Pills for muscle and joint pain

Muscle pain tends to appear after prolonged or strong tension, increased tone or damage to muscle fibers. Probably, each of us at least once in our lives felt such sensations. The causes of pain are always different, and they also need to be eliminated in different ways. That is why there is no one universal pill for muscle pain - there are many such drugs, they have different principles of action and are suitable for eliminating different types of pain.

Indications for muscle pain pills

Muscle pain pills are designed to relieve the following unpleasant painful sensations:

• Pain after physical overload, which is called muscle soreness, or delayed myalgia syndrome. Such pain appears 2-3 days after physical exertion and is caused by the accumulation of lactic acid in muscle tissue.
• Myositis is pain associated with an inflammatory reaction in the muscles.
• Muscle pain associated with the use of certain medications, such as blood pressure lowering drugs.
• Muscle pain associated with a deficiency of calcium, potassium or magnesium salts in the tissues.
• Muscle pain due to infectious diseases – for example, acute respiratory viral infections, flu, trichinosis, etc.

Various inflammations and infections, stress loads, mechanical damage, etc. can lead to muscle strain and increased muscle tone. Muscle pain in certain cases can be dangerous, since such pain is often accompanied by pathologies of the joints and spinal column.

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Release form

Muscle pain pills can be produced in different dosages and have different mechanisms of action, depending on the main ingredients. All such pills can be divided into the following categories:

• painkillers tablets from the category of non-narcotic analgesics;
• pain relief tablets from a group of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs;
• narcotic painkillers.

Tablets are considered one of the most convenient forms of medicine: they are comfortable to take in any conditions, even when away from home, and can also be dosed by dividing the tablet into two or four parts.

Some tablets have a soluble coating: such drugs cannot be broken or crushed, otherwise they will not have the required therapeutic effect.

Names of pills for muscle pain

Tablets for muscle pain are selected depending on its cause, or depending on the stage of the inflammatory process.

• Pain pills, which are non-narcotic analgesics, alleviate the patient's condition and cause minimal harm to other organs - however, only if used for a short period of time. The pain relief effect of these drugs may vary. For example, pills such as Analgin or Sulpirine will relieve moderate pain, but they will not cope with severe pain. In more complex cases, drugs based on ketorolac are often prescribed - these are Ketanov, Ketoprofen, Ketolong, Ketalgin. The most powerful drugs are considered to be pills with the active ingredient lornoxicam: these are medications such as Xefocam or Larfix.
• Tablets from the category of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have quite pronounced side effects: patients especially often complain of complications from the digestive organs. That is why a course of such drugs is often prescribed in combination with medications that protect the mucous membrane of the digestive tract. The advantage of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory tablets is that, in addition to pain, they successfully cope with its frequent cause - the inflammatory process. Bright representatives of such drugs are: Diclofenac, Nimesulide, Paracetamol, Ibuprofen, Celecoxib, Meloxicam, Indomethacin.
• Pain pills from the category of narcotic drugs are prescribed only by a doctor - they are taken only as an exception for a short period of time, under the supervision of a doctor, and only for very severe pain. Typical representatives of such medications are Promedol and Tramadol tablets.

In complex cases of muscle pain, the doctor may prescribe drugs that combine a number of active ingredients that have a multidirectional effect. Combinations of different mechanisms of action give a good and longer-lasting result.

Tablets for joint and muscle pain

Joint and muscle pain often go together. Of course, the patient will not take medications separately for joints and separately for muscle health. However, in such cases, any doctor will insist on complex treatment, using not only tablets, but also ointments or other types of therapy. Physiotherapy, manual therapy, and exercise therapy are often prescribed.

The emphasis is necessarily on drugs that eliminate the cause of pain directly. For example, to block the development of the inflammatory process, anti-inflammatory drugs (most often non-steroidal drugs) will be needed, and to reduce muscle tone - muscle relaxants (Mydocalm).

In some cases, tablets are used to relieve muscle pain, and medication is injected into the joints – this way it is possible to act directly on the source of inflammation.

In any case, treatment depends on the diagnostic results: painkillers should not be used until information about the cause of the pain is obtained.

Pills for muscle pain after exercise

Muscle pain after a workout can occur in both a beginner and an experienced athlete - most often this indicates muscle strain. Such pain usually appears on the 2-3 day and goes away after about the same amount of time. If the pain persists for more than five days, or even increases, then in this case it is more logical to consult a doctor - the cause of such pain may be damage to muscle fibers.

If the cause of the pain is overexertion, then you can first try to get rid of it without pills: for example, many people are helped by a hot salt bath, massage, iodine mesh, as well as simple rest - after all, muscles need some time to recover.

If you can't do without pain pills, you can take Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen - these drugs act effectively and quickly. The usual single dose of these drugs is 1-2 tablets.

Leg Muscle Pain Pills

Leg muscles can hurt for many reasons, and not all of these reasons can be eliminated by taking pain pills. If your leg muscles hurt after a workout, then in some situations taking pills may be justified. However, leg pain can also be associated with vascular diseases (in particular, veins of the lower extremities), and with nerve diseases, and even with pathology of the spinal column. Therefore, you should not take pills for muscle pain if such pain does not subside within five days.

You should seek medical advice if the pain in your legs is accompanied by cramps, swelling and redness of certain areas of your legs, swelling of your veins, and also in situations where the pain in your legs is severe and prevents you from walking normally.

In order to relieve leg muscle pain, tablets from the category of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are most often used. They gently eliminate not only pain, but also the accompanying inflammatory process. Ketorolac, Nimesulide, Efferalgan, Nise have a good effect. The listed drugs have a lot of contraindications, so before taking them, you need to carefully read the instructions, or even better - consult a doctor.

Back Muscle Pain Pills

Muscle pain in the back is most often associated with spasm - this is a common occurrence for people of any age and type of activity.

Such pain usually occurs suddenly, especially in those people who have problems such as spinal curvature, osteochondrosis, intervertebral hernias, etc.

In such situations, muscle relaxant tablets will come to the rescue - they eliminate muscle fiber tension by influencing specific parts of the central nervous system.

The most popular tablets in this category are:

• Mydocalm;
• Norflex;
• Valium;
• Flexeril, etc.

Take these tablets strictly according to the instructions, as they have a significant number of side effects.

Painkiller pills for muscle pain

For muscle pain, the number one pill is considered to be non-narcotic analgesics - drugs that have a rapid pain-relieving effect. The most common medications in this group include:

• Metamizole sodium (Analgin, Baralgin) – it is prescribed for moderate pain. Metamizole is able to completely eliminate pain for 3-6 hours.
• Acetylsalicylic acid (Aspirin) – used for minor pain.
• Ketorolac (Ketolong, Ketoprofen, Ketanov) is a fairly strong painkiller that eliminates even severe pain for about 7 hours.
• Dexketoprofen (Dexalgin) is a strong drug similar in action to Ketorolac.
• Lornoxicam (Larfix, Xefocam) is the most powerful drug in this group of medications, which eliminates even high-intensity pain for a fairly long period (8-9 hours).

Next, we will consider the pharmacological and other properties of muscle pain pills using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs as an example.

Pharmacodynamics

The main principle of action of non-steroidal pain pills is considered to be the suppression of prostaglandin production by inhibiting the cyclooxygenase enzyme.

The analgesic effect of such tablets in most patients is found in pain syndromes of low and moderate severity - this applies to muscle and joint pain, among other things. In case of severe pain, such tablets are less effective and are somewhat inferior in the degree of analgesia to narcotic painkillers.

The greatest analgesic effect is attributed to such non-steroidal drugs as Diclofenac, Ketorolac, Metamizole.

In addition to the analgesic effect, non-steroidal tablets successfully cope with inflammation, stabilize thermoregulation during fever, suppress platelet aggregation, and have a moderate immunosuppressive effect.

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Pharmacokinetics

Absolutely all non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are perfectly absorbed in the digestive system. They are almost completely bound to plasma proteins, with simultaneous displacement of other medications (in infants, bilirubin is displaced, which often leads to the appearance of bilirubin encephalopathy).

The absorption of acetylsalicylic acid can be enhanced by taking a crushed tablet and by washing it down with warm water. A similar effect is produced by taking an "effervescent" tablet.

Salicylates and phenylbutazone have the greatest toxicity to the liver.

Most nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can enter the synovial fluid of the joint.

Non-steroidal drugs are metabolized in the liver and excreted through the kidneys.

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Dosing and administration

Each patient needs to choose an individual type of tablets with good tolerance. It should be taken into account that the analgesic property of non-steroidal drugs manifests itself during the first few hours, and the anti-inflammatory property - after 7-14 days and with regular use.

Any new muscle pain pills are prescribed initially in minimal quantities. If the chosen drug is well tolerated, then after 2-3 days the dosage can be increased. In case of severe pain, quite large doses of pills may be required, however, to avoid overdose, it is very important to consult a doctor.

To reduce the severity of side effects, non-steroidal pain pills should be taken after meals. However, pills taken on an empty stomach (half an hour before meals) provide a faster pain-relieving effect.

Taking several different pain pills at the same time is not recommended: it increases the risk of developing side effects.

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Use for muscle pain pills during pregnancy

It is not advisable for pregnant women to take non-steroidal muscle pain pills, especially in the first and third trimesters. It is generally accepted that such drugs can lead to fetal developmental disorders (especially renal dysfunction), and also increase the risk of spontaneous abortion.

Taking nonsteroidal pills in the last trimester can prolong pregnancy and delay the onset of labor. This property is associated with the fact that prostaglandins stimulate the myometrium, and nonsteroidal drugs suppress the production of prostaglandins.

Contraindications

Non-steroidal muscle pain tablets are not prescribed if the patient suffers from:

• erosive and ulcerative diseases of the digestive system (especially in the acute phase);
• disorders of liver or kidney function;
• cytopenias;
• hypersensitivity to similar drugs.

It is not recommended to take non-steroidal tablets during pregnancy (only in case of special need and in the second trimester).

The use of Indomethacin and Phenylbutazone is not recommended if the patient is engaged in activities that require increased concentration.

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Side effects for muscle pain pills

The main negative feature of almost all non-steroidal muscle pain pills is the increased risk of side effects, especially in the digestive system. In addition, other undesirable effects may develop.

• Dyspeptic syndrome, gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer, bleeding and perforation, gastroduodenopathy.
• Narrowing of blood vessels in the kidneys, decrease in daily diuresis, disturbances in water-salt metabolism, interstitial nephritis, renal failure.
• Aplastic anemia, agranulocytosis.
• Bleeding associated with inhibition of prothrombin formation in the liver.
• Allergy in the form of skin rashes, allergic nephritis, anaphylaxis.
• Bronchospasm.

Pregnant women may experience a prolongation of the gestation period and a slowdown in labor.

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Overdose

Long-term use of non-steroidal muscle pain pills, as well as taking such drugs in large quantities, can lead to damage to the digestive system. Therefore, during treatment, it is recommended to periodically take a stool test for occult blood, as well as conduct fibrogastroscopy.

In addition, an overdose can lead to swelling, changes in blood pressure, liver damage, and blood clotting disorders.

Treatment of overdose consists of rinsing the digestive system (if a large amount of the drug was taken no more than 1 hour ago), taking sorbents (for example, activated carbon). It is recommended to drink plenty of alkaline fluids, as well as therapy according to the symptoms detected.

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Interactions with other drugs

Very often, patients taking non-steroidal tablets for muscle pain also use other medications. However, it is always necessary to know how pharmacologically possible their drug interaction is. For example, non-steroidal tablets can stimulate the effect of indirect anticoagulants and blood sugar lowering agents. At the same time, they weaken the effect of hypertension drugs, increase the toxic effect of aminoglycoside antibiotics and digoxin.

You cannot take non-steroidal tablets and diuretics at the same time. The combination of Indomethacin + Triamterene is especially dangerous.

There are also drugs that affect the kinetic and pharmacological properties of non-steroidal tablets:

• antacids containing aluminum (for example, Almagel) and Cholestyramine impair the absorption of non-steroidal drugs in the digestive tract;
• Sodium bicarbonate, on the contrary, improves the absorption of non-steroidal tablets in the stomach and intestines;
• the anti-inflammatory effect of non-steroidal tablets is enhanced by the action of glucocorticoid hormones and aminoquinolines;
• The analgesic effect of non-steroidal tablets is enhanced by the influence of narcotic analgesics and sedatives.

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Storage conditions

Most of the tablets used for muscle pain are stored in normal room conditions, away from heating devices and radiation sources. Pain tablets should be stored out of the reach of children.

If the tablets have already been removed from the packaging and have not been used, it is better to throw them away, since the pharmacological properties of the drug may have changed under the influence of external factors.

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Shelf life

Muscle pain tablets can be stored for up to 3 years in individual unopened packaging (unless otherwise stated in the instructions).

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