Anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed to treat a variety of painful conditions. A physician may recommend use of anti-inflammatory drugs for patients with a number of ailments, including:

• Arthritis, including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and gout.
  
  
• Headaches. Discomfort or pain experienced in one or more areas of the head.
  
  
• Bursitis. Inflammation of the lubricating sacs adjacent to joints.
  
  
• Tendonitis. Inflammation of a tendon or tendon covering.

• Other musculoskeletal symptoms. Inflammation or pain in the muscles, nerves, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, bone, joints or intervertebral discs.
  
  
  
• Carpal tunnel syndrome. Inflammation of the median nerve in the wrist.

• Lupus. An autoimmune, inflammatory disease.
  
  
• Menstrual cramps (painful muscle contractions) and heavy menstrual bleeding.
  
  
• Cancer pain. Some types of cancerous growths cause swelling and pain.
  
  
• Nephrotic syndrome. Kidney disorder characterized by elevated levels of protein in the urine.
  
  
• Inflammatory bowel conditions, such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease.
  
  
• Atopic dermatitis. Skin condition usually characterized by itching and a red, raised rash.
  
  
• Cystic fibrosis. Genetic disease characterized by respiratory problems due to excessive mucoid secretion.
  
  
• Paget’s disease. Bone disease resulting from disorganized bone formation.

In addition, some physicians recommend daily low-dose aspirin therapy to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, and regular use of NSAIDs has been linked to reduced risk of some cancers and possibly benign prostatic hyperplasia and asthma. Regular use of ibuprofen may prevent or delay Parkinson’s disease, according to recent data from the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutritional Cohort, a study involving about 147,000 American adults. Scientists are studying whether NSAIDs can help fight Alzheimer’s disease, but early results have not been promising.