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Voltaren, ie Diclofenac, was suggested by GP for back pain prior to surgery. It caused liver and kidney enzyme’s to skyrocket within 30 days causing my orthopedic surgeon to postpone my long awaited procedure!! My Hepatologist worked diligently with my me to determine root cause and halt diclofenac in time to get me back on surgical schedule. If you use? Get routine bloodwork! BTW… diclofenac is banned in Europe!! Wonder why??
Replies to "Voltaren, ie Diclofenac, was suggested by GP for back pain prior to surgery. It caused liver..."
@erney2ey You’re statement is a bit out of order I am sorry to say. Diclofenac is causing a problem with vultures in the EU because veterinary use is causing them to die from consuming domesticated animals. It has nothing to do with its intended use in humans.
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-8-2015-010588_EN.html
Diclonfenic Gel is intended for use on large joints of the body mainly hips and knees. I don’t believe it was intended for use on other body parts? The key when using it is that it’s an NSAID drug with a daily total limit of 2Gm or 2.5 “ of gel 4 times a day and not on more than one body area at a time. Additionally each box contains a plastic card inside to help you measure correctly. The oral formulation has many more side effects that the topical.
As a retired nurse I’ve seen people get into trouble with this NSAID drug due to using it along with oral NSAIDs and you end up overdosing on it or develop long term health problems. I know that most laymen do not read labels but the side effects and allergic reactions for this are numerous. Better to be aware before the fact.
Hi Erney and thanks for this info.
I was on oral diclofenac before and after a hip replacement. I was then scheduled for a left shoulder replacement and kept taking diclofenac.
When I had my pre-op checkup for my shoulder replacement, my creatinine level was 1.5, where 1.3 is the upper limit. Elevated creatinine incidicates that the kidney is not doing its job completely. Anyway the RN called me and suggested I stop taking diclofencac or any NSAIDs as they are all hard on the kidneys.
I cut back diclofenac use by about 70% - it was the only thing managing my pain so I didn't stop completely, my bad. By decreasing it this much, my creatinine returned to a normal level of 1.0 two weeks before surgery, and was .9 the day of surgery. Everyone is different, and it's best to not take NSAIDs at all in the month or so ahead of a joint replacement. Or at a minimum, get your blood checked (which will probably happen anyway during a pre-op physical).
So I guess topical diclofenac can have the same effect. I didn't know this. At any rate, people using this drug should use with caution. And finally, NSAIDs aren't meant to be taken everyday. They are too hard on kidneys.
Joe
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Thank you for letting me know about Voltaren. I just purchased it yesterday to try but thank God saw your post first. Now, it's heading to the trash can. Thank you for sharing this information.