Naproxen drug abuse

Naproxen is one of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (also known as NSAIDs) used to treat different types of pain. This medication can be a solution for the pain caused by menstrual cramps, arthritis, gout, bursitis or tendinitis, as well as ankylosing spondylitis or some other painful conditions.

Naproxen Adverse Effects

Patients using naproxen may have trouble with some gastrointestinal side effects such as abdominal discomfort, nausea, dyspepsia, diarrhea or constipation and stomatitis. Some patients have also reported peptic ulcerations during the use of this drug. In rare occasions, people using naproxen may suffer from gastrointestinal bleeding or perforation and there were also cases of pancreatitis, esophagitis, eosinophilic colitis and allergic sialadenitis. According to studies, people using controlled release formulation of this drug may develop problems such as stomatitis and heartburn.

Doctors may decide to monitor patient’s hematocrit and the stool, to make sure there is no damage to gastrointestinal tract. Alcohol abuse and severe gastrointestinal problems may even result in more serious gastrointestinal problems if associated with the use of naproxen.

Naproxen belongs to the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) pregnancy category C and the use of this medication during the last trimester of pregnancy may cause birth defects. Always check with your doctor before using this drug if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant soon. Naproxen is known to pass into breast milk so breastfeeding moms should not use the drug unless their doctor tells them so. The drug may cause harmful effects to the breastfeed child and you should not use it. This medication is also not suitable for kids younger than 2 years of age.

Precaution Measures and Abuse

Naproxen is associated with certain health risks even when it is used after doctor's recommendation and prescription. Taken without any precaution or abused, naproxen may cause serious damage to your body.

This drug is known to increase the risk of heart and circulation problems such as heart attack or stroke. The longer you use this medication, the greater the risk is. Naproxen is, therefore, not suitable for patients before or after bypass surgery (coronary artery bypass graft, CABG).

People allergic to naproxen, Aspirin or any other NSAIDs should avoid this drug.

Certain groups of people need to be especially careful with naproxen and may need to adjust the dose in order to use the drug safely. These include all patients with previous heart attack, blood clots, stroke, hypertension and heart, liver and kidney diseases. Smokers, asthma patients and people suffering from polyps in the nose should also be careful with this medication.