Complain about a product or service

More Painkillers Can Cause More Pain

One experimental treatment stopped; rest of study continues

February 13, 2008

Related Stories • Pfizer Pays Record $2.3 Billion Settlement Over Illegal Marketing Charges • Court Snuffs Vioxx Suit • Pfizer Pays $894 Million to Settle NSAID Claims • Researchers Claim Vioxx Safety Study Was Actually Marketing Plan • First Vioxx Judgment Overturned On Appeal • Merck Agrees to Pay $58 Million to Settle Vioxx Claims • Researchers Claim Merck Cooked Vioxx Data • Common Pain Relievers May Boost Muscle Mass • More Painkillers Can Cause More Pain • Merck Caves, Agrees To $4.85 Billion Vioxx Settlement • New York Sues Vioxx Maker over Drug’s Risks • Merck Wins Vioxx Case In Illinois • Judge Rules Out Vioxx "Super" Class Action • FDA Critic Blasts Merck's Vioxx Replacement • Merck Loses New Orleans Vioxx Case • Merck Wins Latest Vioxx Suit • Vioxx Study Authors Backtrack On Claim • Older Painkillers May Increase Heart Attack Risk • More about Vioxx --- Other NSAIDs • Bextra • Celebrex • Dangers of Other Vioxx-Type Drugs • Vioxx Alternatives • Aleve Ingredient Seen as Health Risk

If you use a variety of prescription painkillers to help control pain, scientists say that may actually make your quality of life worse than before.

A study reported today in the medical journal Arthritis Care and Research suggests that people who use two or more non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to help control pain have a worse health-related quality of life than their peers who use only one, results of a study suggest.

"Patients may self-manage their pain to improve their daily activities by taking more than one NSAID. However, by attempting to obtain symptom relief, patients may be putting themselves at risk for complications," said Dr. Stacey H Kovac, from the Durham VA Medical Center in North Carolina.

Prior research has established a strong link between multiple NSAID use and gastrointestinal problems, but it was unclear if this practice affected health-related quality-of-life.

To investigate, Kovac's team interviewed 138 patients from a large regional managed care organization who had filled one or more NSAID prescription between February and August 2002. Overall, 26% of subjects used two or more NSAIDs, the report indicates.

These patients scored lower on the physical component of a quality of life questionnaire than did single-NSAID users, suggesting a poorer health-related quality of life.

Whether multiple NSAID use impairs health-related quality of life itself or whether it simply reflects a more severe underlying disease that is responsible will require further study, the investigators note.

NSAIDs are drugs with analgesic, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory effects. They are used to reduce pain, fever and inflammation. Aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen are the most prominent members of this group.

Report Your Experience
If you've had a bad experience -- or a good one -- with a consumer product or service, we'd like to hear about it. All complaints are reviewed by class action attorneys and are considered for publication on our site. Knowledge is power! Help spread the word. File your consumer report now.

Share		Follow us on Twitter.