Voltaren gel

Exactly what I think too.

@purpleturtle dangerous for cats to lick, too.

I agree and love that my NP always listens to me and she loves that I am so proactive in my care and wishes that all her patients were like this. I look up everything and have even found things that she wasn't aware of. I was on testosterone for a while from my OB and my blood work showed something elevated (can't remember) and it can mimic some kind of cancer. I went off it and refused to see a specialist and said just give me 6 weeks and let's retest and sure enough things were back to normal. So important to find someone who listens and cares. They aren't infallible but many think that they are. Voltaren actually works great for me (can't take many nsaids).

Anything used not in moderation can have bad side effects. All side effects are listed on products, by law, even if the occurrence is rare. Two different doctors recently suggested I use Voltaren, one is a tennis friend who is a primary physician and she uses it regularly on her joints, and the other I saw 2 weeks ago, an orthopedist, suggested it too for my wrists pain, etc. He told me that active ingredient is the SAME as in Aleve, but less potent, because we ingest Aleve into our blood, but only rub Voltaren on our skin, so it is less powerful, less invasive, but you have to use it as instructed, a least a few times a day for it to be effective. I choose to reserve Aleve, or other similar pain inflammation reducing pills, for when I am really in pain, and for moderate aches, etc..I am using less potent, less invasive Voltaren...I do feel it helps...but every body is different..I also exercise regularly, stretch, to yoga, drink lots of water, eat healthy, and all of those things impact inflammation prevention as well.

I'm so glad you decided to tell us how you made your decision. I have used Voltaren gel for years, and have always been told it is safer than pills. My primary & pain docs agree and recommend it.
Due to age, my health, family history and other medications, my liver function is checked at least twice a year. There has been no indication of change at all in my tests in spite of regular use of Voltaren.

Sue

Voltarean gel is a life saver but if I use it (topically) several days in a row and I’m a little too liberal in the application it makes me feel bad, flu like. My recommendation is to use it for a couple of days 2xs per day and then switch to Tylenol, then rotate them until your pain is more controlled. Ice works well and the occasional Celebrex. This way you’re not compromising the same organs, pathways continuously.

I have body wide pain brought about by Panhypopituitarism. My pain meds used to work fairly well but have not been effective for about the last few years. So I have been using Voltaren pretty regularly and, while it doesn’t take away all the pain, it’s helped to ease it a bit. I have never heard that this gel ever caused any negative side effects.

I have found the best price for Voltaren generic is the
Kirkland brand from Costco and on Amazon.
My wife is a retired nurse who avoids oral NSAIDS
out of concern with her history of aspirin anaphylaxis.
We have used it for her arthritis topically with no adverse reaction.

All medications come with adverse reactions. Every single one.
While there is a small percentage of people who have hepatic reactions (2-3%), it is not common. If you were very afraid of that happening, you could have your doctor check your liver enzymes several months into regular use and at intervals. All medications given are weighing the risks against the benefits. Pain forces us to try things that will ease it, and this is one of the least harmful things you could try. Also, remember the liver is an organ that regenerates. Elevated enzymes do not indicate permanent damage to the liver.

Here is information on the medication taken directly from a medical website: UpToDate

Brand Names: US
Aspercreme Arthritis Pain [OTC]; Flector; FT Arthritis Pain [OTC]; Licart; Motrin Arthritis Pain [OTC]; Pennsaid; Voltaren [DSC]; Voltaren [OTC]

Pharmacologic Category
Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drug (NSAID); Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drug (NSAID), Topical

Dosing: Adult
Dosage guidance:
Safety: Use the lowest effective dose for the shortest duration of time; however, adverse effects associated with systemic diclofenac (eg, GI bleeding, cardiovascular thrombotic events, kidney toxicity) are less likely with topical formulations due to minimal systemic absorption.
Clinical considerations: Concurrent use with systemic nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is generally not recommended as topical treatment is unlikely to provide added pain relief.

Acute pain (eg, musculoskeletal):
Topical: Patch 1.3%: Apply 1 patch once (Licart) or twice (Flector) daily to most painful area.
Topical: Gel 1% (OTC or Rx) (off-label use): Apply up to 4 g to each affected area up to 4 times daily; maximum dose per area: 16 g/day; maximum total body dose (all combined areas): 32 g/day. Note: Dosing is based on general recommendations from manufacturer labeling.

Adverse Reactions
The following adverse drug reactions and incidences are derived from product labeling unless otherwise specified.

Topical gel:
>10%: Local: Application-site reaction (≤84%; including acne vulgaris [1%], alopecia [2%], application-site dermatitis [4%], application-site edema [3% to 4%], application-site irritation [< 1%], application-site pain [15% to 26%], application-site pruritus [31% to 52%), application-site rash [35% to 46%], application-site scaling [6% to 24%], application-site vesicles [< 1%], contact dermatitis [19% to 33%; nonapplication-site: 2%], hyperesthesia [3%], hypertonia [< 1%], maculopapular rash [< 1%], papule of skin [< 1%], paresthesia [8%; nonapplication-site: 1%], purpuric rash [< 1%], skin carcinoma [< 1%], skin photosensitivity [3%], vasodilation [< 1%], vesiculobullous dermatitis [4%], xeroderma [25% to 27%; nonapplication-site: 3%])

1% to 10%:
Cardiovascular: Chest pain (1% to 2%), hypertension (1% to 2%)
Dermatologic: Dermal ulcer (1% to 2%), pruritus (4%), skin rash (4%)
Endocrine & metabolic: Hypercholesterolemia (1%), hyperglycemia (1%)
Gastrointestinal: Abdominal pain (1% to 2%), diarrhea (2%), dyspepsia (2%)
Genitourinary: Hematuria (2%)
Hepatic: Increased serum alanine aminotransferase (2%), increased serum aspartate aminotransferase (3%)
Nervous system: Asthenia (2%), headache (7%), migraine (1%)
Neuromuscular and skeletal: Arthralgia (2%), arthropathy (2%), back pain (4%), hypokinesia (2%), increased creatine phosphokinase in blood specimen (4%), myalgia (2% to 3%), neck pain (2%)
Ophthalmic: Eye pain (2%)
Respiratory: Asthma (2%), dyspnea (2%), sinusitis (2%)

I do need a break. That's for sure! But I'm too sick to travel. And my dog won't let me out of his sight. I need a friend to give me a 2 hour break. Praying. Thanks! Maria.