Pain medication is one of the great conveniences of modern life, but it can also be a double-edged sword. People who don’t know how to use this medication properly, or who accidentally mix it with contraindicated compounds, can find themselves running into problems that dwarf the original injury.

Shoulder pain is one of the most common complaints that send people to the store for these pain medications. Now recent research suggests that a surprising number of people fail to heed the printed warnings about mixing analgesics with other prescriptions:

The survey questioned 1,015 U.S. adults and 251 gastroenterologists about OTC medicine practices. Results show that people who take OTC medicines for chronic pain often mix the medicines with other drugs, view label instructions as general suggestions, ignore signs of an overdose, and fail to mention their OTC medicine use in conversations with doctors.

Caution is the watchword here. If you’re already on a daily or weekly medication, be sure to check all the warnings, even if it’s something as “harmless” as aspirin or acetaminophen. And if your pain persists longer than a few weeks, visit an  for a consultation.

---

Tags: managing shoulder pain, orthopedic specialist san diego, treating shoulder pain