If you have just been prescribed Meloxicam you are probably having a lot of arthritis pain and are
really hoping that it is going to help for you. But you may be worried about what kind of problems
or side effects that it can cause. In this video we are going to help you understand how to safely
take this medications, what are the most common side effects and what you can do to avoid them.
Hi, I m Dr. Erik Richardson a board certified Family Practice physician. I d like to welcome
you to FamilyMed, a channel that focuses giving you practical and accurate medical
information to help you and your family. Thanks for joining us today because we are going to be
going over some of your most common questions that most of my patients have about Meloxicam.
The first of which is what is it?
Meloxicam belongs to the famiy of medications we call Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatories or NSAIDs
for short. This is in the same family as more common medications like ibuprofen or naproxen. It
works in much the same way by blocking chemicals in the body called prostaglandins that contribute
to inflammation in the body, especially in the joints. It s a little different than Ibuprofen
though in that it has some properties that help protect the lining of the stomach a little more.
So What is it used for?
The main things that meloxicam is used for is to treat pain and inflammation
related to conditions like osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis as well as just generalized
joint and muscle pains. These are the kinds of arthritis that are caused by either wear
and tear of the joints or when your body s immune system starts to attack itself.
So how effective is it?
Meloxicam is in the same general family as ibuprofen and naproxyn.
When studies have looked at how effective it is compared to ibuprofen,
they have shown to be about the same. The main benefit you get from taking the meloxicam
is that it is a once a day dose vs having to take several doses throughout the day.
So the main question we all have is what are the side effects that you need to watch out for?
For most people, meloxicam is tolerated pretty well. Typically with lower doses and if taken
for shorter periods of time, there aren t really that many people that will have issues with it.
For those who do have problems with it, the most common ones are some abdominal pain,
diarrhea, indigestion or heartburn, nausea, dizziness, headaches or itching and a rash.
So what can you do to avoid these side effects?
The most common side effect tend to relate to issues with the stomach. We find that taking
these and any anti-inflammatories with food can lessen any stomach symptoms that you may have.
If you need to take it for longer periods of time sometimes your doctor may recommend
taking it with an antacid medication like omeprazole to help protect the stomach.
So what kind of more serious side effects do I need to worry about?
This one will be easier answered by talking about different areas of the body that it can affect.
We mentioned that it can affect the stomach. These types of medicine can decrease the
protective layer in the stomach and make it more likely to have an ulcer and even bleed from it.
As I mentioned before, meloxicam doesn t affect a certain enzyme as much that can protect this
lining and make it less likely to cause an ulcer. What we have found though is that in doses of
15 mg or above, it has actually been found to increase your risk of bleeding over ibuprofen.
So, if you have abdominal pain or start having black dark stools or vomiting blood,
then you need to get seen right away.
Another area that it can affect are your kidney s. All anti-inflammatories like meloxicam can cause
damage to your kidneys. This isn t something that you would likely have any symptoms of. It
s just that the longer you are on it, the more you are at risk for having problems. This can
be especially true if you are taking it with blood pressure medications like Lisinopril or Losartan.
Studies have shown that meloxicam may not affect them as much as others but
is still possible, so it s something you want to watch closely with your doctor.
Another area of concern is that all anti-inflammatories and meloxicam is part of that
can increase your risk of heart attacks and strokes. All NSAID s can cause constriction
of blood vessels which can increase your blood pressure and cause fluid and salt retention.
Meloxicam is no different. The risk is not high, but it is still there ,so If you need to be on
this long term, make sure you are watching your blood pressure, working on diet and exercise,
stop smoking and take care of your overall health to help minimize this risk. Just a side note,
in and of itself the medication can increase your blood pressure, so if you notice that your
blood pressure has not been as well controlled on this medication, it could be the reason.
Another rare but still concerning issue is a sudden onset of skin rashes or even peeling skin.
Very rarely you can see a condition called Stevens Johnson syndrome
where you can get some blisters and peeling of the skin that can be dangerous so
if this were to happen you would want to seek care.
The key to avoiding most of these more significant side effects is to take the medication at the
lowest effective dose possible for the shortest amount of time. The more we can work on diet and
lifestyle changes and focus on topical treatments for our arthritis pain, the less risk we will
have. In the end, it is a decision that you have to make on whether the benefit that you are
receiving from the medication, outweighs some of the small but real risks that come with taking it.
Ok, so that s a short review of the main things that you can expect from taking
meloxicam. It can be a helpful tool in treating different arthritis pains but
just like anything will depend on each person on how well it works for you. At least now,
hopefully you have a better idea of what to expect from taking it.
If you found this to be helpful, do me a favor and hit that like button and share
it with your friends. It helps to get this video out to others who may need this in their life.
And if you haven t done so yet, don t leave without subscribing and hitting
that notification button so you don t miss out on any of our future content.
Well, until next time, thanks for joining us here at FamilyMed and we ll see you in the next video.