Posted on 06/29/2013 4:23:43 AM PDT by expat1000
Doctors have been told to stop prescribing to patients with a heart condition or circulation problems one of the most commonly used anti-inflammatory drugs in the UK .
Britain's drug watchdog said the painkiller diclofenac could significantly increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke for some patients.
Millions of people take the drug for a range of conditions including arthritis, headaches, back pain and gout.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Pain relief is a benefit, to those suffering from pain.
“Just my $.02 but NSAIDs seem to give little/no benefit with huge risks.”
I’ve been taking Celebrex 200mg/day for about 20 years. I’d be unable to use my hands without it. But, with it and sleeping in braces, I have almost zero hand problems. I’ve had no adverse reactions. If it takes 10 years off my life, then the life I would have lived would have hurt a good deal more without the drug.
I forgot about Celebrex. It seems to be exceptionally effective.
My doctor prescribed Indocin for me for what I thought was a broken bone in my foot. He said the bone wasn’t broken but there was swelling that might be pinching a nerve. The pain was horrendous, almost exactly like when I broke that bone (5th metatarsil?)8 months before.
I took ONE pill and went to bed. The next morning, the pain and swelling were gone and didn’t return. I found later with the remaining pills on the prescription that my hip arthritis and other bone aches disappear when I take one at night before I go to bed. He recently gave me a longer term prescription for this use.
The only problem with them is that you must eat something before you take them or they will play hell on your stomach.
As far as I’m concerned it is a miracle drug - no pill I’ve ever taken has worked so completely and effectively. I only just found out this morning that Indomethacin is in the same family as the drug cited in the article, but it hasn’t changed my opinion.
According to the article, diclofenac is risky for specific patients: those with heart disease, blocked arteries, smokers, etc., but has no additional risk for most people.
Also, many trashy starlets and reality-tv persons are pregnant and stuff.
Diclofenac in my opinion should never be taken orally - which is the form in question here.
Diclofenac can safely be used topically. There is a new formulation of Voltaren gel being sold OTC by Novartis in India that is about 5 times for effective than previous topical diclofenac products. It uses a tocopherol phosphate carrier to take the diclo deeper into the tissues without allowing it to reach the circulatory system.
I imagine that if sales in India are as expected, this formulation will quickly replace Novartis’ old Voltaren formulations around the world.
With most powerful drugs it's usually a cost/benefit thing. I'm the same way with asthma; the drugs might shorten my life (although they're not very powerful) but if they do I'll have considered the tradeoff to have been in my benefit.
Unfortunately there are certain busybodies out there who don't wish to give the sufferer an option in the matter.
That’s good news. Does this new formulation have a unique identifier to set it apart from the old formulation?
In the US, Voltaren Gel, is a prescription product, unless that’s also changed in the past two years.
Thanks expat100, I take diclofenac daily, will see dr next week about this.
You’re welcome. No harm in checking.
You might want to Google it first as well - there are some other potential problems you might want to discuss.
I guess it mostly comes down to how much relief it gives you. I’ve tried it from time to time and it didn’t give me any at all. I do use the ointment sometimes, though. As someone else on this thread suggested there’s no side effects (I think) when used topically.
To answer your question, I don’t know. I’m assuming Novartis will market under their Voveran brand. The product is manufactured by Themis Medicare in India and is licensed by them to Novartis. I saw the announcement of this in April, but I don’t know if the product has actually hit the market yet in India.
Yes, to the best of my knowledge in the US there are no OTC diclofenac products.
To answer your question, I don’t know. I’m assuming Novartis will market under their Voveran brand. The product is manufactured by Themis Medicare in India and is licensed by them to Novartis. I saw the announcement of this in April, but I don’t know if the product has actually hit the market yet in India.
Yes, to the best of my knowledge in the US there are no OTC diclofenac products.
Oh great... I’ve been taking it for years..
But, only sparingly... I take it before I play golf. So, probably refill my 30 pills 1-2 times a year.
Now what will I do? And, DON’T SAY “lose weight”!
The best anti-inflammatory I’ve ever taken is BROMELAIN. It’s made from an ingredient in pineapples.
Have tried MSM?
“Have tried MSM?”
What is MSM?
I take an NSAID every day. Couldn’t work or play with my kids without it. Many drugs have heightened risks for those who are already sick. Unfortunately, for chronic pain sufferers like myself there will probably be an effort to take these effective (and cheap!) medications off the market.
>>Many drugs have heightened risks for those who are already sick.
Certainly, but NSAIDs are also one of primary causes of stomach/peptic ulcers. There are always trade-offs.
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