trading a hurt knee for a hole in my stomach?

I slightly injured my knee yesterday during my spin class. I think I hyper-extended it. No swelling, no pain by lunch. I felt great this morning too so I went to class again. I did the same thing again this morning except this time…it was bad! Not bad enough for me to quit though. I’m an idiot and tomorrow I have to get some x-rays.

The doctor gave me some anti-inflammatory medication to take down the swelling. I’m not a normal dude…I don’t just do what the doctor says. Call me crazy but I like to educate myself on my health-care options. I ask ridiculous questions like “how much does this cost?” and “if I ate healthy and lost weight, would that go away?” or “is there another way to fix that?”. Yeah…I’m a bit extreme. Back to the medication…it’s a drug called Mobic. It comes with explicit instructions that read “ATTENTION DISPENSER: Accompanying Medication Guide MUST be dispensed with this product.” Guess what? I got nothing but the pills.

I went home and got online to read up on the stuff before I popped a few and watched the swelling go down. Here are the side effects:

Mobic Oral

Back to Drug Overview

Does this medication have side effects?

The following side effects are associated with Mobic Oral:

Common side effects:

Indigestion	Less Severe
Head Pain	Less Severe
Gas	Less Severe
Diarrhea	Less Severe

Infrequent side effects:

Fever	Severe
Rash	Severe
Visible Water Retention	Severe
Acute Infection of the Nose, Throat or Sinus	Less Severe
Dizzy	Less Severe
Flu-Like Symptoms	Less Severe

Rare side effects:

Accumulation of Fluid in the Tissues of the Eyelid	Severe
High Blood Pressure	Severe
Heart Attack	Severe
Angina	Severe
Disease of the Heart and Blood Vessels	Severe
Stroke	Severe
Throat Irritation	Severe
Stomach or Intestinal Ulcer	Severe
Hepatitis caused by Drugs	Severe
Bleeding of the Stomach or Intestines	Severe
Kidney Damage	Severe
Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis	Severe
Stevens-Johnson Syndrome	Severe
Skin Rash with Sloughing	Severe
Puffy Face from Water Retention	Severe
Swollen Tongue	Severe
Fast Heartbeat	Severe
Wheezing	Severe
Trouble Breathing	Severe
Chest Tightness	Severe
Difficulty Swallowing	Severe
Cannot Empty Bladder	Severe
Abnormal Liver Function Tests	Severe
Life Threatening Allergic Reaction	Severe
Water Retention	Severe
A Rupture in the Wall of the Stomach or Intestine	Severe
Anemia	Severe
Decreased Blood Platelets	Severe
Deficiency of Granulocytes a Type of White Blood Cell	Severe
Decreased White Blood Cells	Severe
Incomplete or Infrequent Bowel Movements	Less Severe
Drowsiness	Less Severe
Feel Like Throwing Up	Less Severe
Throwing Up	Less Severe
Stomach Cramps	Less Severe
Nervous	Less Severe
Confused	Less Severe
Anxious	Less Severe

So I’m just about guaranteed to have gas, diarrhea, head pain and indigestion. Ok. Not terrible but still, I work in an office and I have a bum knee. Not moving too fast right now and I don’t want to hobble to the can every 10 minutes, you know? The infrequent side effects…ok, probably not gonna happen but “visible water retention”??? That’d look awesome! “Rash”…wonder how big? Would I have a red blotch on my face? No thanks.

Rare side effects…these are the BIG guys. (http://www.drugs.com/mobic.html)

What is the most important information I should know about Mobic?

This medicine can increase your risk of life-threatening heart or circulation problems, including heart attack or stroke. Do not use this medicine just before or after having heart bypass surgery (also called coronary artery bypass graft, or CABG).

Seek emergency medical help if you have symptoms of heart or circulation problems, such as chest pain, weakness, shortness of breath, slurred speech, or problems with vision or balance.

This medicine can also increase your risk of serious effects on the stomach or intestines, including bleeding or perforation (forming of a hole). These conditions can be fatal and gastrointestinal effects can occur without warning at any time while you are taking Mobic. Older adults may have an even greater risk of these serious gastrointestinal side effects.

Call your doctor at once if you have symptoms of bleeding in your stomach or intestines. This includes black, bloody, or tarry stools, or coughing up blood or vomit that looks like coffee grounds.

Ok…death. Not good. If I stay alive while taking Mobic I might develop a hole in my stomach? Seriously? I have a swollen, hyper-extended knee. I’m going to trade a hurt knee for a hole in my stomach? Hmm…I’m not the most brilliant guy when it comes to science but I think I’ll pass on that deal. Ibuprofen might not be as strong as Mobic but it’s not going to cause gas, diarrhea, bring out a nice red rash, burn a hole in my stomach or kill me. I might also try beer. It tends to dull the pain.