NSAIDS is short for Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs that are commonly used to reduce the pain of arthritis patients - also known as Cox inhibitors. They are available both on prescription and over the counter such as aspirin and ibuprofen.
They work by preventing an enzyme called Cyclooxygenase [Cox] a protein from doing its job. There are 2 forms of Cox enzymes; both produce prostaglandins that promote inflammation, pain and fever. Cox-1 is produced to protect the stomach lining from digestive chemicals and strong internal acids. Cox-2 is produced when injury occurs to joints. It is the enzyme that stimulates the inflammatory response.
As well as reducing pain, they have the added benefit of reducing inflammation, lower fevers and even prevent blood from clotting which can be quite beneficial in some cases. It is for these reasons that NSAIDS are quite widely taken.
However there is a much darker side to these medicines. Numerous side effects have been reported.
The following are a few:
Nausea
Gastric Ulcer
Upset stomach
Drowsiness
Easy bruising, due to blood clotting impairment
Anaemia
High blood pressure
Interference with kidney function, kidney failure
Abdominal pain
In rare circumstances, abdominal bleeding
Delaying effect on bone healing
You can obviously tell that there’s an array of possible side effects. You wouldn’t think that a simple anti-inflammatory drug prescribed regularly could cause all those side effects!
I am just exaggerating all this? Unfortunately I am not! You don’t need to look far in medical reports and news articles to find that what I am saying true, sad but true.
Pharmaceutical companies are not doing themselves any favours either by launching these drugs without proper testing.
A well documented drug is Vioxx. A Cox-2 inhibitor drug developed by pharmaceutical company called Merck. It was approved in 1999 and has been widely used throughout America and UK until September 2004 when it was withdrawn. A jury in Texas on Friday awarded a $253.4m settlement to the widow of the 59 year old Robert Ernst who died suddenly after using Vioxx. The court heard claims that Merck had played down safety fears about the drug for an entire decade.
You many consider this to be old news but it is quite clear that people were placed under unnecessary risks. The drug was prescribed to over 20 million people worldwide before it was withdrawn. Experts estimate that Vioxx could have caused 27,785 heart attacks since it was approved for use in 1999.
Since then another Cox-2 inhibitor drug called Bextra has also been withdrawn. It was prescribed as a replacement to the widely used Vioxx medication but was consequently found to cause similarly serious side effects.
Now consider the last time the above kind of side effects were stressed to you by your doctor before prescribing medication? Doctors should know best and that’s why we trust their judgement and yet they don’t feel the need to tell us that they could be placing us under harm.
Together with the pharmaceutical company's irresponsible attitude and the doctorss lack of care can be a dangerous cocktail. The only one that ends up suffering physically is you, the patient. No wonder so many people are turning to alternative medicine. More natural products and healing remedies with minimal side affects, especially as clinical studies have shown over the years that some are just as effective as prescribed medications.
Michelle Armstrong
Why not visit my website for further information:
www.cureyourarthritisremedy.com
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