WOW!!!! Thanks so much for sending this. I told my "late" rheumatologist I had problems with NSAIDS. He said, NO, WAY and basically laughed at me. I hope he has become more educated by now. Natalie
----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Grace" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "tmic-list-at-eskimo.com" <tmic-list@eskimo.com> Sent: Thursday, June 22, 2006 8:16 PM Subject: [TMIC] Swelling in knees and NSAIDS > I read an interesting article in Arthritis Today Magazine (July-August 2006 issue) in my doctor's waiting room that might be connected to the swelling that Grace wrote about and the water retention and painful swelling that I have been experiencing. The following is paraphrased: > > Q: When I took NSAIDS on two occasions I experienced so much joint swelling that I had to have my knees drained. My rheumatologist said NSAIDS restrict blood flow through my kidneys. Can you explain? > > A: " NSAIDS like aspirin, ibuprofen ( Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), can restrict blood flow through the kidneys. However, when this happens you would typically have fluid retention throughout the body; swelling might occur in just the lower extremities, such as the ankles due to gravity. Patients may also experience weight gain and increased blood pressure. > I suspect the localized swelling you experienced in your knees was not caused by an effect on your kidneys. Rather, it may have occurred as a result of your immune system reacting to the presence of aspirin and ibuprofen. While some people have a systemic allergic reaction to aspirin and NSAIDS, resulting in hives or difficulty breathing, it is possible for a more localized reaction to occur, which could have been the case for you. > Given your history of intolerance, avoid using any of these drugs in the future....." > > My appointment was to beg for help with pain. I quit taking the antidepressant Elavil a month ago due to food cravings and weight gain and wanted to discuss Cymbalta or Effexor for both depression and pain relief. (I'm going to give Effexor a try.) My neuropathy pain increased as the Elavil wore off: then I started taking Aleve along with Neurontin and Baclofen. My doctor agreed with this article. He said NSAIDS can cause swelling in some people and that swelling might be partially responsible for the increase in pain. He suggested that I stay away from NSAIDS and use Tylenol (acetaminophen) instead. I hope stumbling across this article helps me and others with water retention problems. (Heat and humidity move over and share the bench with NSAIDS.) >
