If you suffer from mild to moderate arthritis pain, your doctor will most
likely recommend a non-prescription over the counter medication like Tylenol
for pain relief. Or he or she may recommend one of a group of medicines called
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs – NSAIDS. Even though these medicines
can be purchased directly off the drug store shelf — without a doctor's
prescription — they should still be taken with care. Check with your
healthcare provider before you take any of these medicines for relief for
arthritis.
Acetaminophen:
Arthritis experts recommend the medicine in TYLENOL® Arthritis Extended Relief
most often for mild to moderate arthritis pain relief. In a major clinical
study, the medicine in TYLENOL Arthritis Extended Relief relieved common
arthritis pain as effectively as nonprescription and even prescription doses
of ibuprofen.
New prescription medications have not been shown to relieve arthritis pain
better than TYLENOL Arthritis Extended Relief, and no other type of pain
reliever, prescription or over-the-counter, is safer to your stomach.
TYLENOL Arthritis Extended Relief is the least likely of all over-the-counter
pain relievers to interact with other medications.
NSAIDs (Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs):
-
Aspirin
-
Ibuprofen (the medicine in Advil® and
Motrin®).
-
Naproxen sodium (the medicine in Aleve®).
-
Ketoprofen (the medicine in Orudis KT® and Actron®).
Your doctor may recommend a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication for the
relief of your arthritis-related pain. NSAID pain relievers work by reducing
some of your body's protective functions, including protecting the lining of
the stomach. By interfering with these protective functions, NSAID pain
relievers can sometimes cause stomach irritation.
NSAIDs can also inhibit blood from clotting, so if you are taking a blood
thinner such as warfarin for heart or circulatory problems, consult your
doctor about which non-prescription pain reliever is right for you.
For people with mild to moderate arthritis, nonprescription medicines that are
available over the counter are often the first line of defense. Tylenol and
NSAIDs attack arthritis in very different ways. While these drugs have the
potential to provide some relief for arthritis, each has side effects. Talk
with your physician about which one is right for you.
