I have recently bet put on a course of tablets from my doctor, they're called dicloflex. ?

Question

they have given me terrible mouth ulcers. is this normal? are there any other side effects i should know about before continuing my course of treatment?

Answer 1

Any time you have adverse reaction to a drug, stop taking it and talk with your physician immediately.

Meanwhile, here are some things to watch for with Dicloflex:

Dicloflex e/c tablets, Dicloflex SR tablets and Dicloflex r****d tablets should be swallowed whole and not broken, crushed or chewed. They should preferably be taken with food.

This medicine may cause dizziness, drowsiness or visual disturbances and so may affect your ability to drive or operate machinery safely. Do not drive or operate machinery until you know how this medicine affects you and you are sure it won't affect your performance.

This medicine may mask the signs and symptoms of infection, such as fever and inflammation. This may make you think mistakenly that an infection is getting better when it isn't, or that an infection is less serious than it is. For this reason you should tell your doctor if you get an infection while you are taking this medicine.

Your doctor will prescribe you the lowest effective dose of this medicine for the shortest possible time necessary to relieve your symptoms. This is to minimise the chances of any side effects, particularly those mentioned below. It is important not to exceed the prescribed dose.

NSAIDs can occasionally cause serious side effects on the gut, such as ulceration, bleeding or perforation of the stomach or intestinal lining. This type of side effect is more likely to occur in elderly people and in people taking high doses of the medicine. The risk can also be increased by taking certain other medicines (see end of factsheet). It is important that these people, as well as people with a history of disorders affecting the stomach or intestines, are closely monitored by a doctor while taking this medicine. If your doctor thinks you are at high risk of side effects on the gut you may be prescribed an additional medicine to help protect your gut. All people having treatment with this medicine should stop taking it and consult their doctor immediately if they experience any sign of bleeding from the stomach or intestine, for example vomiting blood and/or passing black/tarry/bloodstained stools.

Studies have suggested that use of diclofenac may be associated with a small increase in the risk of heart attacks and stroke. The risks increase with higher doses and the longer the medicine is taken. If you have risk factors for heart disease or stroke, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or smoking, your doctor will need to assess the overall benefits and risks before deciding if this medicine is suitable for you. You should tell your doctor if you experience shortness of breath, chest pains or ankle swelling while taking the medicine. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for further information.

Very rarely, NSAIDS may cause serious blistering or peeling skin reactions (eg Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis, exfoliative dermatitis). For this reason, you should stop taking this medicine and consult your doctor if you get a skin rash or sores inside your mouth while taking this medicine. This side effect is very rare, but if it occurs, is most likely to happen in the first month of treatment.

If you have cirrhosis of the liver, heart failure or kidney disease, you are taking diuretic medicines, or you are recovering from major surgery, your kidney function should be assessed before starting and regularly throughout treatment with this medicine.

During long-term treatment with this medicine you should have regular check-ups with your doctor so that you can be monitored for possible side effects of the medicine. This might include routine blood tests to monitor your kidney function, liver function and levels of blood components, particularly if you are elderly.

Read the web site for further information:

Answer 2

Talk to your doctor about this. He can change your medication. There is no point in you being uncomfortable with these side effects. Here is the pharmacological explanation of this drug:

http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/medicines/100...