What Are NSAIDs Used For?

Several conditions related to pain, inflammation, fever, and stiffness can often be treated with NSAIDs. Some specific uses for NSAIDs include treating arthritis symptoms, relieving fever temporarily, and treating painful menstrual periods. There are also some specific formulations of NSAIDs designed for use in infants and children.

Uses for NSAIDs: An Overview

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs for short, are a class of medicines that have been licensed to treat several conditions related to pain, inflammation, fever, and stiffness.
 
Depending on the particular NSAID, some specific uses may include:
 
  • Pain relief. NSAIDs can relieve pain resulting from a procedure, as well as pain caused by straining a muscle or inflammation in a tendon (tendonitis) or bursa (bursitis). NSAIDs can also be used to treat general pain, such as:
 
 
 
NSAIDs do not cure these types of arthritis, however, nor do they change the progression of the disease.
  • Treatment of painful menstrual periods.
     
  • Relief of moderate to severe pain in the short term. "Short term" is defined as fewer than five days. Toradol® is an example of an NSAID often used to relieve this type of pain. Toradol is most often used to relieve pain following a procedure, but it may also be used to relieve back pain, cancer pain, pain caused by kidney stones, and other types of short-term pain.
     
  • Temporary relief of fever.
     
NSAIDs may also be used alone or combined with other medications in several common cold, flu, and sinus products. These medications can help to relieve fever, aches, and pains associated with common cold symptoms, flu symptoms, or sinus problems.
 
(What Are NSAIDs Used For? Continued: Page 2)
Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;
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