Naproxen, bad or good? whats your opinion?

Question

I have really bad muscle and joint pain. Went to this specialist but he is really weird, kinda rude, and I cant understand his accent half the time. Well he proscribed me naproxen. I took it once and it did nothing for me but give me a headache and bad cramps. But later I did some research on it and it says that people that take it are at risk of heart attach and stroke. And for people with heart disease in their family not to take it. I know I remember telling this docotor that heart disease runs in my family. So I stoped taking it.
I was just wondering if anyone else had every taken this medication before?

Answer 1

Naproxen or Alleve, as its know in its over the counter form, is a NSAID, non steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. That makes it the same class as Advil and Orudis. It is not a narcotic.
For me, it works best when taken on a regular basis and for minor muscle and joint aches and pains. It also upsets my stomach if I take it on an empty stomach.

Answer 2

Well, obviously, if a medication doesn't work as intended, and only gives you side effects, there is no reason to take it.

I have found that naproxen works pretty well for me.

Headache, nausea, and abdominal pain are common side effects. Sometimes, at high doses, naproxen can cause more severe effects, like stomach ulcers, intestinal bleeding, or liver and kidney damage. Heart-involving side effects are not unknown, but a rather rare, usually related to preexisting heart conditions. Naproxen belongs to a class of drugs (also including aspirin and ibuprofen,) known as "NSAID's." All these drugs work in roughly the same way, and all have similar side effects, including the risks of gastrointestinal bleeding, and kidney damage at high doses.

I think you are probably referring, not to conventional NSAID's, but to a more modern, and related class of drugs, called "Cox2 Inhibitors."

This includes recent (and infamous) name brands like "Celebrex", "Bextra", and "Vioxx." These drugs have gone out of public favor, and been pulled from the market, precisely because they are thought to increase the risk of Heart attack and stroke.

This is generally not true of "conventional" NSAID's, such as naproxen. In fact, aspirin is sometimes prescribed, at low doses, to people with chronic heart disease.

Hope that makes sense,
~W.O.M.B.A.T.

Answer 3

I have never taken this kind of medication,but if you say it only gave you side effects, I suggest stop taking it and get another opinionand maybe they can give you something that is going to help. Do a research always on these meds that are prescribed are important to do. Ihope you can find something to help and you will feel better soon.

Answer 4

I've taken it before, and found it pretty useless. It's sold over the counter under the brand name Aleve. When I first took it as Aleve, it made me throw up more than once, so I stopped taking it. Years later, I was given a prescription version for cramping and bleeding (female stuff) and it did nothing but waste my $13.00 at the pharmacy.

Answer 5

I took it for knee pain when I was younger. To be honest, I didn't notice any difference from ibuprofen. I'd try to get a second opinion from another doctor, especially in light of the risks for side effects.

Answer 6

yes i have taken it and it really doesnt give any relief, so you did the rite thing by stoping the med.