How to Use Non-Steroidal Anit-Inflammatory Drugs

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are medications used to alleviate the discomfort associated with musculoskeletal injuries or diseases. Inflammation adds additional pain to the primary injury or disease and can reduce the body's ability to send the means for repair to the site. NSAIDs relieve pain in the brain, as well as reducing inflammation at the site of the injury.

Instructions

• 1

  Determine the severity of your injury. This can be quite subjective because some people are more tolerant to pain than others. Minor pain like headaches or muscle aches do not need the anti-inflammatory effects of the medication and usually only require one or two doses to resolve the discomfort. More severe conditions like sprains, strains, arthritis or broken bones require higher doses, increased frequency of doses and a longer time taking the medicine to benefit from both the pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory properties of the drug.

• 2

  Determine which NSAID you would like to use. Ibuprofen (Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve) are popular NSAIDs, and they are both very effective, as well as available over-the-counter. Naproxen is a stronger NSAID, but it is also carries the highest risk of all NSAIDs to cause stomach or intestinal ulcers. If the NSAID must be taken for an extended period of time, ibuprofen is the best choice, because it carries the lowest risk of all NSAIDs to cause ulcers. There are many more NSAIDs but they are available by prescription only and should be discussed with a doctor before using. Ibuprofen and naproxen at high doses are also available by prescription only.

• 3

  Comply with the doctor's orders and take the proper dose of the NSAID for the proper length of time. NSAIDs have pain relieving properties separate from the anti-inflammatory effects. For this reason, people tend to take NSAIDs only when their discomfort is at its highest or at reduced doses if the pain is milder than usual. This will provide some level of pain relief but not the anti-inflammatory effects. NSAIDs must be taken for at least three to seven days to reduce inflammation effectively. This is because there must be certain level of the NSAID in the blood which brings constant anti-inflammatory effects to the injury site. A doctor should determine the length of time you should take any medicine.

• 4

  Take NSAIDs with some kind of food or milk. All NSAIDs carry the risk of causing stomach upset and ulcers but this effect can be mitigated by taking the medication with something in your stomach.