Should I take daily NSAIDs?

Once a week I take an NSAID and no matter what other natural treatments I may be using for my hip arthritis, I always feel better--motion is more fluid and unencumbered, almost normal--on those NSAID days. So my question is this: am I allowing the arthritis to worsen more quickly by not taking NSAIDs every day? Since I assume the NSAID helps by reducing inflammation, would taking some every day keep the inflammation at bay enough to retard the long-term degeneration to a much greater degree than doing without? I should say that I'm not plagued by much pain--my problem is generally one of restriction of movement. Because of the lack of pain, I try not to take NSAIDs much, if for no other reason than to avoid rebound headaches.

[carolanivey]

Most over the counter NSAID labels say not to take them for more than a specific period of time without consulting a doctor. An NSAID taken only once a week, IMO, isn't doing you much good. The idea is to take it on a regular daily schedule and keep a level amount in your bloodstream for it to be effective. NSAIDs treat only symptoms, not the underlying disease, so using them alone may make you feel better and MIGHT retard the damage caused by inflammation, but it is not curing the cause of the damage. You didn't say what your diagnosis was - is it RA or OA?

If you continue taking the NSAID, make sure your doctor knows so he or she can either say it's okay to continue doing this and monitor for side effects, or suggest a prescription alternative that might be easier on your stomach. Long term use of over the counter products can be tough on the stomach lining. Hope this helps!

[FurballsMom]

NO.  No one, no matter the problem, should use NSAIDS daily.

[carolanivey]

Most over the counter NSAID labels say not to take them for more than a specific period of time without consulting a doctor. An NSAID taken only once a week, IMO, isn't doing you much good. The idea is to take it on a regular daily schedule and keep a level amount in your bloodstream for it to be effective. NSAIDs treat only symptoms, not the underlying disease, so using them alone may make you feel better and MIGHT retard the damage caused by inflammation, but it is not curing the cause of the damage. You didn't say what your diagnosis was - is it RA or OA?

If you continue taking the NSAID, make sure your doctor knows so he or she can either say it's okay to continue doing this and monitor for side effects, or suggest a prescription alternative that might be easier on your stomach. Long term use of over the counter products can be tough on the stomach lining. Hope this helps!

[FurballsMom]

I do take NSAIDS myself, but I was told by my neurologist to never take them daily.  My GI doesn't want me to take them at all, but with the migraine disorder I have to take them a couple of days a week.  This is just to confirm what the CL said.  Long-term use has been shown to do the things she just said.

[chengyuanyuan]

NSAIDS is used to controll inflammation and alleviate pain in   the acute phase of arthritis.
The main side effect of them is may hurt you stomach,so you should just take only one kind of them after meal .NSAIDs treat only symptoms, not the underlying disease,they have no use to inhibit the procession of arthritis.As you condition ,I don't think you have to take NSAIDS  daily.Maybe you can consult with you docter first,or try some therapies of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

[hoppy7]

Thanks to everyone for their time and effort in answering. BTW Carolanivey, I have OA. And that's why I was asking the question--I was wondering if taking NSAIDs can retard the damage, since I don't think there's any way to reverse it. I doubt I'll take it daily though--seems like that would lead to even more problems to deal with, and I won't know if it's retarding damage or not.

[carolanivey]

Ah, okay. I'm not certain that NSAIDs will retard further OA damage. My guess is that they'll make you feel better so you're more active...which may actually accelerate damage esp. if bone is already grinding on bone, or cartilage is partially torn. Ask your doctor about it, though! I could be totally wrong. :)