19 Jan 2023
When suffering from arthritis, you should consider the pros and cons of anything you do to prevent further complications. For the treatment of arthritis, your doctor may prescribe you medicine after contemplating all your symptoms. Aleve, for this purpose, is named one of the best medicines. Now, the question is, is Aleve safe to take every day for arthritis? To know your answer, read the full article.
To begin with, you should know what Aleve is and what other diseases Aleve can treat. Aleve is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), also called naproxen. It treats several pain conditions, such as intense pain, muscular pain, backache, tooth pain, menstrual cramps, gout, fever, and inflammatory disorders.
The inflammatory diseases treated by Aleve specifically include rheumatoid arthritis and some symptoms of spondylitis arthritis. Aleve secretes chemicals that reduce hormones, causing inflammation and pain in the human body. The drug shows its effects within an hour that last up to twelve hours.
Is It Safe To Take Aleve Every Day For Arthritis?
The expeditious answer to this question is, yes, it is safe to take Aleve every day to treat arthritis under the observation or strict guidance of the doctor.
However, as stated, Aleve is an NSAID, so it is mandatory to keep in mind that taking NSAIDs more than required can cause severe side effects. These side effects can eventually lead to other painful disorders, which can make your arthritis worse.
The most common side effects caused by Aleve (naproxen) are nausea, upset stomach, heartburn, gastrointestinal diseases, dizziness, bruises, rash, itching, and ringing in the ears. That’s why you should take care of other things while consuming Aleve for your treatment to be safer.
Available Doses Of Aleve
Aleve is available in various forms, like a regular tablet, a delayed-release tablet, an extended-release tablet, and an oral suspension. You may get the medicine with your doctor’s prescription.
With a prescription, you can get Aleve in 250mg, 275mg, 375mg, 500mg, and 550 mg doses, while over the counter, you could only get 220 mg strength of Aleve. The delayed-release tablets are available in 375mg, 500mg, a capsule in 220mg, an extended-release tablet in 375mg, 500mg, 750mg, and 1000mg, and an oral suspension is available in 25mg/ml.
Recommended Dose Of Aleve
Considering the aging factor before taking any medicine is very important. Children under 12 are not allowed to take Aleve, while children above 12 and adults can take Aleve to treat arthritis disorder.
If you are an adult, you are recommended to take 500mg of Aleve after every 12 hours, i.e., twice a day (if you’re consuming delayed-release tablets), or if you’re taking the
extended-release pill, you are allowed to take 750 mg or 1000 mg strength doses once a day only. Meanwhile, children above age 12 (who are not adults) can also consume quantities of the same strength as adults are prescribed to take.
If you missed a dose, you could take Aleve in case 6-8 hours are left for taking the next dose, but if the period left is less than these hours, do not take your amount. That’s how you would take a double dose, which is never permitted.
Things Should You Do Before Taking Aleve
A severe condition like arthritis requires a lot of care and preventive measures during treatment. Before starting your treatment, you should discuss certain things with your doctor, like if you have another severe disorder in your health history. So, he may not recommend Aleve for treating arthritis. A list of such conditions is as follows.
If you had a heart stroke or attack, and you took aspirin (NSAID) to prevent it
Fluid retention or asthma attacks
Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- High cholesterol or diabetes
- Blood clotting
- Stomach ulcer or bleeding
- Liver diseases
- Kidney disorder (also had dialysis)
Also, during pregnancy (20 weeks) and breastfeeding, you should not take Aleve to treat arthritis disorder because Aleve could be harmful in such situations.
Can You Take Other Drugs With Naproxen (Aleve)?
In most cases, you cannot take any drug with NSAID (whether in combination with NSAID or separately). Doctors allow taking any other medication with Aleve if your situation needs it. Suppose you take antidepressants such as citalopram, escitalopram, fluoxetine, trazodone, paroxetine, and fluvoxamine. Your immune system will get weaker, and your stomach could bleed easily.
Lithium, digoxin, methotrexate, cyclosporine, pemetrexed, and cholestyramine can be used if your doctor prescribes you. Or in case they suffer from other diseases.
Conclusion
Patients above 65 should take extra care while taking Aleve, as it can quickly cause adverse effects. Long-term use of Aleve can even cause depression and anxiety, so taking it for a short period is better.
Also, do not drive or perform any strenuous physical activity after taking Aleve because the medicine makes you dizzy. Take rest with medical treatment and go for regular check-ups.
