Every day we have patients that consult our practice, Central Ohio Spine and Joint due to their acute or chronic pain. Most people have at one point attempted to try and reduce their pain on their own, most try ice, heat, rest and over the counter medication (OTC) like non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSIADs). It is staggering to hear the amount of NSAIDs medication most people are consuming.

I had an interesting conversation this past weekend with a good friend of mine who is a well-respected primary care physician. The topic NSAID medication use came up. It was very enlightening to hear my friend talk about how he discourages the continued use of these medications in his practice due to the severity of adverse side effects associated.  Try searching for “side effects of NSAIDS” on Google.com if you do not believe me.

As most of you know, we practice with a patient- centered, evidence-informed approach everyday in the clinic.  As such, we work very closely with area medical practices, in fact half of our referrals come from these physicians. This post is nothing more than a statement of the current stats on these drugs, not a slam on medicine. There are multiple safer options for controlling pain, be on the lookout for another post on these options soon!

Below is a great infographic from Mercola.com explaining common questions and facts concerning NSAIDS…