Q. My sister-in-law said she took too much naproxen for pain over an extended time. It damaged her liver, and now she is afraid to take any NSAID.
I’ve found fish oil and turmeric great to manage my arthritis pain without the risk of long-term heavy NSAID use. Is the mechanism by which fish oil and turmeric reduce inflammation likely to cause a problem like the one my sister-in-law experienced?
A. Liver damage is considered a relatively rare side effect of NSAID-type pain relievers such as ibuprofen, naproxen and diclofenac. So many people take these medicines for chronic pain, however, that many cases of liver injury are now attributed to NSAID use.
We could find no evidence that fish oil or curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, harms the liver. In fact, research in animals suggests that either of these dietary supplements might help protect the liver against chemically induced damage (Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, online July 17, 2013).
If you are interested in other non-drug treatments for joint pain, we recommend our Guide to Alternatives for Arthritis. In it, you will learn more about such homespun approaches as Certo and grape juice, tart cherry juice or the concoction of grape juice, apple juice and apple cider vinegar.
