this post was submitted on 13 Dec 2023
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Gen X, the meh generation
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Glucosamine, curcumin with pepper, heat, regular exercise, dietary changes to reduce inflammation, top up with ibuprofen or paracetamol but be careful about doing that too much or in too large quantities. Especially ibuprofen.
On a related note, one of osteoarthritis's most common comorbities is depression. That may be down to inflammation. That's why some people report that ibuprofen can reduce their symptoms, although you obviously shouldn't use ibuprofen regularly. If applicable, perhaps you've noticed you get particularly sad when your OA flares up, this is something to maybe talk about with your doctor.
Also notify your doctor if you're taking supplements. Some interact with medication and dosage is key.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8883119/
The primary reason you shouldn't use ibuprofen on a regular basis is that it causes ulcers in the digestive tract.
And it's impact on the ~~liver~~ kidneys.
I'd say tylenol is perhaps a bigger issue, becuase research shows it's nowhere near as effective as once thought. Weird.
I think Acetaminophen is the one that is likely to cause liver damage. It's fairly easy to exceed the processing capabilities of the liver with Acetaminophen and when that happens it causes liver damage. Also, since Acetaminophen is incorporated into so many other products like cough syrups and sinus and headache pills, people end up taking more than they realize because they take 2-3 products at a time. So Acetaminophen overdoses end up being surprisingly common.
https://www.goodrx.com/classes/nsaids/nsaids-ibuprofen-bad-liver-kidneys
Extended Ibuprofen use can cause kidney damage though.
Saw a stat recently that the #1 overdose (and overdose mortalities) seen in hospitals is acetaminophen, by a significant margin (orders of magnitude more than all opiods/opiates if I remember correctly, but don't quote me).
That's pretty SOBERING. And frustrating.
I know a teenager that died from an accidental acetaminophen overdose. He had a cold so took Tylenol cold, which has acetaminophen, and then because he had a headache too, he took some extra-strength "regular" Tylenol. Turns out he was one of a small number of people that are particularly sensitive to acetaminophen and taking essentially a double-dose killed him in his sleep.
Tylenol is liver. Ibuprofen is kidneys.
Ah, thanks, I often get them mixed up.
I was just surprised to find tylenol had a much lower effect on pain than once thought, as in way lower, hard to measure territory.
Of course, studies of this stuff are hard to do well, so who knows what we'll see next year.
My personal experience is analgesics/NSAIDS are almost useless. So much so that I don't even bother with them - why take on the risks if there aren't tangible benefits?
THAT makes me wonder if these studies are problematic because there's so much differentiation between individuals, or perhaps there's an attribute that's common to groups of individuals that makes these meds more/less effective.
I was really shocked how helpful curcumin is for chronic inflammation. I was having trouble with reoccurring tendonitis in my shoulders and thought I was going to have to give up lifting. Doctor didn't have anything else to offer. Read a study about this proving useful and I thought "Simple enough to try it and find out."
Works great and part of my daily routine now.
Out of interest, how much do you take?
I take 1500 mg/day.
1000mg/day was my usual for the last 6 years. Bumped it up 6 months ago as I've been having a strange reoccurring pain in one foot. Honestly think I have something else going on with it though so might just have to go to the doctor. I suspect I can drop back to my original and wouldn't know the difference.
What brand do you use?
I use the Kirkland brand from Costco. Back to 1000mg/day after the issue with my foot subsided.