The impact on painkillers on your gut

Alongside food, oxygen, water, painkillers are also a staple for living nowadays. We have to battle stress-induced headaches, sports-injuries, awful toothaches, infections and whatnot in the daily routine. With old age, things become even worse. Painkillers, on the other hand, bring the much-needed relief in life.

However, with pros comes cons. Painkillers are, after all, medicines and hence they too carry with them side effects that have implications for health in general and gut in particular. The problem starts when painkillers are overly relied upon and consumed in large quantities. Moderate usage and following the dosage guidelines make the painkillers safe to use.

Type of painkiller is important too!

The impact on the body is determined by the type of painkiller chosen. Different types have different potencies and strengths, which then determines the impact on the body as well. The stronger they are, the graver is the impact of their overindulgence on the gut. Following are some commonly used painkillers and their effect on the stomach:

Acetaminophen:

Commonly known as Tylenol, Paracetamol, Panadol etc., this painkiller is perhaps the most frequently used. This over-the-counter painkiller is also present in some of the cold medicines, that too, can sneak into the daily regimen, leading to overconsumption.

 The perhaps most profound impact of acetaminophen is on the liver. It is amongst the leading causes of liver failure and toxicity. Common symptoms of this condition include vomiting or nausea with swelling and tenderness in the liver. It is imperative for people who liberally take this painkiller and experience these symptoms to visit a liver expert like Prof. Dr. Altaf Alam for timely intervention.

Moreover, in large doses, it can also lead to nausea and stomach cramps as well.

Opioid analgesics:

Opioid analgesics are not an OTC drug. Being a prescriptive painkiller, the chances of its abuse are less, but its impact is severe even when taken within the required dosage. Used for chronic pain management, many people are even unable to complete their regimen, such severe is the impact. It leads Opioid-induced bowl dysfunction that gravely impacts the gastrointestinal health.

The symptoms of OIBD include nausea, vomiting, reflux and bloating. It also decreases the rate of digestion, leading to discomfort. But the most profound impact is constipation. Hard stools get extremely painful to pass. Incomplete evacuation also causes further problems.

NSAIDS:

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are aimed at pain relief and also decreasing inflammation as well. It is very frequently used due to its anti-inflammatory properties as well. It’s different types with different repercussion for the body.

Aspirin

Aspirin comes with a lot of long-term side effects for the gut, and health in general, if and when taken in large quantities. It leads to bleeding in the stomach. Aspirin also leads to the formation of ulcers in the stomach.

Ulcers are the sores in the lining of the stomach. NSAIDS leads to the stripping away of the protective mucosal layer of the stomach. Acid then is able to attack the stomach tissue, leading to the formation of ‘holes’ in the lining.

Although ulcers are easy to treat, undetected ulcers can be dangerous. Moreover, ulcers also lead to a lot of pain and discomfort. Symptoms of this condition includes perpetual stomachache, decrease in appetite, weight loss, heart burn, nausea, bloating etc.

Ibuprofen

Although, Ibuprofen is better than aspirin as it leaves the body quicker, nonetheless, long-term ibuprofen usage also leads to health issues. It causes stomachache, ulcer, acidity, vomiting and nausea.

Naproxen

Another NSAID with implications for gut health is naproxen. It is available both as OTC and prescription pill. Its side effects include indigestion, heartburn, stomachache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea.

It can also lead to inflammation in pancreas, which leads to fever alongside stomachache and digestion issues. Naproxen can also lead to gastric ulcers.

Minimizing the danger

Living with pain is not easy and so painkillers are a necessary evil in most of the cases. Some helpful steps can be done to minimize the dire impact of their consumption on the stomach.

Always take as little as possible; do not always resort to painkillers. If the pain is tolerable or if you are eating painkillers to preempt the pain, change this habit. Moreover, it is important that you take them only and as long as the pain persists.

When taking any medicine, be watchful of the impact on your health, in case there is some reaction that aggravates the health. Also, be mindful of which medicines you are taking, in case they too, pack some painkiller, leading to the risk of overdosage.

Combination of painkiller is also important. Do not eat NSAIDS in combination, take them with an acetaminophen if need be, but don’t eat multiple NSAIDS at the same time. When you eat NSAIDs and other high-potency pain killers, take them with food so that stomach suffers as little as possible.

Most importantly, take painkillers at the discretion of the doctor. If you are suffering from bodily aches etc., visit a credible doctor like Assist. Prof. Dr. Mujahid Israr for help with pain management rather than chugging back painkillers like candy!