My guess is that it is because of the effect on the stomach.

There are 3 common OTC painkillers - acetaminophen, aspirin and ibuprofen - but each have strengths and weaknesses.

Acetaminophen - (Tylenol) is great for fever, minor aches and pains and is especially safe for use in children and older people- as long as the recommended dose is not exceeded and there's no liver disease. But it doesn't help in reducing inflammation - it's only for pain and fever.

Aspirin and ibuprofen (Advil) are considered NSAID's - or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. There are also steroidal anti-flammatory drugs like prednisone and cortisone. Another NSAID is naproxen sodium (Aleve).

The NSAID's reduce inflammation by blocking the pain-producing substances (prostaglandins) that are released by the body's tissues, skin and bones when they're injured. But the NSAID pain killers also block the good prostaglandins that protect the lining of the stomach from stomach acid. When we take aspirin, Advil or Aleve everything gets blocked, both good and bad, and that's the reason you have to worry about ulcers, gastritis or increased risk of bleeding.

Aspirin also effects the platelets ability to stick together to form clots. That can be beneficial by reducing the chance of a heart attack but it can also cause problems if you have an ulcer or other medical problems.

It's crucial to understand how each of them works and what your individual health risks are. After years of taking NSAIDs daily for my arthritis I've finally decided to stop and just muddle through the pain until I have my knees replaced. I only take a pain killer on very rare occasions.

I am anxious to find out what affect Aleeve (which I have misused and "given up" many times, for too many years) has had on my kidneys. I am having a kidney evaluation soon. I think my misuse (taking too many, too often) are like my chickens coming home to roost. :(

OK--thanks everyone epecially mamann.

Another thing about aspirin --- in addition to the potential for problems with your stomach, if you take too much aspirin you have a high liklihood of developing an allergy to it. An allergy that can be life threatening. And if you do develop an allergy to aspirin, it's not just aspirin that you have to avoid. You must avoid anything and everything that has FD&C Yellow No.5 (Dye and/or Lake), in it. It's also known (as sometimes labeled) as tartrazine.

You would be amazed at how much stuff has Yellow 5 in it. Pretty much anything that has green in it has Yellow 5 because they combine Blue Dye with Yellow Dye to make the green color. For example, toothpaste that is wintergreen mint flavored; or Ruffle's Sour Cream & Onion potato chips (those little green flecks on the chips that are supposed to represent onion); many things that have lemon filling; many flavors of Tums; etc., etc.

Wow! Did this turn out to be interesting!

I rarely used aspirin, and when I did, only one tablet would do the trick for a headache. Still, I am now allergic to it and all NSAID's. Tylenol has never been as effective as I remember aspirin was.

Interesting to know about the yellow dye, lindsey.

I always make sure a new MD knows my allergies: aspririn, sulfa and...Diflucan! Still, one MD suggested I take Aleve for sinus pain, and I did. (She's history.)

nanny98, I have the same concerns about Aleve. When I take an Aleve, I noticed that I do NOT have to get up during the night to go the bathroom, even if I drink a lot of liquids before retiring...Most other nights I have to make a trip or two to the potty......AIN'T OLD AGE GRAND? *LOL*

Jean

Lyndsay, I never knew about the yellow dye. I'm on MS contin (time release morphine) for pain. Last year I was suddenly allergic to my pills. Horrible time! Talked with my pharmacist and found they changed manufacturers. To get my correct dose I took two MS Contin pills three times a day. So for the next week I experimented with the different pills to try and see if it was the color or the manufacturer. Turned out to be one manufacturer. Fortunately I go to a small family pharmacy and they can handle remembering I can't take pills from one manufacturer.

My husband is allergic to aspirin and the yellow dye. If he eats even one Ruffle's Sour Cream & Onion potoato chip, he'll get a rash and itch like crazy. We both love Orange Chicken, but the only restaurant that makes it without anything containing yellow dye is Cheesecake Factory. That's one of our favorite places, so that's good! Hubs takes a Tums when he starts to feel any indigestion, and we always used to buy the "tropical fruit" flavored Tums, but one night he chewed one before going to bed and woke up in the morning with a rash all over. Checked the small print on the ingredients and sure enough, there was yellow dye. So, now we get the Assorted Berries flavor for him. He used to like to have one of those Hostess Lemon Pie things (sold near the Hostess cupcakes, etc.) every one in a while, but the lemon filling has yellow dye. Marie Callendar's lemon meringue pie is the only lemon-flavored thing we've been able to find that isn't made with yellow dye. We have to make sure we get toothpaste that doesn't have any yellow dye, etc., etc. It's a pain to have to be so careful about what you buy, but it has to be done. His doctor wrote him a prescription for an EpiPen, it's that serious.

lindsey -- Make sure he doesn't take any Diflucan either! LOL Seriously, thanks for the head's up on yellow dye.

I've never had any pain relief luck with anything but aspirin, so that's what I use. Tylenol does nothing for me.

I figure since I have hypertension, high cholesterol, etc., a low dose of aspirin is probably a good idea for me to take anyway. Doctors recommend 81 mg aspirin to help prevent a heart attack.

Just don't use it on an empty stomach, always with liquid or food.

OldGardener, that's how my husband developed his allergy to aspirin. Aspirin is the only thing that will get rid of his headaches and other aches and pains. He'd been taking an aspirin every morning for "heart health," and then he had a couple of days where he had a bad headache and some other aches/pains, so he had taken more aspirin. Then, at night he was taking Excedrin P.M. because he had trouble getting comfortable to get to sleep. Then, all of a sudden he had a rash over his entire body and itched like crazy. We thought he must have had a reaction to something he'd eaten while at a seminar with some coworkers. But, days went by and it wasn't getting any better. We ended up going to a dermatologist and an allergist and found that he had developed an allergy to aspirin. It was the allergist who warned him about the yellow dye. And there have been times when suddenly he'll have a rash and itching, and we carefully go over everything he's put in his mouth and then we'll discover some stupid little thing that has yellow dye (like the potato chips or the Tums, etc.). We don't buy anything without reading all of the fine print on the ingredients.

Oh, many times folks who have a problem with yellow dye 5 will also have problems with yellow dye 6, so we avoid it, too. If something is yellow - OR GREEN - and has "artificial coloring" without specifying WHAT coloring was used, don't trust it. Although, United States Federal law requires that if a product contains yellow dye it MUST be stated. But that's where some companies get tricky, and just put "tartrazine" - because that's yellow dye 5.