"Q - Are there any pain relievers that aren't NSAIDS ?"

"Yes -- acetaminophen (Tylenol)."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

For many years, well over forty five of them I was one of the folks who existed on aspirin, later on that method of existence was called the breakfast of champions, "a bowl of bufferin." Dosage only regulated by the amount of pain being experienced. Then when I finally was eligible to go into an HMO began the NSAID path starting with Motrin at the max dosage per day. As my back pain increased and the drug being taken became ineffective against it, then another NSAID a bit stronger was used. And so life went on. Stomach troubles began and were coped with without stopping the NSAIDS.

Bleeding occurred, sufficiently that a coloscopy was done. No polyps or anyother trouble showed up on that procedure. So, I rocked along, relatively pain free as far as my back was concerned.

Visiting our daughter in Oregon one time, I spent several days in hospital in Salem while they tried to figure out why my innards were in rebellion. Under medication the thing that put me in was stopped but when the doctor came by and asked me what pain medication I was taking and I told him. He called Denver and found out what I was on, had been on for how long. Then came the serious talk, I was told that it was imperative that I quit taking NSAIDS for the rest of my life. And was also cautioned to use Tylenol sparingly, for short times. He told me that if I got in the habit of taking Tylenol like I had been taking NSAIDS that it would affect my liver.

When I first was in the HMO they discovered I had atrial fibrillation and prescribed medication for that, which seemed to take care of it.

Fast forward a ways, I found out that it was impossible for me to walk from the car to the elevator at our apartment complex, a short distance, without being totally wiped out and breathless. I seemed to have no problem inhaling the normal amount of air but still it wasn't doing all that much good."

Thinking back and trying to put things together. In 1940 I was classified 4F by the draft board and checked out that way every six months through the war. Reason ? Tachycardia. One of the draft doctors told me that my heart normally was beating faster than a man's heart would beat after running a distance.

During those years my back was giving me an increasing amount of pain and my aspirin consumption increased. Then when I went into the HMO the succession of NSAIDS began. A bit later I became a dyed in the wool alocoholic, which didn't help. Can't blame anybody for that except myself.

My experience seems to more or less prove the point. Although I don't know whether my heart would have gone bad anyhow, I am sure that taking all those NSAIDs for all those years aggravated and hastened my problems. My cardiologist instructed me to take one 81 mg tablet of aspirin per day with a meal, for my heart. So now the only pain medication (for pain) taken by me is as little as possible and Tylenol for a short time. Hot tub, proper posture, or as near to it as I can get and avoidance of putting myself in a bind by doing something foolish. No biggie, I get along.

The thing that concerns me is noting the routine of NSAID consumption by folks without consideration of the amount taken or the length of time it is being consumed.

Added to that is the frequency of manufacturers adding to the NSAID's other ingredients and hyping them as pain killers and sleep aids, or relievers of symptoms of allergies or sinus problems. I have heard some folks talk of their favorite cold fighting medications bought over-the-counter and the amounts they took. The combinations of drugs would be bound to cause some side effects in a giant. Matter of habit, plodding along one foot in front of the other, gulping pills and moving on.

It is possible that in the future they too will find out that with medications there is No Magic . . . . . . . . . .

Blog