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- $Unique_ID{BRK00241}
- $Pretitle{}
- $Title{Why Must You Work to Get NSAID to Work Correctly?}
- $Subject{joints arthritis NSAIDs Musculoskeletal Connective Tissue tissues
- nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs rheumatoid drug aspirin joint NSAID
- medication medications medicine medicines}
- $Volume{M-17,R-17}
- $Log{}
-
- Copyright (c) 1991-92,1993 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
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- Why Must You Work to Get NSAID to Work Correctly?
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-
- QUESTION: My doctor gave me a prescription for an arthritis medicine called
- NSAID, and said we would have to do some work to get the medicine to work
- correctly. Why?
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-
- ANSWER: NSAIDs are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that have been or are
- being developed to treat rheumatoid arthritis, similar conditions and for the
- most common forms of arthritis.
- There are about 100 different NSAIDs and they are among the most widely
- used drugs in the world.
- Arthritis patients need to understand that their doctors may switch their
- prescriptions from one NSAID to another, because some of them may not work for
- one individual as well as it will for another person. Also, some people may
- experience seriously upset stomachs or other unwanted side effects after
- taking some NSAIDs. Other factors that are considered in prescribing NSAIDs
- are their costs, how rapidly they work in specific patients, how many times
- per day a drug may have to be taken to reach its full therapeutic value, and
- how safely they do their jobs. All these factors are important
- considerations, but arthritis pain varies greatly among patients and doctors
- may decide to switch from one NSAID to another to help keep their patients as
- comfortable as possible. There may also be some switching before the exact
- dosage for each patient is achieved. Additionally, patients can develop
- intolerances to drugs when they take them over long periods of time then may
- need a different medicine.
- One also needs to understand that many NSAIDs are not taken alone but may
- require one or more other drugs to help them work correctly and to help the
- patient avoid side effects.
- The first NSAID was aspirin, which is still widely used to treat certain
- arthritic conditions. While aspirin can cause serious stomach problems, it is
- still the cheapest of the class of drugs known as NSAIDs.
-
- ----------------
-
- The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace
- the counsel and advice of your personal physician. Promptly consulting your
- doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
- problem.
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