Over The Counter Pain Remedies-What You Need To Know

Many people might be surprised to find that many of the OTC medications they are buying and taking for the many aches associated with the back and head and other body parts vary widely and are not the same and could very slowly be causing you more problems that will have to eventually be dealt with. At first glance this method of self treatment might seem like the answer to an affordable prayer, but in reality it might be setting you up to unexpected consequences as well as reason enough to find alternative means of relief.

While most of the OTC pain relievers have the same medication, there are some well known exceptions such as Aleve, Excedrin and the ever popular Aspirin. Continued unrestricted daily use for extended periods can not only weaken the kidneys but has been known to cause kidney failure and these are medical facts that many people are unaware of. Monitoring of the amounts of these medications being taken or that following the directions on the packaging cannot be over emphasized or ignored.

One major problem associated with this type of pain relief is that your body and system can get used to them, thus increasing the routine daily doses, while becoming less and less effective over time until they just don't relieve any pain any more. This could well lead to the perfect health storm. Deciding to go well above and beyond the recommended daily doses of any medications is simply dumb and will create other more serious health problems and conditions for the individual.

Some people reason that these over the counter pills, because they don't require any prescription and are usually affordable, are not very potent or have any long term nasty effects on their body. Following the outlined instructions after reading them completely, including the side effects section, will make you more aware of what can happen if they are misused. However harmless you might think over the counter medications are, if you take too many for too long it can result in kidney failure or become fatal.

Chronic conditions are often the reasons why many people seek out other more effective ways to treat their pain issues when the over the counter medications just are not producing the desired results. This is the time many will consult their primary care physician to be consider their options. While some patients don't necessarily want to use prescription pain medication, this might be the best viable answer to your pain issues.