"Ouch! My back!" you groan as you lunge for your pillbox.
You take your back pain medications in one gulp, and you smile at how quickly it works.
Well, wipe that smile off your face.
That drug you're probably thinking is your friend is anything but -- here's why: 1.
You may have to try a cocktail of back pain medications before you find one that works.
Not all pain relievers work alike.
What worked for someone you know may not work for you.
What your doctor prescribed may not work for you, even.
Your doctor gives you a prescription, you buy it, you take it, and hope for the best.
How long can you endure this cycle of trial and error? On the upside, your constant use of back pain medications means you're bound to find one that works for you.
On the downside, trying one drug after the other will not always be pleasant and may even take a toll on your health.
2.
You will have to deal with side effects.
Let's be clear about this: no back pain medication is without side effects.
Whether you take an aspirin or NSAIDs (non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), you can expect the drug to take its toll on your health.
You may experience nausea, dizziness, constipation, vomiting, dryness in the mouth, urinary retention, pupil contraction, or even respiratory depression, among others.
You see, unknown to most consumers, pain medications may attack more than pain.
It actually inhibits, rather than promotes, your body's natural defenses against sickness.
3.
You may need to rework your budget.
Thinking the cost of back pain medications won't break the bank? Think again, and do the math.
Sure, back pain medications aren't as pricey as surgery.
However, if you have to pay for medication three times a week, seven days a week, what you spend on back pain medications is bound to eat away at your savings.
In these tough times, who has the resources to make drugs a permanent and hefty fixture of the monthly budget? 4.
You could become drug-dependent.
If your solution to pain is to pop pain killers the moment you start feeling twinges, don't be surprised to find yourself becoming more and more reliant on your drug.
While it's true your pain killer can numb the pain, it doesn't make it go away.
You just may find yourself popping more pain killers more often.
5.
You are not solving your problem.
Do you know how your back pain medications works? They either block the pain signals to your brain or interrupt your brain's interpretation of these signals.
In other words, they make you feel pain-free by making you incapable of feeling pain -- for a few hours, anyway.
But remember: feeling pain-free and being actually pain-free are two very different things.
To get rid of the pain, you will need to find out the cause of the pain and remedy it accordingly.
Medications may help you get through your day, but if you rely on drugs as your only pain treatment, you're stuck with them for the rest of your life.
Yes, you can reclaim your right to a strong, healthy back; but the answer is not inside your pillbox, and it's definitely not your back pain medications.
Start your journey to being pain-free at the very core of most health issues: your diet.
Your back will thank you for it.