. While symptoms of acute inflammation are easily seen, signs of chronic inflammation are rather harder to spot. Some signs of chronic inflammation include abdominal pain, fever, rashes, mouth sores, and chest pain. 

Chronic inflammation is also linked with diseases. The most common disease that is linked with inflammation is arthritis–specifically rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing arthritis. Other diseases could be asthma, cancer, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Acute inflammation is dealt with easily. For acute inflammation, a person can opt to take some rest and place some ice over the inflamed area. Though the inflammation won’t go away in an instant, after a few days, the inflammation heals, and discomfort will eventually fade away. 

On the other hand, there are three ways that most healthcare providers suggest when it comes to tackling chronic inflammation. These are supplements, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and steroid injections. Supplements help to minimize pain and discomfort while promoting recovery for the person. NSAIDs are medicines that can be purchased over the counter. These meds help lower inflammation. Steroid injections are used to reduce inflammation in a particular joint or muscle. Steroid injections should be taken with caution as it is advised that they should not be performed in the same part of the body more than three or four times annually. 

All these three do help in alleviating pain caused by inflammation, but for the rest of this read, we will be focusing on NSAIDs.

Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)

A great thing about NSAIDs is that they areit is available for purchase off the counter. This means that it is always easy to take hold of them and find them in most of the drug stores located near us. NSAIDs come in different packaging. They are usually seen as medications taken orally such as tablets and capsules. However, they can also be packed as suppositories, creams, gels, and injections.

While it’s great that they’re almost readily available for everyone, it is also great as they work for both acute and chronic inflammation. NSAIDs are usually used to treat back pains–whether it might be mild or moderate. It also helps deal with tenderness or stiffness of the back. NSAIDs can also be used for pain or discomfort caused by muscle pains brought about by intense activities such as working out, household chores, or any other activities that require a lot of energy and strength. Stiffness in the neck can also be treated with NSAIDs. These are just some of the common acute inflammations that can be dealt with using NSAIDs. 

Types of NSAIDs

There are different types of NSAIDs including aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, and celecoxib. These are the four dominant types,. Hhowever, there are other types, too, including diclofenac, mefenamic acid, etoricoxib, and indomethacin. These are all familiar names when it comes to purchasing meds. These are the generic names of these types of medications. 

There are lots of brands that cater to these types of NSAIDs, and each one works differently for every individual. Some brands work better than others, and some brands cost more than others do. However, these meds still are made up of the same type of NSAIDs. 

Precautions 

While NSAIDs are available for everyone’s reach, it is still safe to check on the precautions of certain meds that you are taking. For your safety, it is better to reconsider and talk with your physician first before using NSAIDs if you can consider yourself one of the following:

  • elderly — over 65 years old
  • pregnant
  • nursing mother
  • asthmatic
  • experienced allergies showing up before when using NSAIDs
  • experienced problems connected with heart, liver, kidneys, blood pressure, and circulation
  • have other medications
  • giving the NSAIDs to children below 16 years old

NSAIDs are often prescribed for patients who are experiencing musculoskeletal conditions. NSAIDs are better off thoroughly discussed with a physician when it is going to be administered to children younger than 16 years old. Aspirin should not be given to children who are of these ages as well. 

NSAIDs are safe, however, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration highly advises that individuals use NSAIDs as little as possible. It is also preferable that they use it in the lowest possible dose in the shortest needed period possible.

Side Effects

Like anything and everything out there, side effects exist. That also holds for NSAIDs. There are a lot of common side effects caused by NSAIDs, both temporary and long-term. There are also urgent side effects that call for emergencies. 

Common Side Effects 

  • Stomach Problems

The most common side effect of NSAIDs is stomach problems. There have been complaints regarding heartburn, gas, diarrhea or constipation, nausea, and vomiting after taking NSAIDs. The lining of the stomach is also sometimes affected, causing an ulcer to form. An ulcer is not that alarming, however, the formation of an ulcer has the possibility to lead to internal bleeding. Internal bleeding isn’t all that safe, since much of it can reach a life-threatening stage. These are all normal side effects and can easily be avoided by taking antacids. 

Other drugs that can be taken with NSAIDs include misoprostol, omeprazole, esomeprazole, pantoprazole, lansoprazole, and rabeprazole. These drugs will help avoid an ulcer from forming. 

NSAIDs are the kind of medicines that most moms nag their kids about–to eat a full meal before drinking their medicine. This is because it is advisable that NSAIDs be taken after eating one whole meal. Avoiding alcohol or limiting the volume of alcohol being drunk will also help avoid stomach issues in the meantime.

  • Heart-Related Risks and High Blood Pressure

Heart-related risks also exist when it comes to NSAIDs. The US FDA has stated that people using NSAIDs are more likely to face higher risks of a heart attack or stroke. These heart-related risks can develop as early as the first week that a person is into NSAIDs. These risks are even more true when it comes to people who have already experienced heart attacks or strokes. 

As mentioned earlier, it is a safer route forthat individuals to take the least amount of NSAIDs as possible. This also holds for those with heart risks, since the higher the dose is and the more doses are taken, the higher their risks can get. 

Research studies have shown that the heart-related risks and strokes are higher by 1/3 for people who have taken high doses of diclofenac. The same also shows for people who have taken celecoxib and ibuprofen. Ibuprofen and naproxen have been studied, and these studies have shown that these two have high chances of causing cardiovascular problems due to their blood-thinning nature. They can also lessen the efficacy of blood pressure medications, leading to another risk–high blood pressure. 

All NSAIDs have the ability to raise an individual’s blood pressure. This can happen to both a healthy person and a person who already has hypertension.

  • Kidney Risks

Drugs affect kidneys in different ways, and NSAIDs are no exception to that. NSAIDs can cause kidney problems to a person who takes them. It is very important to watch the dosage of medicine that you take daily. Aspirin, when taken with no control (more than 6 tablets a day), can definitely, without a doubt, cause problems in your kidneys to develop. Aspirin also has this tendency to cause a person to bleed when this person is already suffering from kidney disease. 

To make things easier and safe, NSAIDs should be avoided when there has already been a problem with a person’s kidneys in the past, as it may cause sudden failure for the kidneys, as well as slowly damage the kidneys one day at a time, without the person knowing or noticing it. If, in the case where NSAIDs need to be taken, it would be a wise move for a person to drink a lot of water daily–preferably six to eight glasses a day, or even more. Alcohol should also be avoided, as mentioned earlier.

  • Allergies

Every person’s immune system is unique. And true enough, the body reacts differently to different foreign substances. This is why for some people, NSAIDs can cause allergies.

Allergies can come as simple as sneezing or hives, or as worste as passing out. Hypersensitivity can cause hives, itchiness, edema, difficulty in breathing, runny nose, breathlessness or wheezing, lightheadedness, or fainting. Some other signs of allergies could show up through the swelling of the lips, tongue, or eyes. 

Others find it hard to swallow when they are experiencing an episode of allergies. In the worst-case scenario, allergies can cause anaphylaxis–wherein an urgent response is expected.

It is common for asthmatic people to experience difficulty in breathing, wheezing, and congestion in the sinus as a reaction to NSAIDs. Other symptoms include coughing, sneezing, or a stuffy nose. The same reaction is also common for people who have nasal polyps and chronic sinusitis. This is called Aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD), which is also known as Samter’s triad and is usually developed when a person is in his 30s to 40s. To steer clear of AERD, individuals are advised to avoid aspirin or other NSAIDs.

Another type of reaction exists, which occurs in individuals who have chronic urticaria. In a nutshell, people that experience hives almost every day for six consecutive weeks or longer are people who have chronic urticaria. The medications needed for chronic urticaria usually depend on what kind of allergy he has. NSAIDs do not help much at all for people who have chronic urticaria. Instead of doing its job, studies have shown that NSAIDs only make the hives worse.

  • Bleeding

Blood clots and NSAIDs have two tendencies in the sense that aspirin prevents blood clots, while non-aspirin NSAIDs are for blood clots. 

The blood thinning ability of aspirin makes it able to lower the chances of experiencing either a heart attack or a stroke. However, contrary to this knowledge, new research has shown that taking aspirin daily or often could cause the risks of bleeding to occur in the brain, stomach, or intestines. 

When the blood is thin, the body of a person is more likely to develop bruises easily, as well as bleed more when a new wound arises. Compared to ibuprofen, celecoxib, and naproxen, aspirin has the greatest platelet inhibition for the longest period of time. 

When a person is bleeding, NSAIDs should be avoided. While it was mentioned earlier that NSAIDs help elderly people with musculoskeletal conditions, it is still likely that these same drugs will take the elderly people to the hospital due as it has a high chance of causing bleeding events. The risk of NSAIDs causing bleeding is even more heightened with the co-prescription with corticosteroids. 

Urgent Situation for NSAIDs

Every person’s reaction to a drug should be observed. Other people have slight to no reactions to a drug at all, while others can have reactions that require urgent responses. These situations should not be taken lightly, as in the worst-case scenario, this could lead to untimely death. 

Some of the symptoms that one should look out for are having difficulty in breathing, pain in the chest, feeling heavy or weak on a certain part of your body, inflammation of the face or throat, or dysarthria. If one or more of these symptoms is observed, the best thing to do is to urgently call for help from the nearest hospital or clinic. 

On a lighter note, other symptoms could be felt, but these symptoms do not need urgent attention. When one encounters an unexplained weight gain after using a certain NSAID, it is advisable that he talk to his physician about it. At this point, the physician might prescribe another medication for this. Other symptoms to look out for include black stools, blurry eyesight, nausea, difficulty in urinating, a severe headache, or middle back pain.

Long-term Effects of NSAIDs

The use of NSAIDs should be limited to the advised timespan, or even less. However, it is understood that in some cases, this timespan has to be stretched due to different reasons. 

The prolonging of this period might cause some serious and unwanted problems along the way. It is expected that the scope of people who will likely use NSAIDs for a longer period of time are the elders, as they are more in need of medication, as compared to the younger generations. 

With this population in mind, it is normal to expect that they will be more likely to develop long-term side effects. These side effects could include peptic ulcers, renal failure, stroke, or heart disease. 

Research has shown that the use of NSAIDs for a longer duration of time has contributed to the worsening state of diseases. When NSAIDs are really necessary, other medications could be taken as well, to combat the negative effects of NSAIDs. It could also be accompanied by water to avoid unwanted effects from multiplying.

Conclusion

It has been mentioned earlier that people feel pain. And, pain is normal. Pain is the body’s way of alerting us that something is wrong so that we can do something about it. We have also discussed that inflammation is not just about gout, but it can also mean other things–such as allergies or hives, and pain, among others. These sorts of inflammation all have an answer to them–where one of those answers is NSAIDs. 

However, even though NSAIDs are loved for their great job at making a person feel better from pain or discomfort, it also has their dips. Knowing the negative side of NSAIDs helps prepare you for what the future may hold while you are using NSAIDs. It can also give you an idea of what to expect when you are already using the drugs, and what things you can do in case emergencies arise.