Diclofenac

My husband has hip pain and may require hip replacement.  The orthopaedic surgeon prescribed Diclofenac to control the pain at a dose of 50 mg 3 x per day.  After reading about the side effects, it seems that there is an increased risk of heart attack and stroke the longer one takes this medicine, and my husband already had a heart attack 4 years ago.  There are also possible side effects if Diclofenac is taken with Paxil and ace inhibitors, both of which he is also taking.  Does anyone know of safer alternatives to Diclofenac for a patient with heart disease?

[Tuckamore]

Hello Kaal,

Welcome to the Pain Management Forum of MedHelp.

Diclofenac is in a group of drugs called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. All drugs in this group or classification may cause the side effects you are concerned about. This obvious means that he would have to go to another class of medications to avoid any of these potential side effects.

Sorry but I am not comfortable with suggesting any medications for your husband, especially given his cardiac component. If he has a good physician that you have confidence in I would think that he/she has weighted the risk against the benefits. However that does not mean that you should not question his recommendation. Ask why they have been prescribed along with the question you just posted here.

You may also want to discuss this with your local pharmacist. MedHelp also has an Ask a Pharmacist Forum but there is a few for that service.

Best of luck to you and your husband. I hope you will let us know how he is doing.

Take Care,
Tuck