Are prescription anti-inflammatory medications better?

Many patients are treated with anti-inflammatory medications for problems including bursitis, tendonitis, and arthritis. These medications can be purchased over-the-counter, such as Ibuprofen, Motrin, and Aleve. Or your doctor can prescribe an anti-inflammatory medication such as Celebrex, DayPro, or Relafen, to name a few.

But are the prescription medications better? Not at treating the inflammation. Both over-the-counter and prescription medications work against the same problem to decrease inflammation. Often the prescription medications don't have to be taken as often, and different medications have different side-effect profiles, but it is hard to say that one medication is "better" than another. Furthermore, many patients respond to different anti-inflammatory medications in different ways. Often if one medication isn't working, another may help. For more information about anti-inflammatory medications...read on.