what are the side effects?

Question

does anyone know the side effects for NSAIDS? I am in nursing school and that was one of the questions from class

Answer 1

Technically, there are tons of possible side effects. Common problems are: Gastric problems (ulcer, gastritis, heartburn) and edema. Other problems include renal failure, increased risk of myocardial infarction and the list goes on and on.

Answer 2

Possible side effects of NSAIDs. The list of adverse effects of NSAIDs is long, but the major problems are few. The intestinal tract heads the list with nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. Anemia and blood or protein in the urine are next in frequency. Headache or drowsiness is infrequent. Changes in liver function frequently occur in children but not in adults who use aspirin, but changes in liver function are rare in children using the other NSAIDs.

About 5 percent of people receiving NSAIDs will have to discontinue them because of unacceptable side effects, particularly intestinal problems or anemia. A particular problem with aspirin is hemorrhaging in the intestinal tract in one in a hundred people taking aspirin.

The liver function tests used most often, called transaminase tests, monitor the enzymes the liver uses to break down chemicals in the body. The tests go by many names, but two are the SGOT and SGPT. They are done a few weeks after starting a new NSAID and every few months for a while to be sure that a particular medication is not injuring the liver. When the tests show results that are greater than two or three times normal, the doctor will usually tell you to stop the medicine and later may try to lower the daily dose to see if a lower dose will still help the arthritis and not cause the liver to function abnormally. Again, it's always a battle to find a medicine that helps the arthritis enough yet has minimal side effects.

NSAIDs cause anemia in 2 or 3 percent of people, though it's difficult to know whether the anemia is due to the arthritis or the medicine. Again, the usual sequence for a doctor to follow is to stop the medicine for a week or longer in order to see whether the blood count increases. The anemia can last for months or longer. The reason for the prolonged anemia is that the medication has depressed the blood-forming organs -- the bone marrow. You should pay attention to requests for a blood count safety check.

Urinalysis tests are used to check for blood or protein. When either is present in significant amounts in the urine specimen, it usually means that injury to the kidney has occurred. Aspirin rarely causes this type of problem; the injury more often occurs with one of the other NSAIDs. The same rules of stopping the drug, as mentioned above, apply here also.

Answer 3

Generally NSAIDs cause ulcers in some people, which may induce gastrointestinal bleeding, and may lead to death. Gastrointestinal side effects include dyspepsia, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhoea. Specific allergy to a NSAID can be quite dramatic, with rash, swelling of the face, and sometimes difficulty breathing.♥

To be more specific, checkout this link for various articles related to your question:
http://groups.msn.com/SIDEEFFECTS/nsaids.msnw

Answer 4

Long term, nsaids can assist to unbalance blood sugars - but that is anecdotal not empirical knowledge.

Answer 5

the most common is GI upset or rash