Chronic inflammation is tough to live with. For many patients, it can interfere with their daily lives. It can be hard to live comfortably.
Unfortunately, there aren’t many good treatments for chronic inflammation. It can be hard to find affordable and effective treatment. Many patients turn to NSAIDS.
As with any medication, there are pros and cons behind NSAIDs. Here is an overview of NSAIDs as regards chronic inflammation to help you decide whether they are right for you.
1. Pros: Efficacy
Your main goal is probably getting rid of inflammation.
If that’s all you care about, NSAIDs usually get the job done. NSAID stands for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug.
The term anti-inflation is literally in the name. This means it must help with inflammation. And that is for the most part true.
For a standard headache or low-level injury, an NSAID will get the job done. You’ve probably taken some NSAIDs without even knowing it.
Common NSAIDs include ibuprofen and aspirin. There are lots of other similar medications that are commonly prescribed for pain.
NSAIDs are commonly taken in very small doses. They are very effective at treating minor inflammation.
They aren’t great for treating very serious injuries.
2. Cons: Dependency
It is possible to become dependent on any medication.
This is less of a risk with more natural products like cannabis. It is possible to be prescribed cannabis for inflammation treatment.
Here’s an article from Veriheal on how cannabis can be used to treat inflammation. It’s surprisingly effective.
Many doctors are opting for marijuana-based treatments instead of synthetic medications. Like most medicines, NSAIDs are synthetic.
If you take a medication like ibuprofen every day, it will stop working. Or you will need to increase your dosage, which isn’t good.
It’s always good to take the lowest dosage necessary. With cannabis, that’s relatively easy. Microdosing is ideal for chronic pain treatment.
Other cannabis-based alternatives don’t have any risk of addiction or dependency. These include CBD oils.
CBD has very little or no THC, which is the chemical compound in cannabis that makes you high. That means it’s basically impossible to get high using CBD products.
However, they contain all of the plant’s medical benefits. Cannabis has been used for thousands of years to treat pain and inflammation.
It’s a medicine that has proven the test of time.
3. Pro: Availability
It can be hard to find medication that works.
That’s not a problem with NSAIDs. They are available at pretty much every drugstore. In fact, you can usually find them at the supermarket.
Most NSAIDs are cleared for over the counter sale. There’s usually a limit on how much you can buy, but you should be able to get enough.
If your condition is more serious, you might need a prescription for a higher dosage. Or you might need to look into trying another medication.
Since NSAIDs are easily available, it’s easy to try different ones to see which might be right for you.
4. Con: Side Effects
Every medication has potential side effects.
NSAIDs are acid based. This means that they aren’t great for your stomach and digestive system. Long-term use can lead to stomach damage.
If you’re concerned about side effects, try an alternative treatment. Yoga can be effective in treating chronic inflammation.
Here’s some yoga poses from Yoga Journal to get you started. You don’t need to try anything too intense in the beginning.
In fact, you should start by taking it easy. Start with sitting poses. Work your way up to more complicated exercises.
Light exercise will probably help, too.
5. Con: Costs
NSAIDs don’t come for free.
Unless you have a prescription that’s going to be covered by your insurance, you’ll have to pay. And even then, you might have a high premium.
A single package of ibuprofen or aspirin won’t cost a lot. But if you have chronic pain, you’ll need to buy a large amount.
After time all of these costs will start to add up. It’s best to treat the root problem instead of just the symptoms.
Conclusion
Chronic pain is tough to live with, but it is manageable. NSAIDs can help in the short term, but for chronic pain another solution is probably better.