I didn`t know how to add to a thread I started a few weeks back so apologies.
Basically I was prescribed Naproxen for knee pain years ago and it seemed to help, when I read up about it, it said Asthmatics should not take it.
My Doctor has now prescribed Naproxen 500mg gastro-resistant tablets for toe/ foot pain which has not cleared.
My worry / question is the Doctor says it is ok to take Naproxen for a short while.
I had an allergic reaction to a totally unrelated tablet which I ended up in A&E with, so I`m really worried now trying a tablet that I am told is ok to take, and to be fair have been ok with .
It has put so much doubt in my mind, on one hand Naproxen did help, on the other I don`t want to risk an asthma episode.
Any thoughts?
Thanks
Steve
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gentryman
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two thoughts, gentryman. The first is for you to have a discussion with your pharmacist. Most pharmacists regard it, in the UK, as their job to advise their customers directly on medication issues. They may have some insights that your doc hasn’t considered
The other thought is for you to take, again with the pharmacist’s advice, some over-the-counter medication. Personally I take glucosamine with chondroitin for my toe pain as my toes are arthritic and don’t bend. the tablets work within about five days.
Yes, don’t take NSAIDS regularly like for chronic pain where you take it everyday. It will eventually cause kidney issues. At least take to your doc about it or as suggested you pharmacist as they are really good help especially with the more common meds. Absolutely no reason to take a pill that can destroy your kidneys relatively quickly and Shane on any doctor recommending taking NSAIDS daily. The issues with Vioxx in the late 1990s showed the problems with long term daily NSAIDS use. So please have a discussion with your doc. If he sees no issue CHANGE DOCTORS he will eventually (potentially) cause you serious health issues because he is incompetent, lazy or both. Reminder of the issues with the prescription NSAIDS:
Long term effectsCHICAGO (Reuters) -
A long-term analysis of people who took the arthritis drug Vioxx confirms it doubles the risk of strokes and heart attacks, researchers said on Monday, but this risk goes away a year after people stop taking it.
l...Long-term study confirms Vioxx heart risks - Reuterslong term effects of vioxxIssuesSome consider the voluntary removal of Vioxx from the market in September 2004 by its manufacturer, Merck, after studies revealed that it was linked to an increase in dangerous cardiovascular events such as strokes and heart attack, a huge loss of a valuable drug.jci.org › articles › view
link:
Poison pills: The untold story of the Vioxx drug scandal - JCI
this is indeed the case for Vioxx, but I was taking ibuprofen for many many years for various pains and aches, probably only three or four doses a week average, and although I’ve stopped now (it doesn’t go well with my blood pressure pill) I had no issues kidney or otherwise. And for me it’s a far superior painkiller than CoCodamol (code in plus paracetamol) and doesn’t cause constipation
Naproxen should not be taken long term even with a stomach protector drug. We are at a higher risk of heart attack ,stroke on it long term. I was taken off it even with no heart problems.
I agree with happyrosie, speak with your pharmacist about your concerns.
I've been given both pain killers and anti-inflammatories in the past years which i found worked well for me, however years later when prescribed the same medications again i've had bad allergic reactions.
I don't know if its because doctors are under more pressure, but it's felt like i've had more support over my health, medications and side effects from my pharmacist. My pharmacist has taken me off something my doctor prescribed because of my allergic reactions and said "the doctor can prescribe something else".
From having been on Naproxen myself many times over the years, I also know there are several alternative anti-inflammatories that can replace Naproxen.
With regards long term use, i believe that depends on how a persons body reacts, we are not all the same. I've been on NSAIDS fir over three years at a time mamany times over the past thirty five years, my kidneys, liver and stomach lining has not been affected at all. I'm not dismissing that they can cause damage, i'm only saying not everyone is affected.
I’ll give you that but spend some time on the CKD side of this blog and you’ll find the majority of us who are not T2D positive it’s high BP AND NSAIDS. I did post some actual evidence on the same type of meds and the heart attack/stroke risk. I’ll go out on a limb and say the majority of folks run a risk especially if other damaging behavior like any alcohol consumption or high salt in diet. But fair point and I appreciate you correcting me.
I wasn't by any means correcting you and my apologies if I came across as such, it was certainly not my intention. I may just be in the minority, an oddity or just very lucky that they haven't affected my organs. Because of the opiods I get put on, I gave up alcohol a long time ago, and while my diet leaves a lot to be desired, my diet tends to be more lacking than having too much of anything, like salt
Over on the OA forum, I have often said that some people react differently to certain medications. My doctors are still surprised I reacted so badly to Gabapentin (my gums receded and I lost four teeth as a result). I won't go on that again, I won't risk it.
I was raised hearing the primary concern of nsaids being 'bleeding of the stomach lining' and I try to keep in the loop about side effects, moreso as I tend to get ones not listed.
It certainly wasn't my intention to come across as if a high amount are safe on nsaids, only that some individuals organs aren't affected by long term use.
oh no I didn’t mean to infer that I was in any way upset or offended. I hate that you thought I meant that as I was legit thanking you for your astute observation. With all that is wrong with me I average about 2/3 hours of sleep so here in the south-central US it was early in the AM and I’m older now having CKD 4 for 26 years so the gray matter isn’t as sharpe as it once was. I simply stated an affirmative with no regards to what I usually say “we are all different.” So it was meant as an honest thanks for keeping me on task! Plus I have a huge bias against NSAIDS for probably unjustifiable reasons but still it’s my bias. You are correct on the stomach issues but they do like the info on Vioxx I posted double/quadruple heart attack and stroke risk, can irreversibly damage organs essential to live form one moment to the next. I took Motrin as it was the in vogue treatment in the US Army in the mid-late 1980s early 1990s, to give us 120 pills for a sprained ankle, or stretched hamstring. They were 850mg I’d take six/eight a day because those were the directions. Came in real handy in the desert when the war hit. So I didn’t take them every day maybe 200/250 days of the year from ‘87-‘92, only 5 years. Plus I was hit hard in ‘98/‘99 with multi-joint osteoarthritis (genetic) where between ‘97-‘14 I had 20 plus orthopedic surgeries. So I always had a close eye on the “super-hyped” pain relievers that worked as well as opioids but nonaddictive. Vioxx and Celebrex are just prescription NSAIDS. They killed several and Merck and Pfizer were forced to remove them from market and pay like Perdue and J&J over OxyContin. So in my opinion NSAIDS aren’t worth it with Tylenol almost as effective. However, I digress. I’m sorry for the misunderstanding and were are good if you are good. Take care!
Being raised with military surroundings myself, every posting meant new doctors. Civilian doctors were a whole different ball game. I was out long distance hiking with an army buddy, I ended up tearing the meniscus in my knee. My civilian doctor in the early 90's didn't believe anything was wrong and kept me on nsaids four times a day for over three years, even after I developed a limp due to my knee pain worsening. I eventually saw a specialist who agreed 'yes it was a meniscus tear but as the doctor had left it so long, a curved bone grew and dug into the tear'. As soon as the doctor was told this, the nsaids were stopped immediately and I was put on morphine (oramorph). But even then, medical professionals were aware of nsaids causing ulcers and damage to the stomach lining, thinking back, it made me wonder if he (that doctor) intentionally ignored those side effects and use the nsaid as more a placebo, he certainly didn't believe me anything was wrong.
I have more faith in my pharmacist than I do in doctors. I don't know what state your healthcare is in, but many in the uk now are given a max of 10 minutes per appointment, this has the knock on effect that patients are more like a conveyor belt and that lack of time doctors have with patients has led to lacking full/the proper awareness of what they are prescribing as well as a lack of one to one care. It can't all be squeezed into 10 minutes.
Yet i've found pharmacists are more than happy, and willing to take a break from just checking and filling prescriptions to spend the time talking to a customer/patient about their medication, its side effects, health concerns, basically everything doctors don't seem to have time for now.
I still get things prescribed now where i have a bad reaction, the doctor gives me something that counteracts it, but doesn't stop it. The pharmacy has stepped in a few times now saying "no, we can see the allergic reaction you're having, I am not going to be a part of this so i'm not filling this prescription. Ask the doctor if he/she can try you with possibly xyz as an alternative ".
It doesn't seem right at any age or in any era where the patient has to take their own health into their own hands or look for all the precautions over their own health on prescription leaflets because the doctor didn't, before prescribing something.
well thank you or your family member for their service to their country. I had a British National (in the USArmy) as my gunner when I was the executive officer of B co 4/35 Armor is n Ft Polk, La. Best solider I had and a really good friend(though that was still somewhat frowned upon even in the early ‘90s.). SSG Tydeman. He gave me the honor of swearing him in when he earned his US citizenship in ‘92. It was a true honor. Tremendous solider. Anyway, I am constantly amazed to read the post of your fellow countrymen and glean just a little insight into your healthcare for all. I guess if you are financially able you do have the option to pay for care. Always the Elites versus us and they hate us as should be obvious after the COVID debacle!
10 minutes without the luxury to switch doctors and you have to wait what 3/4 weeks for that 10 minutes. That to me is unfathomable and smack of malpractice. It seems the more I read about it the doctors are generally complacent and somewhat uncaring. I really feel for you guys but it has been helpful to use as ammunition on my 20 year old progressive daughter who believes you country has the perfect healthcare system. My best friend from college lived in Canada for 5 years in employ of one of the Big oil Co and broke his shoulder skiing. 11 month wait in Canuck Land. So he works on her too. I believe it was your blood and guts WWII leader, Sir Winston Churchill who said “If you're not a liberal when you're 25, you have no heart. If you're not a conservative by the time you're 35, you have no brain,” or something like that. Anyway, I understand about later in life issues with allergies. I had a full blown anaphylactic episode when given a penicillin similar antibiotic in 2001. I had never had any medical allergies prior now I got like 3 medical chart lines full. Just how our bodies change as we age. I’ve enjoyed our exchange and again I apologize for the misunderstanding and do deeply appreciate your gracefulness! Have a terrific day maam!
I was on NSAIDs for general pain, mostly back, neck and feet, for many many years with no side effects. Ive also been on anti hypertensives for 20 years, but two years ago my doctor asked me to stop NSAIDs as new research indicates the two don’t go together (I’ve forgotten the exact rationale).
I have an opioid Butec and supplement that at night with Co-codamol.
I am asthmatic and have been regularly prescribed Naproxen with both my hip replacements and knee replacement and have never had any problems So I really hope you will be fine
Like Happyrosie says pharmacists are a wealth of knowledge
I have been on Naproxen for years due to really bad knee issues.
My consultant for my asthma said Im okay to use Naproxen yet if it causes any issues to stop it.
I had a period of about 18 months when I couldnt take it as my asthma was really unstable and I was in and out of hospital (totally unrelated to the Naproxen)
I think just like everything we all have our own triggers so from an asthma perspective some can tolerate it and some cant yet if you can tolerate it and it helps than no harm in using it. Just my opinion.
I apologize for this but I couldn’t let it go because you and your doctors are terribly misinformed. This study is from a US site similar to the NHS in England. It is relatively recent and echos my concerns about these drugs. I just want all of you to be careful and with a Google search you can verify. Why would you not do that? Please verify what your doctors prescribed as they aren’t all-knowing, these meds can cause serious harm and if you don’t have the convo with your doctors you are just taking a huge risk. So I’ll post a link and a small excerpt. My apologies but I don’t want anyone to be caused harm due to doctor ignorance or to get sick from their malpractice.
“This review has summarized the potential risks associated with chronic NSAID use in older adults, including GI, renal, CV/cerebrovascular, and CNS adverse effects. Although only ADRs affecting these four organ systems were discussed in this review, it is important to recognize that NSAIDs can cause various other adverse effects (eg, hepatotoxicity, cutaneous toxicity).
2 Moreover, it is important to note that nonpharmacological approaches (weight reduction, increasing physical activity) may also help patients who are experiencing musculoskeletal pain.29 For patients already taking NSAIDS chronically, healthcare providers should assess whether the patient could switch to APAP or salsalate. If the patient still requires a NSAID, GI prophylaxis should be considered in all older patients, especially those with other risk factors; importantly, the NSAID should be used at the lowest effective dose for the shortest period of time.As the aging population rapidly grows over the next few decades, the risks associated with chronic NSAID use will remain an important public health issue. Hopefully, health-care providers armed with the above information who carefully and consistently monitor chronic NSAID use in their older patients will avoid these preventable complications.
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