Are your painkillers causing more harm than good?

Back or neck pain? Headache?  Before you reach for the painkillers read this:

The painkiller acetaminophen is making headlines.  This substance can be found in prescription painkillers such as Vicodin and Percocet and over the counter medications such as Tylenol.

Why is this commonly used painkiller making headlines?

The aforementioned prescription drugs are referred to as combination drugs because they contain a mix of opioids and acetaminophen.  The problem arises when people feel that their prescription drugs are not helping enough with the pain and therefore take an extra over the counter medication like Tylenol to help cope. This combination of prescription medication plus over the counter acetaminophen pushes them past the safe recommended daily dose (325mg) of acetaminophen.

The Food and Drug Administration has announced that doctors should limit writing prescriptions for combination medications which contain acetaminophen, as this substance may cause liver damage, which could lead to liver failure and even death.  The FDA says that there is no data to show that taking more than the new recommended amount provides enough benefit to outweigh the risk of liver damage.

What does this mean for you?

If you would like to protect your liver and overall health now and into the future then you should start to look for alternative methods of pain relief outside of the drugs containing acetaminophen.

Chiropractic is a safe and effective non invasive alternative to painkillers.  Not only does your chiropractor help reduce the existing pain without drugs, but she also looks for the root cause of the pain such as muscle tension, muscle imbalances, misalignment of the spine, poor bio-mechanics, poor posture, etc and works to correct these.

Read more about safe pain treatment in pregnancy: The Safe Way to Manage Pain in Pregnancy