FitSugar

DrSugar Answers: Best Medicine to Take For a Headache?

DrSugar — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 16:31:52 PDT

DrSugar is in the house! This week she gives us the skinny on OTC pain medications.

Dear DrSugar,
Do the different types of over-the-counter pain relievers work better for different problems? What should I take for a headache - is aspirin better than ibuprofen? What should I take if I have a fever or the flu? Is there one that's best for dealing with swelling for twists and sprains? What about a pulled muscle? I look in my medicine cabinet and don't know what to take for what ails me. Thanks!
- Pained and Confused

This is a great question since there are so many options for over-the-counter pain relief available, making it quite difficult to keep straight which one is good for different problems! To learn more about the different OTC pain medications and which one to use for different medical problems, keep reading!

A Breakdown of Common OTC Pain Meds

Leta Shy — Fri, 06 May 2011 01:21:27 PDT

Do you know what's in your medicine cabinet? A recent report in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine found that while over-the-counter medicine use is prevalent, many people don't know much about the active ingredients in popular painkillers like Advil and Tylenol.

When asked about the difference between common pain relief brands, most of the study's participants didn't know what was in Tylenol, Advil, or Aleve, or that overdosing on Tylenol, for example, could lead to serious liver damage.

While you may not think twice about popping a few pills the day after a particularly strenuous boot camp session, the fact is that the side effects from overdosing on painkillers can be serious. In fact, acetaminophen overdose continues to be the leading cause of liver failure in the United States.

Confused about whether you should take Tylenol or Advil for a pain, or what the correct dosage is? Read on for a chart of the most common OTC painkillers on the market after the break.

FDA Takes a Closer Look at Tylenol

FitSugar — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:16:06 PDT

I've never been able to get a clear answer on whether Tylenol plus alcohol can harm your liver. Though acetaminophen can lead to liver damage when taken in large doses, many questions remain about its short-term dangers, particularly when combined with recreational drinking. Now, the FDA wants some answers.

The agency is meeting to determine if and how it should revise its guidelines on acetaminophen, including recommended dosage and the possibility of pulling "combination drugs" like NyQuil from shelves. Here's why:

. . . overdoses of acetaminophen have been linked to 56,000 emergency room visits, 26,000 hospitalizations and 458 deaths during the 1990s, according to the FDA, citing one study.

The agency cited another study, a 2007 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention population-based report, that estimated that acetaminophen was the likely cause of most of the estimated 1,600 acute liver failures each year.

Especially troubling are products such as NyQuil and Pamprin that aren't expressly sold as pain relievers but which contain acetaminophen. With those scary statistics, it sounds like it's high time the FDA addressed this issue. Do you worry about your acetaminophen intake?

Caffeine + Tylenol = Not Good

FitSugar — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 10:15:00 PDT

A new study has shown that when high doses of caffeine and acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) are taken together, it could lead to liver damage. This combination produces a byproduct enzyme that can be toxic to the liver. Sounds a bit scary, I know. So read on for more details.

It requires more than just taking two Tylenol with your morning cup of coffee to create this toxic effect. It takes excessive amounts of caffeine to produce this reaction - we're talking about 20 cups of coffee! The bad news is that the combination of alcohol and acetaminophen can also damage your liver. So if you are ingesting high amounts of caffeine, acetaminophen, and alcohol, your liver could be at risk. Otherwise, for most people, you don't need to worry. It is interesting to note that many OTC painkillers, like those for migraines, do contain caffeine.

Source & Source

Liver Damage and OTC Pain Medication

FitSugar — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 13:30:00 PDT

Did you start your new Spring exercise regimen with a little too much gusto? Running for 60 minutes seemed like a great idea at the time right? Now every muscle in your legs is screaming with pain so you're going to take some pain medication, but you want to avoid the one that can cause liver damage. Do you remember which one it is?

Common Painkillers Linked to High Blood Pressure

FitSugar — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 12:00:03 PST

It's been recently reported that if you are frequently popping over-the-counter pain meds, you should know that they can raise your blood pressure, which in turn can lead to heart disease.

Although men were the subject of this recent study, it confirms earlier research conducted on the effects of OTC pain medication on women's blood pressure.

The medications studied are staples in your medicine cabinet like aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Researchers found, when reviewing data from both studies, that men and women who took these drugs for 6-7 days in a week were 1/3 more likely to develop high blood pressure.

The study showed that men who took acetaminophen were 34% more likely to be diagnosed with high blood pressure. Men who took aspirin were 26% more likely to have high blood pressure than non-users. Those who used ibuprofen increased their risk by 38%.

These drugs can affect the ability of blood vessels to expand and may also cause sodium retention, which are 2 factors that can both raise blood pressure.

Fit's Tips: If you've been advised by your doctor to take 1 aspirin a day, you should stick with it. If you're popping 8 ibuprofen pills a day to combat lower back pain, you should reconsider your strategy. See if you can fix the problem rather than just masking the pain.

Ibuprofen Beats Acetaminophen for Menstrual Pain

FitSugar — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 16:15:00 PST

Although both ibuprofen and acetaminophen reduce menstrual pain, ibuprofen appears to be more potent for pain relief.

Although ibuprofen is accepted as an effective treatment for painful periods, or dysmenorrhea, there is still controversy about the usefulness of acetaminophen.

To investigate further, a small trial was conducted involving 12 women with dysmenorrhea. They were given three different treatments in random order for three different periods: 1000 milligrams of acetaminophen, 400 milligrams of ibuprofen, or an inactive placebo, four times daily for three days.

The women rated the active medications as being more effective than the placebo. However, it appears that ibuprofen has a greater effect, and patients also preferred it.

Well there you have it. When a heating pad doesn't cut it for cramps, I'm reaching for some good old ibuprofen.

Everything in Moderation, Even Tylenol

FitSugar — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 17:12:36 PST

Here is a caution if you have a cold and are taking medication to control the symptoms: It is really easy to overdose on acetaminophen.

Time and CNN recently reported that:

The Food and Drug Administration wants you to think twice about all that self-medicating you're doing with over-the-counter remedies. Every year, the agency says, about half of the deaths associated with taking painkillers containing acetaminophen are due to unintended overdoses.

It seems the acetaminophen is the primary ingredient in Tylenol as well as many over-the-counter cold and flu remedies. Folks are often not aware of that and are taking too many of both medications at once. An overdose of acetaminophen can cause liver damage, since it is the liver that breaks down and metabolizes the drug. About 200 of the 20 million Americans taking acetaminophen die of accidental over dose each year.

The FDA is proposing a warning label on all medications containing acetaminophen and you should know that the average adult should not exceed 4g of acetaminophen a day . Until the label becomes law be sure to read the ingredients of all your over the counter drugs and follow the recommended dosage. It is also a good idea to drink plenty of liquids when you're sick and this will help your liver too.

What a Pain!

FitSugar — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 17:30:00 PST

CNN reported that there has been a recall of the pain reliever acetaminophen. The recall affects 11 million bottles containing varying quantities of 500-milligram acetaminophen caplets made by the Perrigo Co.

If you took a pain reliever today and want to know if you should head to the doctor,

Acetaminophen is best known as the drug in products sold under the Tylenol brand, but is widely available in typically less expensive generic versions. The drug, along with aspirin and ibuprofen, is one of the most widely used pain relievers available without a doctor's note.

Tylenol however, has been reported to not be affected. The FDA has said that the contaminated pills have metal fragments ranging in size from "microdots" to portions of wire one-third of an inch long. The FDA reassures us by letting us know that those who take any of the contaminated pills could suffer minor stomach discomfort or possible cuts to the mouth and throat, but serious injury is unlikely. Thanks for the heads up FDA but I'm still going check my cabinets. You can check the FDA's Batch List (if you can figure it out) or the store list for a list of stores that possibly carried the recalled pain reliever. Nothing cures a headache like ingesting a one-third of an inch portion of a wire.

Do Solid Foods Help Babies Sleep Through the Night?

BabyCenter — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 08:37:30 PST

We're excited to share this post from our partners at BabyCenter! Every week, we will be bringing you the best parenting and lifestyle stories from the experts at BabyCenter, including this post from Andrea Updyke about that old wives tale that says babies sleep better after eating solid foods.

Feeding a baby can be a non-stop barrage of questions. Is he getting enough? Is he getting too much? How many wet diapers did I change? What color is the poop? I mean seriously, the amount of poop I have inspected just inches from my face is terrifying. And I will tell you this about the first few months of life; things change so fast it can be nearly impossible to keep up.

My babies are big. At birth, my boys were 11lbs and 10lbs. The first was a week early, the second a week late. I just make big babies, what can I say. Couple that with my choice to breastfeed and I was basically a non-stop all you can eat buffet. I don’t think my babies' bellies were ever the size of a marble or a ping pong ball or really anything smaller than a tennis ball ever. I mean, they ate all the time. And though all the experts said it wouldn't make a difference, both babies did immensely better when they started solids.

You can safely start solids between 4-6 months of age. While I had hoped to breastfeed exclusively until 6 months, we opted for solids at 5 months for both boys. Why am I telling you this? Well, because I think sometimes we get so caught up in what we think is right and normal that we forget to have conversations about what actually worked for us. No judgement, just dialogue.

My youngest is now just over 5 months old and until the past couple of weeks has been nursing or sometimes drinking a bottle every 3 hours around the clock. I discussed when to start solids with our pediatrician and he gave the same warning I have read all over the internet, solids won't really help the sleep thing. It's more about learning how to eat.

So I thought, why rush it? He is a happy baby. He eats well and sleeps well (when he sleeps). Maybe he just isn't there yet. But then 2 or 3 wakings became 4 or 5 and he was no longer content with a pacifier and eating more frequently during the day all the while watching my every move when I ate my meals. Over Christmas we decided to start feeding him oatmeal. Let me just tell you, there was no learning how to eat. This boy knew exactly what to do. He ate and he ate.

In the past two weeks he has increased to two meals a day, each with oatmeal and banana and he seems so content! His naps are better. He goes right to sleep when it's time for bed and last night he only woke up once in a 10 hour period.

Can it be the solids or is it really convenient timing? Maybe it's because my boys were so big to begin with? All I know is the more sleep mama gets, the happier we all are.

Someone pass me the sweet potatoes.

More great stories from BabyCenter.com:
How did I miss pneumonia?
20 cures for cabin fever
Warning: New acetaminophen dosage change
You know you're at grandma's when . . .
4 cool ways to store Legos

Source: Flickr User dacia mitchell