Pain Relievers Making You Sick???

I had the typical flu symptoms, headache, low energy, muscle aches, I felt like I was dragging three hundred pounds around that day and I had to entertain my four year old all weekend since my husband had to work. Ok so I shouldn't have taken two Alleve but I did, and to make matters worse since I was still feeling achy five hours later I took two more. Good thing the aches went away and didn't come back, bad thing I was up most of the night with the most terrible heart burn, it started in my chest and radiated to my back, if it weren't for the tums I somehow managed to find in the back of our medicine cabinet I wouldn't have slept at all.

So what's the deal with medications that tear your stomach up like that??

Medications for heart disease, or an anti-inflammatory drug for arthritis, pain medications, and certain cancer drugs, are meds you may need to take, but every time you take your medication, it seems like the cure is worse that the condition. Painful heartburn flares up, from your stomach to your throat. You may even have acid reflux -- where food and stomach acid "burps" back up from your stomach, with that awful, irritating taste.

"Unfortunately, it's just the way that it works," says Tara O'Brien, PharmD, a pharmacy manager at Pharmaca in Seattle, a national, integrative pharmacy network combining Western medicine with self-care. "You put a chemical in your body, your body responds, and as long as you're taking the medication, the symptoms are going to be there."

Foods to Avoid when heartburn strikes🔹

🔷Tomato based foods

🔷Citrus

🔷Alcohol

🔷Fatty Foods

🔷Caffeinated Beverages

🔷Mints

🔷Chocolate ( what!!!)

Medications That Cause Heartburn🔹

🔷Aspirin

🔷NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as ibuprofen and naproxen

🔷Antihistamines such as Benadryl

🔷Antibiotics such as tetracycline

🔷Heart medications such as Procardia, Inderal, Tenormin, and Cardizem

🔷Anti-anxiety medications such as Valium or Ativan

🔷Osteoporosis medications, such as Fosamax

🔷Steroid medications such as prednisone

🔷Chemotherapy drugs and radiation therapy for cancer

🔷Nitrates and nitroglycerin

🔷Anticholinergics such as Antispas and Robinul

🔷Narcotics such as Demerol

🔷Potassium

🔷Iron supplements

🔷Theophylline

🔷Vitamin C

There Must be a Better Way🔹

1. Review your medications with your doctor. Talk with your doctor to review your complete list of medications -- and not just the ones that particular doctor is prescribing -- but all your drugs. Perhaps your doctor can change the dose, the time of day you take the medication, the brand, or method of delivery -- such as a slow-release instead of fast-acting pill.

2. Talk with a pharmacist. Take the time to sit down and speak with a pharmacist and show them your entire drug list, not just the medication you think is causing the heartburn, says O'Brien. A pharmacist is trained to look for drug interactions and side effects and suggest ways to ease the burn.

3. Move all your prescriptions to one pharmacy. Doctors don't always have the time to double-check all of the other medications you may be taking when they prescribe a new drug. Your cardiologist may not know what your rheumatologist has prescribed for arthritis -- and drug interactions between those two drugs might be causing your heartburn. A pharmacist can help identify the causes of heartburn -- and possible solutions -- but only if you give them the full picture of everything -- and that means everything -- you're taking.

4. Try ginger tea and natural remedies. Look for simple, natural solutions first, says O'Brien. Some medications can be taken with alternative health remedies, depending on what the medication is, says O'Brien. Try herbal teas, like ginger tea, that soothe and aid digestion. But always check with your doctor first before trying any new herb or supplement. Even "harmless," natural remedies can interfere with how some medications work -- either boosting or blocking their effects.

My heartburn from my "Alleve" experience lasted for three days, obviously I won't be doing that again but what happens if I have some serious aches and pains again???

 I will be taking Tylenol, the recommended dose, and if I need be I'll take an anti inflammatory but will definitly watch what I ingest  making sure I don't eat extra acids including tomato based foods, citrus,  chocolates coffee or alcohol.....all the best foods.