is relafen like vicodin at all?

by Admin on August 30, 2010

{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }

Andrea B August 30, 2010 at 5:02 am

No, relafen is not a narcotic. I was given it for sciatica.
It is a NSAID…non steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. A stronger motrin.

Sherasi August 30, 2010 at 5:02 am

Nabumetone (Relafen) is used to relieve the pain, tenderness, inflammation (swelling), and stiffness caused by osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Nabumetone is in a class of medications called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs). It works by stopping the body’s production of a substance that causes pain, fever, and inflammation.

Combination medicines (of which Vicodin is one) containing narcotic analgesics (nar-KOT-ik an-al-JEE-zicks) and acetaminophen ( a-seat-a-MIN-oh-fen) are used to relieve pain. A narcotic analgesic and acetaminophen used together may provide better pain relief than either medicine used alone. In some cases, relief of pain may come at lower doses of each medicine.

Narcotic analgesics act in the central nervous system (CNS) to relieve pain. Many of their side effects are also caused by actions in the CNS. When narcotics are used for a long time, your body may get used to them so that larger amounts are needed to relieve pain. This is called tolerance to the medicine. Also, when narcotics are used for a long time or in large doses, they may become habit-forming (causing mental or physical dependence). Physical dependence may lead to withdrawal symptoms when you stop taking the medicine.

Acetaminophen does not become habit-forming when taken for a long time or in large doses, but it may cause other unwanted effects, including liver damage, if too much is taken.

The only way these medications are similar is that they both manage pain. However, they each act on totally different sorts of pain in totally different ways. Narcotics are also addictive, NSAIDS are not.

Leave a Comment

Previous post:

Next post: