.

Drug Therapy / Pain-Killers

The first line of treatment for any pain be it joint pain, back pain, or muscle spasm, is usually pain killers unless it's unusually severe.

Aspirin or NSAIDS

Nine times out of ten you'll get a recommendation to try aspirin or another of the family of medications called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDS, for short. These drugs reduce pain sensations and also block the release of Prostaglandins, a group of hormonelike substances that can promote inflammation.

Disadvantages of NSAIDs

NSAIDs are effective in the temporary treatment of moderate pain but have the potential for long-term side effects.

• Cause stomach disorders

• Long-term use may cause kidney disorders

• May induce high blood pressure.

• Over the long term they may even accelerate the course of joint degeneration.

• The NSAIDs typically cause some stomach upset.

• Cause ulceration and bleeding in the stomach.

• Cause tiny pinpoint perforations in the surface of the small intestine. This can induce "leaky gut syndrome," which is thought to be part of the mechanism of allergy, autoimmune disease, and even arthritis itself.

• Long-term use of NSAIDs may weaken the intestinal barrier. This allows allergenic substances to pass that may actually promote inflammation in the joints.

COMMON NSAIDs

• Aspirin

• Bufferin

• Flurbiprofen (Ansaid)

• lndomethacin (Indocin)

• Ketoproten (Orudis)

• lbuprofen (Motrin, Nuprin, Advil)

• Naproxyn (Naprosyn)

• Voltaren

Other medications used:

Steroids

Steroid injections work quite well in the short term. They can relieve pain quickly and completely. Unfortunately, the effect wears off, and the second injection is a little less helpful, the third a little less than that, and so on. You can only give a limited number of steroid injections to a joint, after which you run the risk of actually killing off tissue and weakening bones.

Codeine/Tylenol combination (Tylenol 3):

This certainly blocks pain, but does nothing for the underlying causes of chronic pain. It is a powerful narcotic. You can build up a tolerance to it and require a higher dosage for the painkilling effect. People also experience a dulling effect on mental processes. There is also a high risk of addiction.