Medical experts and journals say misuse of Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can send you to the surgical theatre or worse still can send you to an early grave. This is because, despite the effectiveness of NSAIDs in the treatment of various kinds of inflammation in the body, the abuse of the drugs can cause a hole in the Tommy. The vulnerability of NSAIDs to abuse must be a significant public health concern.
Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Naproxen, and others are common over-the-counter NSAIDs. They are right drugs in their own right. They are a class of medications that are widely used to relieve pain, reduce inflammation, and bring down a high temperature. They are commonly used to treat conditions such as arthritis, bursitis, tendinitis, headaches, painful periods, and minor injuries.
Experts say NSAIDs work by inhibiting the activity of inflammation and pain causing enzymes to decrease inflammation and pain. Adding that abuse, particularly long-term abuse, can have serious health complications, such as gastrointestinal ulcers and bleeds, heart attack, and kidney disease, on the abuser.
Commonest of the side effects of NSAIDs is peptic ulcer. Even though they are rarely life-threatening, peptic ulcers can cause serious discomfort to the extent of not being able to eat leading to weight loss. If the ulcer is not treated in good time, it becomes severe and chronic sometimes causing perforation, intestinal blockage, internal bleeding, and other severe illnesses that may require medical emergency surgery.
According to a GP, Peptic ulcers form when the lining of the stomach or duodenum becomes eroded resulting in stomach or gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer respectively. Most ulcers occur in the first layer of the inner lining. But, if the ulcer erodes beyond the first layer of the inner lining, it creates a hole that goes all the way through the intestine, causing perforation.
Apart from NSAID abuse, medical journals assert that helicobacter pylori bacterial infection too can cause ulcers.
Symptoms
Do you feel any of these symptoms? Pain or discomfort in the upper left abdomen, heartburn, indigestion, nausea, and inability to pass gas. These are signs of peptic ulcer. The most common symptom is a burning sensation or pain between the chest and belly button in the middle of the abdomen. The pain will be more intense when your stomach is empty, and it can last a few minutes to several hours. At this stage of peptic ulcer, according to experts, the ailment is still mild, and medications, on an outpatient basis, may well still be enough for treatment.
But if you feel sudden and severe pain in the upper abdominal area, vomiting blood, vomiting coffee coloured substances, bloody stools, and rapid heartbeat, experts say they are warning signs that the ulcer has become severe and may require medical emergency.
So, if you are a frequent user of NSAIDs and you feel any of the symptoms described above, consult a doctor for a proper diagnosis.
Prevention
Stop forthwith the abuse of any drug, especially NSAIDs.
Use the recommended dosage.
Avoid alcohol while taking NSAID medications.
Always take NSAID medications with food and adequate liquids.
Our people say prevention is better than cure. To prevent Pelvic Ulcers, we must prevent the spread of helicobacter pylori the bacteria that causes stomach ulcers via:
-washing hands with soap and water regularly.
-proper cleaning and general hygiene.
-Proper cooking of food.
-Avoiding overcrowding
Source: Dare Agbeluyi, Chief Publisher.
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waaoo,thanks sir