The Risks and Benefits of Pain Killers
When dealing with arthritis pain, whether in the form of osteoarthritis, which comes with age, or rheumatoid arthritis, a debilitating immune disease, you need relief. Medication is often prescribed or you can find just about anything over the counter, but you need to weigh the risks and benefits before.
In this article, we’ll cover…
- When To Take Painkillers
- Choosing the Best Painkiller Medication for Arthritis
- Common Painkillers
- Why Painkillers Are Harmful
- Surgery As An Option
- Regenerative Exosome Treatment
When To Take Painkillers
Taking painkillers is not an easy decision to make. You may wonder if you should try and tough it out or if you do take painkillers, which one is right for you?
If you do decide to take pain medication, it should ideally be used for temporary relief. Extended use of even the most common types of drugs, like Tylenol, has health risks like liver damage, stomach ulcers, or even heart disease. Medication should not be your only solution to finding relief. Keep in mind that pain relief medicine can be highly addictive. Relapse rates tend to be 40%-60% higher than other addictions.
Instead, pain medication should be used to provide relief while you work on a longer-term solution. Some do need pain relief to even go about their day and do the exercise that can help improve the pain. If youāre suffering from osteoarthritis, losing 10-15 pounds can ease the joint pressure and reduce the pain.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an immune disease that results in inflammation of the joints. Incredibly, your dietary choices play a major role in how your body functions. Studies show how gut health, the microbiome, and inflammation are related.
Best Painkiller Medication For Arthritis – Choosing Which Is Right For You
When choosing a painkiller, you need to first know which form of arthritis youāre suffering from. Although the various forms all result in joint pain, different medications are often used to treat the different types of arthritis. Speaking to your healthcare provider first will allow you to
- Determine the type of arthritis
- Ask questions about the benefits and risks of medication specific to your condition
- Chances of negative reactions
- Remember the potential for addiction
Common Medication For Arthritis
Anti-Inflammatory Painkillers (NSAIDs)
This is the most common type of painkillers for any type of arthritis. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDās) help to relieve pain, stiffness, and joint swelling. You probably know them as Advil, Motrin, or Ibuprofen.
Although these are generally safe to use, extended use can result in stomach ulcers and possibly increase your risk of heart attack.
Steroids
Steroids like prednisone and Decadron help to calm swelling, pain, and inflammation. It can be administered as pills in high doses to manage severe flare-ups for rheumatoid arthritis, in low dose pills as a longer term to mitigate pain and inflammation, or injected directly into the joint for direct treatment.
Extended use can increase blood sugar levels, thin bone density, and raise the risk of infection.
Prescription Painkillers
Prescription painkillers like fentanyl, morphine, and oxycodone are used when other medications are not providing relief. These only dull pain receptors so they should not be used for any extended period of time. Continued use will exacerbate inflammation and pain.
Why Painkillers Are Harmful
Unfortunately, painkillers only mask the pain and do not resolve the root cause of the problem, cartilage & tissue atrophy.
Simply reducing the inflamed tissue is a temporary bandaid to the problem and the longer the real problem is not corrected, the severity of the complication worsens.
According to *Harvard Health, approximately 50% found NO BENEFIT when taking these as a solution. In fact, the *National Library of Medicine concludes that these DO NOT reduce joint pain at all and should not be covered by health insurers.
Surgery As An Option
Before undertaking invasive surgery, consider these stats…
- Only a *65% success rate for knee surgery
- As little as 36% of patients are only able to return to playing sports
- Multiple surgeries are often needed if under the age of 70 due to normal wear and tear
- Average Out Of Pocket Cost = $8,000.00 (will vary according to your insurance deductible)
Consider The Rehab…
- With INTENSIVE rehab, 6 months up to an ENTIRE YEAR to fully recover
- In that time, more medication for severe pain, swelling, & blood thinners
- Medication FOR the medication’s side effects like nausea and constipation
- Assistive walking devices
- Stiffness, swelling, crackling, and even numbness
Regenerative Exosome Treatment
Instead of masking the pain with painkillers or unnaturally & surgically replacing joints, repair them. Unlike medication that targets the symptoms, exosome treatment targets the root cause: damaged muscle, joints, and cartilage at the cellular level.
In the same way your skin rebuilds itself after a cut, you can trigger your body’s natural rebuilding process to counter the effects of joint atrophy.
If you’d like to speak with our team about this treatment that is changing how we deal with arthritic pain, we have offices in Los Angeles, CA and Studio City, CA.