Pain and inflammation are like a double blow to your body – not only leaving you severely drained of energy but also interfering with your daily life.
According to experts, while these symptoms are often signals from your body that indicate it is fighting off an underlying issue like an infection, it is very important to manage them as well. For faster recovery, you may be popping painkillers, but they come with side effects.
Effective painkillers like ibuprofen, naproxen, or even aspirin work by blocking the production of prostaglandin, a natural chemical that triggers inflammation, redness, swelling, and healing activity. But prostaglandins are a huge problem, as even though they reduce pain, they also slow healing and can cause serious side effects like stomach bleeding, kidney problems, or heart risks.
And so, according to a new study, you may block pain without interfering with your body’s natural healing process. The research, published in the journal Nature, focused on a prostaglandin receptor known as EP2, which is found on Schwann cells. For the study, scientists used gene slicing technology on mice, which shut down the EP2 receptors in Schwann cells – allowing them to provide pain relief without blocking inflammation.
The study revealed that mice with EP2 silenced had dramatically reduced pain after an injury, even though the inflammation response continued. Healing happened as it was supposed to, and their body’s natural recovery system worked properly.
Findings of the study show that new painkiller drugs can be designed that help stop pain at the nerve-cell level – without causing any dangerous side effects to the body. While the study happened in animals, scientists now want to research it on humans to develop safe and effective drugs that target EP2 receptors in their Schwann cells.
What are the side effects of taking painkillers?
Dependence and addiction to painkiller medications can impact your entire body, causing widespread and significant effects to different organs, which include:
Liver
Your liver breaks down and processes the drugs you take. When you take pain pills for a long time, your liver stores the toxins from these drugs, leading to dangerous and life-threatening liver damage.
Heart
Some people crush or inject directly into their bodies to feel the immediate effects of painkillers. But doing this causes the drug to enter directly into the bloodstream, which affects the heart. Long-term painkiller abuse can lead to serious cardiovascular issues, heart attacks, and heart disease.
Stomach
Stomach and intestinal issues can arise even after a day or two of taking painkillers. Painkiller abuse can lead to constipation, bloating, abdominal distention, bowel obstructions, and hemorrhoids.
Veins
Injecting painkillers always comes with high risk, especially if the needles have been shared or aren’t sterilized. Injecting drugs like opioid painkillers can lead to collapsed veins and blood-borne infections and diseases.