{"id":692021,"date":"2026-01-12T23:06:26","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T23:06:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/692021\/"},"modified":"2026-01-12T23:06:26","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T23:06:26","slug":"nhs-alert-to-anyone-taking-common-medication-for-osteoarthritis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/692021\/","title":{"rendered":"NHS alert to anyone taking common medication for osteoarthritis"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The NHS has issued an important message to people taking a <a data-link-tracking=\"InArticle|Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.express.co.uk\/life-style\/health\/2156025\/nhs-side-effect-warning-common-medication\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">common medication<\/a> for osteoarthritis. According to <a data-link-tracking=\"InArticle|Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.express.co.uk\/latest\/arthritis\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Arthritis<\/a> UK, over 10 million people across the nation suffer with the condition which involves inflammation of one or more joints.<\/p>\n<p>Although there are multiple ways to treat arthritis, NSAID&#8217;s (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs) are the most common medication people use to cope. While some NSAID&#8217;s, including ibuprofen, can be bought over the counter at pharmacies, some are prescribed by a <a data-link-tracking=\"InArticle|Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.express.co.uk\/latest\/gp-surgery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">GP<\/a>. They come in various forms, such as tablets, capsules, suppositories, creams, gels and injections.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As reported by <a data-link-tracking=\"InArticle|Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ok.co.uk\/lifestyle\/nhs-crucial-message-people-taking-36512992\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">OK!<\/a>, the NHS urges people to make sure they take the NSAID that is suitable for them. The health service says it&#8217;s important for patients to understand the potential benefits and risks that come with their medication.<\/p>\n<p>The NHS warns: &#8220;They may not be suitable for people with certain conditions, such as asthma, a stomach ulcer or angina, or if you have had a heart attack or stroke. If you&#8217;re taking low-dose aspirin, ask your GP whether you should use an NSAID.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Most people can take NSAIDs without any issue. However, the following groups should check with a pharmacist or doctor before taking them:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>are over 65 years of age<\/li>\n<li>are pregnant or trying for a baby<\/li>\n<li>are breastfeeding<\/li>\n<li>have asthma<\/li>\n<li>have had an allergic reaction to NSAIDs in the past<\/li>\n<li>have had stomach ulcers in the past<\/li>\n<li>have any problems with your heart, liver, kidneys, blood pressure, circulation or bowels<\/li>\n<li>are taking other medicines<\/li>\n<li>are looking for medicine for a child under 16 (do not give any medicine that contains aspirin to children under 16)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The NHS continues: &#8220;NSAIDs might not necessarily need to be avoided in these cases, but they should only be used on the advice of a healthcare professional as there may be a higher risk of side effects.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;If NSAIDs are not suitable, your pharmacist or doctor may suggest alternatives to NSAIDs, such as paracetamol.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Some stronger prescription NSAIDs can cause side-effects, particularly if you take high doses or use them for long periods. The possible side-effects include indigestion, stomach ulcers, headaches, drowsiness, dizziness and allergic reactions.<\/p>\n<p>The NHS also advises getting medical advice before taking an NSAID if you are already on other medication. They include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>another NSAID<\/li>\n<li>low-dose aspirin or warfarin \u2013 medicines used to prevent blood clots<\/li>\n<li>ciclosporin \u2013 a medicine used to treat autoimmune conditions, such as arthritis or ulcerative colitis<\/li>\n<li>diuretics \u2013 medicines sometimes used to treat high blood pressure<\/li>\n<li>lithium \u2013 a medicine used to treat mental health problems, including bipolar disorder and severe depression<\/li>\n<li>methotrexate \u2013 a medicine used to treat inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis<\/li>\n<li>a type of antidepressant medicine called a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) \u2013 examples of SSRIs are citalopram and fluoxetine (Prozac)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The NHS has issued an important message to people taking a common medication for osteoarthritis. According to Arthritis&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":692022,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4316],"tags":[2346,535,105,4348,41175,211,161087,3896,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-692021","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-healthcare","8":"tag-arthritis","9":"tag-drugs","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-healthcare","12":"tag-medication-safety","13":"tag-nhs","14":"tag-nsaids","15":"tag-osteoarthritis","16":"tag-uk","17":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115884640416920268","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/692021","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=692021"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/692021\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/692022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=692021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=692021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=692021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}