Painkillers as a cause of pain?

Medication with numerous side effects - painkillers as a cause of pain?

(09.09.2010) Many painkillers are available over the counter in Germany and are therefore used frequently. The risk of side effects is considerable, and especially if the dosage is too high, preparations such as acetaminophen, aspirin or ibuprofen can in turn cause chronic pain. Therefore, doctors warn against frivolous use.

Frequently, Germans already resort to over-the-counter preparations with relatively slight pain. The use of ASA, paracetamol or ibuprofen for the treatment of mild fever or mild pain is sometimes quite appropriate, but it should be studied before the package insert because of possible side effects and, if necessary, see a doctor. Because for certain patients, taking the medicine is simply taboo. „Children should not be treated with ASA. Older people, especially heart attack patients, should not take ibuprofen“, there she „usually treated with ASA, which prevents the platelets from sticking together“, Ibuprofen, however, abolishes the ASA effect, warns Günther Egidi of the German Society for General Medicine and Family Medicine in Frankfurt. Furthermore, Gerhard Müller-Schwefel, President of the German Society for Pain Therapy, explains that „for patients with renal insufficiency, coagulation disorders, liver disorders or gastrointestinal dysfunction (...) all these medications are as unsuitable as most patients over the age of 60 years.“

But even patients who do not belong to the mentioned groups of people should be careful with the use of over-the-counter painkillers, because over-the-counter does not mean, as often assumed, without side effects. For example, Ursula Sellerberg from the Federal Association of German Pharmacist Associations in Berlin once again explains the rule of thumb for the use of such preparations: „Even over-the-counter painkillers should never be taken for more than three days at a time or ten times a month.“ Because on the one hand, the above-mentioned medicines can cause headaches even when used more frequently, which most patients subsequently try to combat with the same preparation. And on the other hand grab „all these drugs (...) into enzyme systems, which the body needs for numerous regulatory mechanisms, for example, for the salt and fluid balance of the kidney“, emphasized Gerhard Müller-Schwefel from the German Society for Pain Therapy. The skilled person refers to a study on inpatient admission of patients, which concludes that „in more than 20 percent of cases (...) side effects of drugs are the cause of the admission“ are, with over-the-counter painkillers are most commonly mentioned.

Side effects of painkillers.
What side effects occur depends on the particular preparation. Thus, according to Günther Egidi z. B. the „permanent use of ASA (...) damages the stomach, Paracetamol the liver and kidney, Iburofen the stomach and also the kidney.“ In addition, ASS was already suspected of forcing the intestinal disease Crohn's disease. So, according to the recommendation of the expert z. In any case, patients with a sensitive stomach should refrain from taking ASA. According to Gerhard Muller-Sulfur, the most favorable effect profile has paracetamol at low doses, which, however, only has a pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory effect ...

The form in which the painkillers are administered is irrelevant to the side effects. Tablets, capsules, effervescent tablets, juice or suppositories are available and are equally suitable or unsuitable, with additives such „with vitamin C.“ in terms of the effect of the drugs are completely negligible. Only the special characteristics and preferences of the patients are decisive for the dosage form. In addition, Günther Egidi recommends the patient when buying in the pharmacy to pay attention to the price and to compare different manufacturers.

Alternative treatments for pain.
In the case of recurrent pain, on the one hand, a doctor should be consulted and, on the other hand, the occurrence of the pain should be closely monitored in order to identify any possible causes. Subsequently, the pain can usually be reduced or eliminated as part of a targeted therapy. As alternative forms of treatment for painkillers from natural medicine, Gerhard Mueller-Sulfur recommends, for example, methods such as cold pads or peppermint oil on the temples for headaches, relaxation methods and acupuncture for tension-type headache, bio-feedback procedures and lots of exercise for migraine, as well as lots of drinking and calfing against fever. (Fp)

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