Can you buy it and eat it at will?
Count down your 7 misunderstandings about painkillers
Whether at home or abroad, the commonly used over-the-counter analgesics are mainly non-steroidal analgesics, such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and diclofenac.
I believe everyone is familiar with the names of these medicines, and there will be more or less one or two in the small medicine box at home.
However, because these drugs are available without a prescription, many people think they are completely safe and can be taken at will. This is a big mistake.
Today, experts in the pain department came to summarize the 7 common mistakes made when taking over-the-counter painkillers.
Misunderstanding 1: Take medicine for slight pain
Although taking non-steroidal analgesics in the early stage of pain can help relieve discomfort, if the medication is taken for more than 2 to 3 days, it will delay tissue repair and healing.
At the same time, mild pain has a warning effect, allowing our body to avoid further injury. For example, if the knee joint is painful, we will reduce walking to avoid cartilage and synovial damage. Taking painkillers too early will lead to the risk of knee joint injury during walking. Increase.
Correct approach If the pain is mild, non-drug treatments, such as hot compresses and cold compresses, can be preferred to alleviate the pain by improving microcirculation, reducing inflammatory exudation, and effectively removing the cause.
Misunderstanding 2: Think that long-term medication will have side effects
Taking non-steroidal pain relievers can increase the risk of heart disease, gastrointestinal bleeding and stroke.
In the first week of taking analgesics, these risks will increase sharply, especially for patients who usually take a small dose of aspirin orally for a long time.
Because aspirin itself is a non-steroidal drug, taking other painkillers on this basis will greatly increase the risk of gastrointestinal mucosal damage.
In addition, a report released in 2013 showed that taking painkillers in excess of the recommended dose within a few days can cause severe liver damage and even death.
The best way to take painkillers is to take the lowest effective dose in the shortest possible time.
Moreover, it is necessary to choose appropriate analgesics according to their own comorbidities. For example, patients with gastritis and gastric ulcers, it is best to take orally analgesics such as celecoxib with less damage to the gastric mucosa.
Misunderstanding 3: Unauthorized use of painkillers during pregnancy
Studies have shown that women of childbearing age taking non-steroidal analgesics can significantly inhibit their ovulation function.
A 2015 study found that after taking naproxen for only 10 days, 75% of female participants had abnormal ovulation.
Non-steroidal analgesics inhibit the release of prostaglandins, which play a key role in the process of ovulation.
Fortunately, once the painkillers are stopped, the above problems will be alleviated.
In addition, non-steroidal analgesics will pass through the placenta and penetrate into the fetus's circulatory system, affecting the development of the baby's heart, kidneys and other organs, so pregnant women should stay away from these drugs.
It is safer to use physiotherapy such as hot compress, massage, or medication under the guidance of a doctor if there are pain symptoms during pregnancy.
Misunderstanding 4: Take painkillers to prevent sports injuries
To a certain extent, taking non-steroidal analgesics can encourage people with minor injuries to keep exercising, and also help relieve the pain of stretching and loosening joint fascia in physical therapy rehabilitation patients, which is beneficial to physical function recovery.
However, this requires professional doctors for rehabilitation and medication guidance.
However, if you take the medicine regularly, or use it as a means of preventing injury, it will aggravate the original injury.
Because pain is a safety mechanism for the body to warn of injury, premature use of painkillers will increase the possibility of body injury.
Do not take painkillers too casually.
If you are an athlete engaged in endurance training, you need to be hydrated in time after taking the medicine, otherwise you may damage your kidneys.
Misunderstanding 5: Simultaneous use with compound cold medicine
Many people take analgesics to relieve physical pain when they have a cold or flu.
As everyone knows, many compound medicines for the treatment of colds already contain antipyretic and analgesic ingredients.
Taking the two medicines together will double the amount of medicine taken by people unintentionally. There is a risk of overdose and adverse reactions.
The correct way to take cold medicine is to observe patiently. Most of the time, within 30-60 minutes, as the body temperature drops and sweating, the body pain will disappear. Do not take painkillers at the same time before the cold medicine takes effect.
Misunderstanding 6: Simultaneous use with antidepressants
This is a very common problem. It has been clinically found that a considerable proportion of adult depression patients also have chronic pain. Some of them need to take non-steroidal analgesics to solve the pain.
A 2015 study found that taking non-steroidal analgesics and common antidepressants at the same time increased the risk of cerebral hemorrhage in those taking the drugs.
The correct way for people with depression who take medication regularly should consult their doctor regularly if they want to take painkillers.
Moreover, the pain symptoms of some patients themselves are somatization symptoms caused by depression. Antidepressants alone can relieve pain symptoms, and there is no need to take non-steroidal analgesics at the same time.
Misunderstanding 7: Take medicine when you feel the pain is unbearable
Many people think that painkillers have side effects and think that they should be eaten as little as possible, so every time they insist on taking the medicine when the pain is unbearable, this is wrong.
Taking medicine only when the pain is severe not only does not work well, but it is often used again in a short time due to insufficiency of analgesia, resulting in overdose and increasing the risk of side effects.
Correct Practice During the treatment period, take the medicine regularly according to the doctor's instructions to allow the medicine to form a stable blood concentration in the body, produce a stable analgesic effect, which is conducive to the patient's emotional stability, immune function recovery, and speed up the body's recovery.
Text/Yue Jianning (Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University)
Knock on blackboard
Remind everyone that although the mistaking of painkillers can bring the above-mentioned discomfort, there is no need to worry too much.
The risk of adverse reactions can be reduced to the greatest extent as long as you follow the doctor’s instructions to take the medication at a fixed time, quantitatively, and within the course of treatment, using the principle of individualization, and regular evaluation by professional doctors, and by rationally choosing the type of medication and intake method. "Pit", we can easily avoid it.