Pain relievers were not usually an option for me as I have always been scared of becoming addicted to them. I believe that the best meds in the world are laughter and sleep, which is why I do those two things a lot. But there comes a time when, at your wits end, you take on the Popeye the Sailor character, you mutter to yourself, “That’s all I can stands, I can’t stands no more!” and you resort to gulping down not a can of spinach but a 500 mg tablet of mefenamic acid. This is exactly what I did in response to the torment of inflamed gums, and may I just say that the result so astounded me, I just had to find out how exactly this powerful pill airbrushes away your pain, albeit temporarily. I decided to take a personal refresher course on sophomore high school Biology, minus the pressures of oral exams. Here are my study notes, do correct me if I have misunderstood some things:
Pain is a physiological effect of the synthesis of prostaglandins, which is produced when white blood cells flood towards a damaged tissue to try and minimize the destruction. In other words, pain is an indication that your body is trying to repair itself. Also involved in the production of prostaglandins is a substance in the body called cyclooxygenase or COX. Mefenamic acid works by blocking the action of cyclooxygenase, and, in effect, inhibits the synthesis of prostaglandins. Results? Voila, pain and even fever is relieved! At least for the next four to six hours. I have never been a the best in Bio but learning about the human body again, Hamlet’s words are ringing in my ears, “What a piece of work is a man…” Is that cool or what?
~ r0b!n go0dfell0w
hi r0b!n go0dfell0w
I enjoyed reading ur post. It made me wonder what is the use of COX? I wonder if its safe to just take out in the healing equation?
Hi Nobody! I’m no expert in this branch of science, and I’m not sure if I understood your question correctly, but here’s an attempt to answer it:
There are two forms of cyclooxygenase, COX-1, which is known to be present in most tissues, maintains the normal lining of the stomach, and is involved in kidney and platelet function; and COX-2, which is present in sites of inflammation. Taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), like mefenamic acid and ibuprofen, at least the ‘traditional’ ones, inhibit both COX-1 and COX-2. The effects inhibition of COX-2 is considered desireable since this is the anti-inflammatory effect. Inhibition of COX-1, on the other hand, may lead to bad news like ulcers and kidney problems. The good news is there are new drugs known as COX-2 selective inhibitors or coxibs, which bypass the negative gastrointestinal effects and still effectively reduce inflammation.
Sorry for the lengthy explanation (I enjoy explaining things), I guess what I’m trying to say is mefenamic acid, or other NSAIDs for that matter, is not completely safe to take, but science geeks are continually working on ways to reduce its harmful effects.
What a piece of work man is indeed. Nice post robin. Honestly, I don’t think I know that mefenamic acid is. I only here these words every now and then inserted between novelty song on a long taxi ride home. So, that’s how far as I know and am willing to take that in.
…erratum: what mefenamic acid is… hear those words…sheesh the keyboard is as rusty as my brain! =)
I’ve been a fan of mefenamic acid ever since i can remember. My mom’s a physician and whenever I have a headache or toothache, she just advices me to “take a mefenamic to ease the pain”. Mefenamic is there to take away the pain… and sometimes I don’t know… i think it has a placebo effect on me already…
Oh no, i think I’m addicted. Bwahahaha. Joke.
rob!n, I didnt understand a word you were saying in that last paragraph except that shakespearean line you just quoted. HAHAHAHA. Cheers fellow Decoder!
Hi absolutes searcher and resplend3nt! Hahaha! I also used to think that science was too complicated for me to understand. Ironic since I went to a school that champions it. At that time, I chose to be a “tortured literary artist” amidst a crowd of scientific thinkers, my biggest regret if I ever had one. Fast forward to today, I realized that the way to understand it is to not be intimidated by the terms, acronyms, and subscripts. Science is actually best explained by something we all know and enjoy: the English language!