anti inflammatory tablets

[pericat]

Would taking these long term have any negative effects ?

[shaneystar2]

Horses for courses peri .What suits one doesn't suit another
.Something like Ibroprufen ,long term they affect my insides and make me feel spaced out .If you mean these rotten arthritis drugs then they had very negative effects with me .Arthrotec gave me stomach cramps .Then they tried Meloxicam ,Vioxx and another one the name of which I can't remember offhand .I've ditched the lot .If it gets me down too much I take a painkiller and take myself to bed with a hot water bottle :)
I've been like this now since I was 50 and I've learnt to live with it .I get awful RA attacks from time to time but I know it will ease off eventually so I just go with the flow,rub lots of Rheumagel in and keep hobbling :))
I must go now but I'll get back to you with the name of a gel that I use to ease my joints .

[pericat]

Thanks shaney - I am taking arcoxia 90 mg at the moment

[LoftyLottie]

I'm not to bad on Meloxicam, after trying others that made me feel permanently sick. However, I try not to take them all the time. At the moment I am taking them again and have been feeling relatively OK, but it won't last. Best to discuss it with your GP - it can be bad to keep taking over the counter anti inflammatories such as Ibuprofen. Anti inflammatories are not advisable for anybody with heart problems.

[craft1948]

I took anti-inflammatories for 18 months when I had tennis elbow.....no probs....these were on prescription

[pericat]

So are mine craft - I haven't started any RA medicines yet - have never had stomach problems with any of them

[Sqad]

I presume that your question refers specifically to Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs?

[daffy654]

I was on Diclofenac tablets for a few months but had to stop taking them when I developed gastro oesophageal reflux disease (GORD). The surgeon who stuck the camera down my oesopahagus said the tablets had caused a lot of damage and I should stop taking them immediately. I now have to take Omeprazole twice a day to control the symptoms of reflux :-(

[LoftyLottie]

My mother was prescribed them (against my wishes) for her arthritis. She was 88 and had coped with arthritis admirably most of her life. The doctor decided she might be able to get some of her mobility back. She wasn't in much pain with it. She also had suffered from diverticuliitis for many years. She died within two months from massive haemorraging from the bowel, and the hospital consultant said it had been caused by taking the NSAIs.

Someone else I know well had been taken Ibuprufen for a year or so regularly (prescribed for back problems). They have recently had a heart attack and been taken off them and advised never to take them again.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1547672/High-doses-of-ibuprofen-raise-heart-attack-risk.html

[LoftyLottie]

Sorry, this is not to say not to take any prescribed drugs. Just to make sure that you regularly keep a check on things with your GP. I am very cautious these days!!

[shaneystar2]

Diclofenac .That's it daffy .Dreadful stuff .I'm convinced that's what what caused the IBS I now suffer from periodocally. I also had problems when taking them with dreadful heartburn etc .I'm also convinced that some of these drugs do more harm than good hence I go down another route .
I had cortisone for my elbow years ago Craft but it still flares up and I get a bursa come up on it from time to time .Last time it was really inflamed so they took a needle to it and drew the fluid off .Touch wood it's been OK since .
Anyway peri I use a gel called Pferdesalbe which I get from Germany but you can buy it here now .It's not a cure ,there is no cure ,but it cools that horrible hot inflamed feeling .It doesn't smell unpleasant and is non greasy .Unlike some of 'em the smell of which used to follow you down the street :)
You can buy it here
http://www2.westfalia.net/shops/health/symptoms/application_areas/rheumatism___arthritis___arthrosis___joints/569195-56pc_set_of_boxes.htm

[craft1948]

shaney my GP refused to give me a cortisone injection.....he said they were painful, and only had a 50% success rate.......touch wood I've had no problems since......mind I haven't played tennis for 20 years....

[shaneystar2]

Lol ...I haven't played tennis since I was at school :) Though I did play hockey at county level for several years
I do remember the injection was very painful at the time but it did work .But I seem to have degenerated rapidly lately ! My GP is now muttering about knee replacements .He can carry on muttering :)
I blame all this on our old sports teacher who made us run round the three hockey pitches every day in the freezing cold. I couldn't run for a bus these days :)

[LoftyLottie]

Has everybody else lost the right hand side of all the answers on this page?

[pericat]

Thanks shaney - the thing about gel is that the pain is in most joints so I would have to bath in it. Sqad yes I have never been on steroids - used to be voltarol now it's arcoxia or are these just brand names ?

[shaneystar2]

No Lofty mine seems OK .....have you got your your glasses on gal ?
I just slap it on all over peri !!

[pericat]

Yes I have lofty - think am missing quite a bit - short sentences and use return button

[Sqad]

peri...you seem to have answered everyone else's question, but mine. Sow still do not know what drugs we are all talking about.

Shaneystar.....a county hockey player.........right.

[pericat]

Sqad - don't understand your last answer

[Sqad]

peri.......many drugs are anti-inflammatory and used for various forms of arthritis and various steroids e.g cortisone and prednisolone are but two. these are called steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The other large group of anti-inflammatory drugs are NOT steroids and are hence called Non Steroidal Inflammatory Drugs ( NSAID'S) e.g voltarol or Ibuprofen.

Whuch ones do you want to know the long term effects of....NSAID's or Steroids......because the answers will be quite different?

[pericat]

The ones I'm taking which are non steroidal - 90 my etoricoxib - does this make sense
The ends of sentences are being chopped off my vision here so am missing a bit. Also sqad - the clicking finger thing - a couple of times my fingers have stuck and it's taken some seconds to straighten hand again - could it ever stay like that - sorry for stupidity but I panic a bit when this happens