Numb and Dumber...The Dangers of Pain Killing Medication
Dr. Paul Lanthois
August 04, 2009
Aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) are by far the most commonly used pain-killing drugs. According to the Journal of The American Medical Association, about 30 million people around the world use NSAIDs for pain relief (1).
Many people may write off Michael Jackson´s death as due to the incorrect and overprescription of pain-killing medications but there are life threatening side effects when you take pain-killing medication according to their recommended directions.
Despite being readily available, pain-killing medications are drugs that need to be taken very seriously...
NSAIDS are the number one cause of drug-related hospitalizations and about 20 000 deaths occur each year in the United States from NSAID-induced ulcer complications! (2) These medications are the largest cause of stomach ulcers with 30% of chronic users getting an ulcer.
An estimated 2.5 million Americans every year experience kidney problems due to taking NSAIDs. (1)
The whole world has heard about the increased risk of heart attack in people that took the now-banned pain-killing wonder Cox 2 drugs, Vioxx and Bextra. (Yet the use of a different brands of the same type of Cox 2 drug, like Celebrex continues to this day despite 4 studies showing that they create an increased risk of heart attack)(3,4,5,6)
The Journal of the American Medical Association also acknowledges that other type of NSAIDS on the market such as indomethacin and ibuprofen have been shown to increase your risk of heart attack by 24 per cent (7). Ibuprofen is sold in Australia as Actiprofen, Brufen, Nurofen and Rafen.
Diclofenac has been shown to increase the risk of heart attack by 55 per cent. Diclofenac is also sold under the name of Voltaren, Dinac, Fenac, Diclohexal and Arthrotec 50.
It is fascinating how so many well-meaning GP´s continue to prescribe NSAIDs whilst knowing this research, comforting themselves with the worn-out mantra: "The benefits far outweigh the risks". Call me crazy but should we really have to risk dying, or ending up in hospital with kidney damage just to help with an occasional headache or sore hip?
If you are in pain there are so many safer and more effective options for you. For starters, get yourself checked by a qualified health professional to address the cause of your pain. In saying that, I mean that you should see a qualified chiropractor or physical therapist. They have at least a hundred times greater training in diagnosing and treating the cause of painful conditions than your average MD. Medical doctors have very poor training in dealing with aches and pains. To compensate for their lack of training in this field they adopt a medication only approach.
There are also very effective ways in reducing aches and pains through massage, podiatry, nutrition and acupuncture that are a lot safer than taking medication.
References
1) Singh, G., Triadafilopoulos, G. Epidemiology of NSAID induced gastrointestinal complications. J Rheumatol Suppl. 1999; 56:18-24.
2) Arthritis unyielding to drugs, Med Adv News, May 1991, p. 26-273.
3) Andersohn, F., Suissa, S., Garbe, E. Use of first- and second-generation cyclooxygenase-2-selective nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and risk of acute myocardial infarction. Circulation. 2006; 113:1950-1957
4) Brophy, J., Levesque, L., Zhang, B. The coronary risk of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors in subjects with a previous myocardial infarction [published online ahead of print July 18, 2006]. Heart. Doi: 10.1136/hrt.2006.089367.
5) Gislason GH, Jacobsen S, Rasmussen JN, et al. Risk of death or reinfarction associated with the use of selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors and nonselective nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs after acute myocardial infarction. Circulation. 2006; 113:2906-2913
6) Helin-Salmivaara, A., Virtanen, A., Vesalainen, R., et al. NSAID use and the risk of hospitalisation for first myocardial infarction in the general population: a nationwide case-control study from Finland [published online ahead of print May 26, 2006]. Eur Heart J. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj.ehl053.
7) Graham, D.J., Cox 2 Inhibitors, Other NSAIDs, and Cardiovascular Risk - The Seduction Of Common Sense, JAMA, 2006; 296:(doi 10.1001/jama.296.13.jed60058)
Many people may write off Michael Jackson´s death as due to the incorrect and overprescription of pain-killing medications but there are life threatening side effects when you take pain-killing medication according to their recommended directions.
Despite being readily available, pain-killing medications are drugs that need to be taken very seriously...
NSAIDS are the number one cause of drug-related hospitalizations and about 20 000 deaths occur each year in the United States from NSAID-induced ulcer complications! (2) These medications are the largest cause of stomach ulcers with 30% of chronic users getting an ulcer.
An estimated 2.5 million Americans every year experience kidney problems due to taking NSAIDs. (1)
The whole world has heard about the increased risk of heart attack in people that took the now-banned pain-killing wonder Cox 2 drugs, Vioxx and Bextra. (Yet the use of a different brands of the same type of Cox 2 drug, like Celebrex continues to this day despite 4 studies showing that they create an increased risk of heart attack)(3,4,5,6)
The Journal of the American Medical Association also acknowledges that other type of NSAIDS on the market such as indomethacin and ibuprofen have been shown to increase your risk of heart attack by 24 per cent (7). Ibuprofen is sold in Australia as Actiprofen, Brufen, Nurofen and Rafen.
Diclofenac has been shown to increase the risk of heart attack by 55 per cent. Diclofenac is also sold under the name of Voltaren, Dinac, Fenac, Diclohexal and Arthrotec 50.
It is fascinating how so many well-meaning GP´s continue to prescribe NSAIDs whilst knowing this research, comforting themselves with the worn-out mantra: "The benefits far outweigh the risks". Call me crazy but should we really have to risk dying, or ending up in hospital with kidney damage just to help with an occasional headache or sore hip?
If you are in pain there are so many safer and more effective options for you. For starters, get yourself checked by a qualified health professional to address the cause of your pain. In saying that, I mean that you should see a qualified chiropractor or physical therapist. They have at least a hundred times greater training in diagnosing and treating the cause of painful conditions than your average MD. Medical doctors have very poor training in dealing with aches and pains. To compensate for their lack of training in this field they adopt a medication only approach.
There are also very effective ways in reducing aches and pains through massage, podiatry, nutrition and acupuncture that are a lot safer than taking medication.
References
1) Singh, G., Triadafilopoulos, G. Epidemiology of NSAID induced gastrointestinal complications. J Rheumatol Suppl. 1999; 56:18-24.
2) Arthritis unyielding to drugs, Med Adv News, May 1991, p. 26-273.
3) Andersohn, F., Suissa, S., Garbe, E. Use of first- and second-generation cyclooxygenase-2-selective nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and risk of acute myocardial infarction. Circulation. 2006; 113:1950-1957
4) Brophy, J., Levesque, L., Zhang, B. The coronary risk of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors in subjects with a previous myocardial infarction [published online ahead of print July 18, 2006]. Heart. Doi: 10.1136/hrt.2006.089367.
5) Gislason GH, Jacobsen S, Rasmussen JN, et al. Risk of death or reinfarction associated with the use of selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors and nonselective nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs after acute myocardial infarction. Circulation. 2006; 113:2906-2913
6) Helin-Salmivaara, A., Virtanen, A., Vesalainen, R., et al. NSAID use and the risk of hospitalisation for first myocardial infarction in the general population: a nationwide case-control study from Finland [published online ahead of print May 26, 2006]. Eur Heart J. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj.ehl053.
7) Graham, D.J., Cox 2 Inhibitors, Other NSAIDs, and Cardiovascular Risk - The Seduction Of Common Sense, JAMA, 2006; 296:(doi 10.1001/jama.296.13.jed60058)
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