A simple painkiller drug can be damaging
NSAIDs are very common drugs used to treat pain. Basically our body has a mechanism to develop inflammation that involves many steps, one of these steps include a mediator called COX, which has two types, COX-1 and COX-2.
COX-1 is responsible to maintain many physiological procedures in the body normally, like :
- Gastroprotection by mucosal regeneration (mucosa is a protective layer on the inner side of stomach, that protects stomach walls from gastric juice)
- Platelet aggregation, that helps to prevent bleeding by clot formation
- Renal functioning, by maintaining blood flow to kidneys
COX-2 is responsible for developing inflammation in response to any injury or infection.
Certain NSAIDs like aspirin, and ibuprofen block COX-1 and COX-2 simultaneously, that is why on the one side they block inflammation by blocking COX-2, but on the other side, also interrupt various normal physiological procedures of body by blocking COX-1, that may cause gastric ulcers, bleeding disorders, or renal damage upon prolonged use.
Moreover NSAIDs like diclofenac, indomethacin, ketoprofen have higher tendency to damage kidneys. So pain management should always be used under the guidance of qualified health professionals, and self medication should be avoided that may not damage in a single dose or its damage may not become prominent in initial doses.
