Magnesium salicylate

Magnesium salicylate is a common analgesic and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used to treat mild to moderate muscular pain. It is also used to treat headaches, general back pain, and certain joint pains like arthritis.

It is found in a variety of over-the-counter (OTC) medications as an anti-inflammatory, primarily for back-pain relief. Magnesium salicylate can be an effective OTC alternative to prescription NSAIDs, with both anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects.

Though the recommended dosage is 1160 mg every six hours, per package directions of the Doan's OTC brand (580 mg magnesium salicylate tetrahydrate, equivalent to 467.2 mg anhydrous magnesium salicylate), effective pain relief is often found with a half dosage, with reduced anti-inflammatory results. note: Doan's extra strength OTC dose is 2 x 580 mg magnesium salicylate tetrahydrate every 6 hours, equivalent to 934.4 mg of anhydrous magnesium salicylate .

Brand names

• Doan's, Original (OTC), originally manufactured by Novartis Consumer Health, Inc.
• Extra Strength Doan's (OTC), originally manufactured by Novartis Consumer Health, Inc.
• Momentum (OTC)- this is now marketed as Percogesic (OTC)
• Arthriten (OTC)
• Keygesic-10 (Rx)
• Mobidin (Rx)
• Novasal (Rx)

Controversy

While magnesium salicylate is an alternative for pain relief, it still is an NSAID like others in its category, without any proven superiority over other over the counter type pain relievers (NSAID).

Doan's specifically, and the company producing it, Novartis, have been tried over their claim that the product is superior in treating pain relief. In June 1996, The FTC, Federal Trade Commission charged the company with violating federal law with its unsubstantiated claim. In March 1998, the court ruled in favor of the FTC but there was no stipulation about how the company should or would have to mend its advertising/packaging. Thus, Doan's is still marketed as a "superior treatment for back pain".

However Magnesium Salicylate may be an effective aid to opiate/opioid pain-killers, as any and all forms of Magnesium help to lower tolerance to opiates. With the addition of Zinc, also another tolerance-lower, this may prove to be valuable to the patient seeking pain-management. Being dependent on Opiate/oids for some reason lowers levels of Magnesium and Zinc.

Magnesium Salicylate may also possibly help much more than other NSAID's for it is an NMDA receptor antagonist very mild in action (like Dextromethorphan HBr/PSx, Ketamine, Memantine, 7-Hydroxymitragynine, Mitragynine, Dextropropoxyphene HCI, Tramadol HCI, PCP and Ibogaine HCI among many others).

References

vi:Magnesium salicylate