NSAIDs: Drugs for Pain

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Lately, I was introduced to an anti-inflammatory drug called "aceclofenac", a relative of an older drug called "diclofenac". Aceclofenac and the other anti-inflammatory medications, collectively called "NSAIDs" (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs), are a group of medicines that provide antipyretic, analgesic and anti-inflammatory actions.

Examples of NSAIDs (generic names) are:

• Acetylsalicylic acid (Aspirin) (Salicylates)
• Diclofenac (Acetic acid derivatives)
• Naproxen and ibuprofen (Propionic acid derivatives)
• Meloxicam (enolic acid derivatives)
• Mefenamic acid (anthranilic acid derivatives)
• Celecoxib (COX-2 inhibitors)

(Wikipedia) Essentially, you can take them for the following conditions:

• Osteoarthritis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Mild-to-moderate pain due to inflammation and tissue injury
• Low back pain
• Inflammatory arthropathies (e.g., ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, reactive arthritis)
• Repetitive Stress Injuries
• Headache
• Migraine
• Acute gout
• Dysmenorrhoea (menstrual pain)
• Metastatic bone pain
• Postoperative pain
• 
  
• Muscle stiffness and pain due to Parkinson's disease
• Pyrexia (fever)
• Ileus
• Renal colic
• They are also given to neonate infants whose ductus arteriosus is not closed within 24 hours of birth

NSAIDs are generally known to cause peptic ulcer and gastrointestinal bleeding. In the US, 60% of 14 million people taking NSAIDs will have side effects. Thus, patients are usually advised to take them during or after meals. COX-2 inhibitors give lower risk for ulcer bleeding compared to the other NSAIDS.

As for aceclofenac, it is reported to be safer than the other commonly-used NSAIDs (ibuprofen, naproxen and indomethacin) in causing stomach ulcers. The usual dosage is 100 mg twice a day.