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01/14/2007: "Pain Management"
When I began experiencing severe pain through my shoulder and right arm, my oncologist sprang to action prescribing painkillers. I walked out of his office with prescriptions for Vicodin, Oxycodone and Ibuprofen 800mg. Though I was thankful for the pain relief, my new-found health focus forced me to research the damage that these drugs can do. Unfortunately,all of these are hard on your liver and kidneys.
Oxycodone is one of the most powerful medications for pain control that can be taken orally. And it is primarily given to cancer patients for pain management. It is found with trade names like OxyContin and Percolone. I refer to them as my Rush Limbaugh’s. Besides being very addictive, side effects include nausea, constipation, lightheadedness, rash or itchiness, dizziness, and emotional mood disorders.
Side effects for Vicodin include an allergic reaction, weak breathing, seizures, clammy skin, severe weakness, dizziness, unconsciousness, yellowing of eyes or skin, unusual fatigue, bleeding, or bruising, constipation, dry mouth, nausea, vomiting, decreased appetite, muscle twitches, sweating, itching, ear ringing, and linked to stomach ulsers.
So the lesser of the three evils seemed to be the Ibuprofen. That is, if it helped the pain. Considered nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), it is commonly found over the counter as Tylenol and others. NSAIDs reduce the flow of blood to the kidneys and impairs function. The most common side effects from ibuprofen are rash, ringing in the ears, headaches, dizziness, drowsiness, abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, constipation and heartburn. Ibuprofen may cause ulceration of the stomach or intestine, and the ulcers may bleed. So, in typical pharmaceutically controlled fashion, a prescription to ibuprofen usually warrants a script for H2-antagonists.
H2-antagonists are used in the treatment of acid-related gastrointestinal conditions. Over the counter you can get cimetidine (Tagamet), ranitidine (Zantac), famotidine (Pepcid), nizatidine (Axid, Tazac). Though it relieves ibuprofen’s most dangerous side effect it comes with its own. Most common are diarrhea and other digestive disturbances, plus headache, dizziness, tiredness, and hair loss.
One of my health books talked about the over use of antacids and how that decreases important stomach acids. In addition, type A blood types traditionally do not produce enough stomach acid, thus not sufficiently digesting food and allowing it to rot in the colon. (Hmmm… colon cancer?) Another book recommended taking bitters before meals to stimulate acid production. So I have opted for light use of ibuprofen without the H2-antagonists. And as predicted, I have not felt any adverse stomach acid.