Arthritis and no NSAIDs

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

Kindle has a great post about the use of NSAIDs post #67 in this thread

http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/306621-medical-bracelets-for-sleevers/page-9

Whoa! Thank you so much, Brian.

I know we're not supposed to do this, but I'm copying below Kindle's post from that other thread. I didn't know any of this stuff that she reported there:

Although direct contact of the NSAID with your stomach can cause localized irritation, it is the systemic action of the NSAID that causes ulcers and gastric bleeding. The very mechanisms that reduce inflammation also inhibits the mucosal lining from doing it's job to protect the stomach. This is true of both Cox 1 and Cox 2 inhibitors, but by different pathways. So NSAIDS in any form (oral, sublingual or injectable) would all have the same systemic effect. Aspirin, in fact, is so good at causing ulcers that researchers used to administer aspirin to test subjects in order to induce ulcers so they could study and develop ulcer treatments.

How much and for how long you can safely take NSAIDS without causing ulcers is debatable and probably varies greatly between individuals. So although I have a medical alert necklace, and I keep traumeel and arnica on hand for aches and pains, I would probably take an Advil or two if something REALLY hurt!

My surgeon actually sends his patients home with a 5 day supply of a sublingual NSAID. He explained that the benefit of reducing the surgical inflammation in the stomach and abdominal incisions greatly outways the risk of ulcers over such a short period of time.