Killing Pain

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Pain Killers

When experiencing any kind of pain, it is not uncommon for people to pop an ibuprofen. However, this can have serious negative effects. Although ibuprofen doesn't cause a lot of side effects in many people, long term dosing can cause severe damage.

Like many people in the United States, I experience migraines. Often whenever I have a migraine my go to pain reliever is ibuprofen. My doctor recommended that I take a higher dosage of the stuff to kill a headache in its early stages because there are no migraine medications that have been approved for people under 18.

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Today, painkillers are very common. There are many different types, ranging from the prescription painkillers like morphine and fentanyl to over-the-counter aspirin and acetaminophen. Pain relievers help people through their daily lives, recover from surgery, and recover from debilitating disease.

According to health.harvard.edu, one of the first pain killers was willow bark. People would make tea out of the bark to help reduce fever and pain. The chemical in willow bark that had relieving effects was isolated by a German scientist and modified in 1956. This became aspirin.

Ibuprofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug and was invented in 1962. Ibuprofen and aspirin fall under this category of drugs.

How Ibuprofen Works

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Ibuprofen is absorbed into the blood stream through the lining of the intestine. From there it finds its way to the site of the pain. An enzyme called cyclooxygenase is produced when cells are damaged. The drug prevents the enzymes sending chemical pain signals to the brain.

Is it Actually Helping?

Ibuprofen lessens pain and fever. However, some scientists believe that reducing fever while sick could actually help viruses. According to Debora MacKenzie of the New Scientist periodical, viruses have difficulty replicating at temperatures above body temperature. Getting a fever is your body’s natural response to fight diseases, even if it does make you feel awful. Viruses target specific hosts so they can replicate. Human viruses function best at 37 degrees Celsius, or 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

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Scientists from McMaster University in Canada tested this in ferrets. Ferrets with the flu were treated in two different ways. One group was given ibuprofen. The other ferrets were shaved. The shaved ferrets got over their sickness more quickly while the group given ibuprofen helped spread the disease.

Toxicity

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Many people abuse prescription drugs, leading to terrible health issues.

It is extremely difficult to overdose on ibuprofen. You have to take a whole bottle. However long-term use can lead to severe kidney damage, kidney failure, increased risk of heart disease, and internal bleeding.

Some common side effects from taking ibuprofen are heart burn, cramps, and nausea.

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Addiction

Although ibuprofen does not cause physical addiction, some people may rely on it to function. If they are in pain on a daily basis then they may take ibuprofen daily.

These side effects only appear after serious long-term dosing. Ibuprofen is perfectly safe when used correctly. However, it’s good to be cautious. Think about how these drugs are affecting viruses in your system. Sometimes it might be beneficial to endure a little bit of pain.

We take pain relievers for convenience. Let’s all kill our kidneys together <3

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