[Daisy M]

Hi I am just wondering if there is anyone else who takes difene on a daily basis. I take a minimum of 1 75g difene each day. I have RA and in the past have tried methotrexate and plaquenil and also tried sulphasalazin which made me sick. The combo of methotrexate and plaqunil worked some what but I still had flareups and regularly needed difene to deal with the pain. I stopped these two medicines a couple of years back as I was always sick, at best I always felt as if I was getting a cold at worst I got every bug going. since stopping I feel better in myself I only get 1/2 bugs/colds a year and they are never as bad as before.

However I do worry about the long term effects difene may have on my organs. I know if I stopped taking them my quality of life would suffer and I would strugle to care for my family and working would be out of the question. Any thoughts?

[sam34]

IMO, if you have nothing constructive to add then please don't post. post deleted

[byhookorbycrook]

I take it a good bit(2 x 75), not daily, but almost. If you take it with food ,you should be fine

[Daisy M]

Ya byhookorbycrook I am careful to take it with food and am lucky I can tolerate it. It does seem as though this isnt common!!

Sam thanks, I didnt see the post you refer to so if someone wasted posted nasty comments they wasted their time.

[QuiteInterestin]

I've only ever been prescribed difene once, and I lasted a full day before I was throwing up and feeling like I couldn't breath
Difene is a anti-inflammatory and long term use is associated with stomach problems, ulcers etc. If the effect it had on me after one days use is anything to go by, I'd be a bit wary of taking it everyday. What does your doctor think? Is it still prescription only, would you even get a prescription for everyday use?

[Spook_ie]

I'm in my late forties and had been a regular user of Difene, I did develop stomach problems with it, about 2 years ago, my consultant switched me to Arcoxia (comes in 4 different strenths) and I'm doing fine, having said that I have had both my knees replaced & other surgery so my need for it is reduced, and I would only use it for roughly a week to ten days out of every month, but never had an upset tummy using Arcoxia.

[star-pants]

Depends on the person really, obviously best to take with food.
Difene destroyed my stomach when I was on it a few years ago, even though I was taking Nexium at the time. I tend to react to a lot of meds anyway but my mother has RA and can't take Difene either.

If you can tolerate it then that's great, you can always discuss with your doctor any potential long term effects or if you feel it does affect you after a while.

[Daisy M]

Thanks guys I tolerate it really well so hopefully that will continue. My doc errs on caution talks about kidney damage in the long term but then also talks about joint damage if I dont do something to stop inflamation!
Quiet interesting it is still prescription only. My gp is extremely reluctant to prescribe pain killers in general but he does in my case with a bit of head shaking. My rheumatologist says if I need them take them, but he is the other extreme and would have and did have me rattleing around full of pills, haha.

[locum-motion]

Originally Posted by QuiteInterestin

I've only ever been prescribed difene once, and I lasted a full day before I was throwing up and feeling like I couldn't breath
Difene is a anti-inflammatory and long term use is associated with stomach problems, ulcers etc. If the effect it had on me after one days use is anything to go by, I'd be a bit wary of taking it everyday. What does your doctor think? Is it still prescription only, would you even get a prescription for everyday use?

It's in the nature of medicines and people that not everybody gets the same side effects from a drug, or the same benefits either. Please don't take your experiences and extrapolate them out to everybody else - the OP has already stated that they don't suffer from the same side effect that you did, so why would you use that as a reason to suggest that you'd be wary of taking it every day in their position?

Yes it is prescription only, and yes of course you can get a prescription for everyday use (the OP also stated that s/he takes it every day).

Do you think that nobody else should be allowed to benefit from a drug that is safe for most users, just because you had a side effect? What an incredibly arrogant thing to post! Why, you're just the most important person in the whole world, aren't you?

[comeback_kid]

Originally Posted by QuiteInterestin

I've only ever been prescribed difene once, and I lasted a full day before I was throwing up and feeling like I couldn't breath
Difene is a anti-inflammatory and long term use is associated with stomach problems, ulcers etc. If the effect it had on me after one days use is anything to go by, I'd be a bit wary of taking it everyday. What does your doctor think? Is it still prescription only, would you even get a prescription for everyday use?

have you asthma , i suffer from asthma and cannot take difene , cant breath on it

[tbh]

Originally Posted by locum-motion

It's in the nature of medicines and people that not everybody gets the same side effects from a drug, or the same benefits either. Please don't take your experiences and extrapolate them out to everybody else - the OP has already stated that they don't suffer from the same side effect that you did, so why would you use that as a reason to suggest that you'd be wary of taking it every day in their position?

Yes it is prescription only, and yes of course you can get a prescription for everyday use (the OP also stated that s/he takes it every day).

Do you think that nobody else should be allowed to benefit from a drug that is safe for most users, just because you had a side effect? What an incredibly arrogant thing to post! Why, you're just the most important person in the whole world, aren't you?

relax dude. Only trying to help, etc.

[Lucyfur]

I take difene occasionally and thankfully it has no ill effects on my stomach. I don't have a good stomach but I've never been sick with difene.

Longest I was even on it was for 3 months and I found it less effective as time went on.

Personally I wouldn't like to be on it long term...mainly as I think a stomach ulcer would be horribly painful...

[QuiteInterestin]

Originally Posted by locum-motion

It's in the nature of medicines and people that not everybody gets the same side effects from a drug, or the same benefits either. Please don't take your experiences and extrapolate them out to everybody else - the OP has already stated that they don't suffer from the same side effect that you did, so why would you use that as a reason to suggest that you'd be wary of taking it every day in their position?

Yes it is prescription only, and yes of course you can get a prescription for everyday use (the OP also stated that s/he takes it every day).

Do you think that nobody else should be allowed to benefit from a drug that is safe for most users, just because you had a side effect? What an incredibly arrogant thing to post! Why, you're just the most important person in the whole world, aren't you?

Wow, someones a bit tightly wound today, aren't they? The OP asked for other peoples thoughts on the long term use of difene, and since after 4 days they hadn't had many replies I thought I would give my experience of it.

This article http://www.sciencedirect.com/science...42356504006032 (abstract actually - don't have access to full article) is based on a study which showed that 71% of people who used NSAIDs (didn't specify which ones, may not have included difene at all) greater then 90 days had visible damage to their small intestines, compared with 10% in the group that didn't use them. I wasn't for one second saying the OP should stop taking it because of my bad experience, I was just pointing out the effect it can have on your stomach and while the OP is lucky enough not to have this side effect, it doesn't mean that they may not develop stomach problems associated with its use in the long term.

Back to the OP, sorry I misread your original post, I thought you hadn't been taking it everyday until now, but were intending to from now on, hence me asking about being able to get enough to take daily on prescription. If your GP is willing to prescribe it (in spite of the head shaking) he must be satisfied that its the lesser of 2 evils. How long does he give you the prescription for? I see the Difene product information recommends regular medical supervision for those on it long term to monitor for adverse effects.

[Daisy M]

I think what I was looking/hoping for when I wrote the thread was that loads of people would say " oh yhea I have taken it for years and years and have had no major side effects on my organs"! I suppose no one wants to think they will be dependant on prescription medicine for the rest of their lives and my main issue is reconciling myself with this. Up unto over a year ago I could go for a couple of months a few times a year without needing any antiinflamatory. Now I need to take at least one a day no matter how I feel because if I dont I pay big consequences painwise. If I wasnt working I could avoid having to take them a little more, but I want to work I enjoy it and its only part time so unless some amazing cure is found I guess I just need to accept this is the wat things are.

I have never heard of nexium or arcoxia I will look into that thanks.

[star-pants]

Originally Posted by Daisy M

I have never heard of nexium or arcoxia I will look into that thanks.

Just to clarify, Nexium isn't an anti-inflammatory (in case you thought it was), it's basically for your stomach, can be used to help prevent gastric ulcers. So I was taking that to protect my stomach from the Difene whilst I was taking it.
My mother who has RA is on different meds (she took methotrexate for 7 years) takes Nexium every day to help protect her stomach.