Important information about over the counter pain relievers, like ibuprofen for Headache Sufferers.

Prescription and Over The Counter Pain Relievers certainly have a place in managing pain. This article isn't meant to instruct you not to take a medication, but merely to inform you about a potential problem so you can talk to your doctor and also urge you to consider additional pain relief options that might help you significantly improve your pain levels.

If you can take care of your pain and eliminate the need for the medications, then no one can argue that this would be the best outcome. The goal of any treatment should be to get you better, back to normal if possible, or if not – then as close as we can to normal. 

This post will explain why taking over the counter pain relievers have serious risks and the information might shock you.

Unfortunately, most people think of taking a pain reliever whenever they are experiencing any pain and don't think about other treatment options that are effective at helping them eliminate it like chiropractic.

Why?

We get bombarded with billions of dollars in ad campaigns for pain relieving drugs in every media. We are told that if we have pain, we should ask our doctor about whether this medicine is right for us or that we can just take this little over the counter pain relieving pill and feel better.

Medications, including over the counter pain relievers, help people reduce pain. The reality is though that every medication has both wanted and unwanted side effects.

Several years ago, Vioxx was being heavily marketed to help people with pain. Vioxx caused an estimated 140,000 heart attacks in the US and more than 60,000 deaths BEFORE it was pulled from the market. The company had to pay more than an estimated $5 BILLION dollars in law suits. The company also apparently made $10 Billion in profits before it was pulled from the market.  

The evidence had been mounting for some time before the drug was pulled. People were dying from heart attacks simply because they had pain and were taking a medicine to feel better.

This lead to researchers taking a closer look at other closely related drugs that were widely available over the counter and commonly used for pain relief.

The researchers wondered…

What about over the counter pain relievers like ibuprofen and other other the counter pain relievers (called NSAIDs)?

People take these often, sometimes on a daily basis.

Are these pain relievers safe? 

A study released at an American Association for Cancer Research conference in Anaheim came out several years ago indicating that regular, ongoing use was NOT safe. 

“With prescription drugs Vioxx and Bextra already pulled from the market, a study has raised disturbing questions about the heart safety of over-the-counter pain relievers such as Advil, Motrin and Aleve.”

People taking the “(over the counter pain reliever) drugs for 6 months had TWICE the risk of dying of a heart attack, stroke or other heart-related problem.”

Ibuprofen (Motrin) was found to have even greater risks. “Risk was highest among ibuprofen users who were nearly THREE TIMES MORE LIKELY TO DIE of cardiovascular disease than non NSAID users.”

“The findings add to the suspicion that the heart risk extends beyond the so-called COX-2 drugs – Bextra, Vioxx and Celebrex – to the larger family of medications known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, which include naproxen, ibuprofen, and virtually all other over-the-counter pain relievers.

To the best of our knowledge, these are the first data to support putting a [black] box warning on NSAIDs, not just COX-2s’ said Dr. Andrew Dannenberg, a Cornell University scientist who helped do the study.”

Heart disease and heart attacks are the leading cause of death in the US. 

According to the CDC, heart attacks kill 610,000 people every year and account for 1 out of every 4 deaths.

Taking these medicines can significantly increase your risk of becoming one of the statistics.

The over the counter pain relievers also have well documented effects that result in stomach problems.

If you can get out of pain without having to continue taking the pain relievers, then it makes sense to do so and that is where we come in!

If you are experiencing pain, whether it's headaches, neck pain, shoulder pain, back pain, sciatica, or knee pain then there is an excellent chance that we can help you at Hagebusch Chiropractic as Dr. Hagebusch has done with thousands of other Texarkana area people suffering with painful problems.

If you would like to find out if we can help you, then please contact us… there is no reason to put your life at risk for a problem that could get better.

It's time to get your life back and get back to your regular activities.

Contact Us!

Hagebusch Chiropractic  
Email Us@ HagebuschChiropractic@gmail.com  OR Call Us @ (903) 793-1084