Aspirin vs Tylenol vs NSAIDS vs Cox 2 Inhibitors
Oct 03 '00 (Updated Aug 10 '07)
The Bottom Line Take Brand Ecotrin and not a Generic enteric coated aspirin as the Ecotrin works but the Generic may not work and pass through your body unchanged.
You decide! I will discuss the pros and cons of each class of pain reliever.
ASPIRIN (Ecotrin is My favorite)
Has been around the longest, is every effective, and is inexpensive.
Good Points
It works - it helps relieve inflammatory pain.
It is affordable.
You do not need a prescription.
Not So Good Points
May cause GI bleed and may potentiate medications you take.
Children may develop Reye's syndrome after taking aspirin.
Do not take generic enteric coated aspirin as it may not work like Ecotrin. Some of the generic or store brand enteric coated aspirin may pass through the body and never break down.
Information:
Always take aspirin with a meal.
Never take aspirin on an empty stomach.
Ecotrin is enteric coated and protects the stomach.
Drug companies do not make much money selling aspirin so they developed acetominophen (tylenol), non-steroidals (ibuprofen)and Cox 2 inhibitors to increase their profits.
ACETOMENOPHEN(Tylenol)
Good Points
Used for mild or moderate pain relief but it does not stop the proglandins from cascading that causes the pain in the first place like aspirin does.
You do not need a prescription to buy it.
Not So Good Points
Does not work well for inflammatory disease pain relief.
It can cause LIVER FAILURE and you could die or need a liver transplant
NON-STEROIDALS (Ibuprofen - Motrin - NSAIDS)
Used for mild pain and fever
Good Points
Usually no need for a prescription.
Not So Good Points
May cause stomach bleeding.
Has more precautions than aspirin.
May interact with other medication you are taking.
COX 2 INHIBITORS (Vioxx - Bextra - Celebrex)
Good Points
May help pain
Not So Good Points
Expensive.
You need a prescription.
May cause serious side effects.
Vioxx has been taken off the market.
DISCLAIMER
Ask the pharmacist for the prescription "insert" for the drug you are taking.
Read the insert as it will tell you everything about the drug. The insert is complicated to read but I will make it easy for you.
On the insert read:
The dosage - so you know how much you should take.
Indications - what the medication is used for.
Contraindications - reasons why you should not take the drug
Interactions - what drugs or other things interfere with the absorption or action of the drug.
Precaution - identifies things that may happen to you when you take the drug.
Adverse reaction - things that may occur when taking the medication from an unplesant reaction or possibly sudden death.
If your pharmacist doesn't have the insert then go to the library reference desk and ask for the PDR (physicians desk reference) and look up your drug in the PINK section listed alphabetically. Then go to the page and read the truth about the drug you are taking. It has all current medication and has things your physician doesn't know about the drugs.
Be an informed consumer.
Know what you are taking
Know when you take it
know how to take it (mouth, cream, rectally, etc)
Know if you need a blood level monitor for the drug
know how it reacts positively or negatively with your body
know how it reacts with other medicine - food - other
know everything you need to know about the medication you are taking.
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Member: Dorothy Smith
Location: Franklin, NC, USA
Reviews written: 63
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