Osteoarthritis, Muscle and Neuropathy Pain Relief
Popular pain control medications have some risk
without adequate attention to dosage and warnings. The following
information was collected from publicly available sources and is not
to be considered medical advice
Aspirin was the pain drug of choice, until data
emerged on the rather large number of bleeding-related deaths. In
fact, many pharmaceutical experts say that if aspirin had to go
through the Food and Drug Administration's approval process today
for arthritis and neuropathy pain relief it would never make it to
market.
Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB) and naproxen
(Aleve). Ibuprofen and naproxen are known as non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs, or Nsaids. They can equal or outdo
aspirin's action against arthritis pain, sore muscles, neuropathy
pain and painful inflammation but at less risk of bleeding. However,
they can irritate the gastrointestinal tract and possibly cause
ulcers. People who use Nsaids chronically for osteoarthritis and
neuropathy pain relief are often told to take an anti-acid drug to
protect their stomachs.
Cox-2 Inhibitors are a new kind of drug called a
cox-2 inhibitor, sold as Celebrex, Vioxx, Bextra and Mobic. These
drugs are as good as or better than ibuprofen for arthritis, muscle
and neuropathy pain relief, although as patented prescription
medications they can be costly.
The cox-2 inhibitors were considered safer
because they reduced the risks of bleeding and gastrointestinal
damage. As major money makers, they were heavily promoted,
especially to the millions who need relief for chronic arthritis,
muscle and neuropathy pain.
Alas, these, too, have come under serious fire as
their use mushroomed and evidence emerged linking them to heart
attacks and strokes among users already at risk for these problems.
With many multimillion-dollar lawsuits looming, Vioxx was the first
to be withdrawn from the market, recently followed by Bextra. Both
drugs may come back, accompanied by more stringent warnings. Other
cox-2 drugs for treating arthritis pain, muscle pain and neuropathy
pain such as Celebrex and Mobic may also encounter marketing
restrictions.
An entirely different drug, acetaminophen has
been long used to counter occasional arthritis pain, sore muscles
and neuropathy pain, fever and tension headaches, acetaminophen is
now being hailed as an excellent first choice for the relief of
chronic arthritis and neuropathy pain. Acetaminophen, often referred
to by its most popular brand name, Tylenol, has no anti-inflammatory
action. Nor does it cause bleeding or gastrointestinal distress.
Taking more than 4,000 milligrams a day of
acetaminophen on a chronic basis such as for muscle, neuropathy and
arthritis pain relief can damage the liver of an adult. The danger
dose would be far smaller for young children.
Topical lidocaine can alleviate the pain associated with
osteoarthritis
A recent clinical trial data found patients
receiving either a lidocaine patch 5% or Celebrex(R) (celecoxib) 200
mg for pain associated with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee
experienced pain relief. This topical lidocaine analgesic patch was
approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1999 to
treat the pain associated with post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN), a
chronic condition resulting from nerve damage caused by shingles.
The results of an exploratory study examining the
lidocaine patch and Celebrex suggests that the topical lidocaine
patch can alleviate the pain associated with osteoarthritis of the
knee.
We expect to see similar results in future pain
studies for the use of topical lidocaine to treat arthritis pain,
sore muscles, neuropathy and other chronic pain conditions. |
