NSAIDs (Oral)

18%

Improve with treatment

40%

Improve with control

42%

Do not Improve

What does improve mean?

An example of a 30% reduction in pain scores is a decrease from 6 to 4 on a 10 point pain scale

0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

How many people will improve?

58%

Improvement by treatment or placebo

42%

No Improvement

NSAIDs (Oral) Harms

Withdrawals due to Adverse Events (Not Significant)
5.6%
5.7% (placebo)

Other Considerations

  • Consider naproxen or ibuprofen. Diclofenac and COX-2 inhibitors (celecoxib) may increase cardiovascular risk.
  • Approximate cost (CAD) for 30-day supply:
    Naproxen $15-30, Celexcoib $20-30

Looking for further details?

Osteoarthritis Pain

Why doesn’t this calculator cover all treatment options available?

This online calculator does not cover all treatment options available for osteoarthritis pain. We only included the medication treatments that had the highest quality evidence. A healthcare provider may consider other options not listed in this calculator to manage symptoms, depending on specific needs.

Where can I find the evidence used to create this calculator?

The data used for this calculator can be found within the Osteoarthritis Umbrella Systematic Review

Additional tools created with this data can be found at Osteoarthritis Decision Aid