FDA Calls For Stronger WARNINGS On The Labels Of Common OTC Back Pain Medications
Posted Jun 02 2009 4:35pm
SF Bay Area Chiropractor and Chronic Back Pain Doctor comments:
I have worked with thousands of chronic (and acute) back and neck pain patients over the past 15 years at our San Francisco back pain clinics. It is amazing how many patients take over the counter (OTC) and prescription medications on an ongoing basis for their back pain. Back pain (headaches is up there too) is the most common symptom/condition that consumers purchase OTC medications for. There are billions of dollars spent each year by drug companies on commercials and magazine ads telling us how great drugs like ADVIL, TYLENOL, and MOTRIN are for us. Just pop a couple of pills and the pain goes away, and we can get on with the day. Well, as it turns out, often times these products are not so great after-all. In fact, some of the health risks associated with taking these medications are life threatening. Conditions such as liver toxicity, stomach bleeding, liver failure, cardiovascular failure, and sudden death. sure, there has been a lot of media attention to this over the past 3-5 years, but still, the average consumer does not know the health risks when it comes to OTC medications and the FDA has decided to do something about it. Here is a link to yesterdays front page article of the USA Today, which caught my attention. Anyway, one of the great things about the work that we do is that we are often times able to help patients free themselves from the dangerous trap of popping pain pills day in and day out. Not to mention the fact that when you treat a condition with a pill you are just treating the symptom. The actual problem is left uncorrected and continues to march forward. So, you still have the actual problem and you are putting yourself at risk for life threatening complications from the medications that are being used to mask the symptoms. So, educate yourself so you at least know what the risks are before you take OTC (and prescription) pain medications.
SF Bay Area Chiropractor and Chronic Back Pain Doctor comments:
I have worked with thousands of chronic (and acute) back and neck pain patients over the past 15 years at our San Francisco back pain clinics. It is amazing how many patients take over the counter (OTC) and prescription medications on an ongoing basis for their back pain. Back pain (headaches is up there too) is the most common symptom/condition that consumers purchase OTC medications for. There are billions of dollars spent each year by drug companies on commercials and magazine ads telling us how great drugs like ADVIL, TYLENOL, and MOTRIN are for us. Just pop a couple of pills and the pain goes away, and we can get on with the day. Well, as it turns out, often times these products are not so great after-all. In fact, some of the health risks associated with taking these medications are life threatening. Conditions such as liver toxicity, stomach bleeding, liver failure, cardiovascular failure, and sudden death. sure, there has been a lot of media attention to this over the past 3-5 years, but still, the average consumer does not know the health risks when it comes to OTC medications and the FDA has decided to do something about it. Here is a link to yesterdays front page article of the USA Today, which caught my attention. Anyway, one of the great things about the work that we do is that we are often times able to help patients free themselves from the dangerous trap of popping pain pills day in and day out. Not to mention the fact that when you treat a condition with a pill you are just treating the symptom. The actual problem is left uncorrected and continues to march forward. So, you still have the actual problem and you are putting yourself at risk for life threatening complications from the medications that are being used to mask the symptoms. So, educate yourself so you at least know what the risks are before you take OTC (and prescription) pain medications.