Naproxen side effects

Stylo
Stylo Member Posts: 1
edited 8:56AM in Chat to our Helpline Team

Hi

In brief I am 58 years young!
Recent X-rays have shown moderate-severe OA in my hips and SI joints. I have had joint pain in lower back,hips and knees for years on and off so the diagnosis makes sense. The pain has been affecting my sleep badly so my GP put me on naproxen which seems to take the edge off the pain alongside codeine phosphate (also started NHS physio).
I could rant on for hours but my question at the moment is : 4 days ago I got a mouth ulcer which has now spread in my mouth so I have numerous ulcers on my tongue and inner lip - boy are they painful! I thought it was due to a filled broken tooth but my dentist yesterday said it wasn’t. Today my whole mouth feels inflamed/on fire!
I have been reading up on naproxen side affects and read someone saying that a particular brand caused ulcers. My brand has changed … I can’t remember the previous or current brand as I don’t have the outer packaging but I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this? Also I have been on naproxen for 9 months now is this recommended?

All ideas/advice welcomed.
Thank you for reading 🫶🏻

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Comments

  • claudsl
    claudsl Moderator Posts: 195

    Hello @Stylo and welcome to our friendly online community.

    I used to have a terrible time with mouth ulcers, and it turned out to be a side effect of my medication. It wasn't naproxen, I can't remember which med it was, but once I stopped it the ulcers cleared up and I've not had any problems with them since. I would chat to your rheumatologist about this and see if they could change your meds. Fingers crossed that will help.

    Please keep us updated and all the best, Claudia

    Need more help? - call our Helpline on 0800 5200 520 Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm

  • helpline_team
    helpline_team Posts: 3,964

    Hi @Stylo (& thank you @claudsl)

    I'm sorry to hear that you've been dealing so much pain and may have side-effects from your medication. We'd suggest you arrange an urgent phone call with the GP to discuss this. (If you are having difficulty making an appointment, ring NHS 111 as they can help you get an appointment.)

    I'm attaching some of our information, and if you'd like a chat about the situation you'd be very welcome to ring us here on our freephone 0800 5200 520 so we can offer some ideas on how to manage, especially if you've tried things and are not sure what to do next.

    Osteoarthritis (OA) | Causes, symptoms, treatments

    Painkillers and NSAIDs | Side-effects, uses, time to work

    The NHS (NICE) Guidance for Osteoarthritis mentions using anti-inflammatory drugs (which is the type of drug Naproxen is) for the lowest possible dose for the shortest possible time. It recommends exercise & physiotherapy & healthy eating to keep down weight and trying anti-inflammatory gels to rub on the skin (as a way of reducing the risk of side-effects). If your pain continues to be a concern, we recommend speaking to your GP, reviewing your daily self-management exercises with a health professional such as a physiotherapist and possibly a referral to a pain clinic.

    I hope that's helpful

    Guy - Helpline Team

  • frogmorton
    frogmorton Member Posts: 30,370

    Hi from me too @Stylo

    I was always told to use NSAIDs for minimum time too I took arcoxia (can't anymore as i am on blood thinners now) and they gave me mouth ulcers too. I only ever used them for a week max 10 days each time and was also given a PPI (proton pump inhibitor) lansoprazole to protect my stomach from their side effects.

    Best of luck

    Toni x

  • Loggiemod
    Loggiemod Member Posts: 243

    Hello @Stylo yes Naproxen gave me mouth ulcers which is something I live with now. I usually have one or two. The dentists did get me checked out to make sure it wasn;t anything else which it wasn't. For me it started when I took a different brand of naproxen. I very rarely take them these days.

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