# What's the difference between Valteron and other anti-inflammatories? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 5, 2007, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-valteron-and-other-anti-inflammatories/414477 "2007-08-05T03:20:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2007, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-valteron-and-other-anti-inflammatories/414477/1 "2007-08-05T03:20:21Z")
The old mouse finger (and arm) have seized up on me, and Advil wasn’t helping, so I went to the doc and got an Rx for some Valteron. Can already feel it easing up. Just curious - what is Valteron and why is it more effective than an anti-inflammatory, like aspirin or advil? (And, I’m not asking for medical advice - got the instructions from my doc and will follow them. Just forgot to ask him and the pharmacist what Valteron is.) ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2007, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-valteron-and-other-anti-inflammatories/414477/2 "2007-08-05T04:18:25Z")
Are you sure that you have spelled that correctly. Aside from the fact that I have several times found **Valteron** to be quite inflammatory, 😃 I cannot find a med with that name on Google™. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2007, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-valteron-and-other-anti-inflammatories/414477/3 "2007-08-05T04:35:39Z")
I’m guessing Voltaren. > **[Diclofenac](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diclofenac)** > > Diclofenac, sold under the brand name Voltaren, among others, is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used to treat pain and inflammatory diseases such as gout. It is taken by mouth or rectally in a suppository, used by injection, or applied to the skin. Improvements in pain last for as much as eight hours. It is also available in combination with misoprostol in an effort to decrease stomach problems. > Common side effects include abdominal pain, gastrointestinal bleeding, nausea, dizzi... ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2007, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-valteron-and-other-anti-inflammatories/414477/4 "2007-08-05T15:22:30Z")
I think **Smakfu’s** got it right - I was just going by the doc’s hand-writing, so there may have been a communication difficulty… ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2007, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-valteron-and-other-anti-inflammatories/414477/5 "2007-08-05T15:25:47Z")
_TOADSTOOLS???_ in the _GROIN???_ what the heck? [QUOTE=Wiki] This drug has been linked with the creation of blue urine, and toadstools, primarily in the groin [/QUOTE] blue urine I could accept as a passing fad, but I’m going to have little mushrooms in the groinal area??? :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Myglaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@Myglaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myglaren)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2007, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-valteron-and-other-anti-inflammatories/414477/6 "2007-08-05T16:09:15Z")
I used to take **Voltarol** , not that it was any use but it was/is a combined anti-inflammatory and analgesic. Did upset the digestive tract for a while until I became accustomed to it, never noticed any other side effects. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2007, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-valteron-and-other-anti-inflammatories/414477/7 "2007-08-05T20:05:59Z")
Been awhile since I used voltaren, but IIRC it has a longer dosing interval, sometimes that’s more effective than the up and down of a more frequent dosing interval. Also, we have lots of different analgesics because everyone’s a little bit different, and some people are a lot different, results vary, just like your milage. ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2007, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-valteron-and-other-anti-inflammatories/414477/8 "2007-08-07T08:41:35Z")
[QUOTE=Northern Piper] _TOADSTOOLS???_ in the _GROIN???_ what the heck? blue urine I could accept as a passing fad, but I’m going to have little mushrooms in the groinal area??? :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: [/QUOTE] My guess is wikipedia nuttiness, because I don’t see anything about that elsewhere. But I could just be bad at searching. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2007, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-valteron-and-other-anti-inflammatories/414477/9 "2007-08-07T12:57:48Z")
One is a giant shape-changing robot from the 80s… ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2007, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-valteron-and-other-anti-inflammatories/414477/10 "2007-08-07T13:03:47Z")
I have taken Voltaren for killer menstrual cramps, and while I don’t know _why_ it’s better, I do know that for me, it’s much more effective than ibuprofen, or Advil, even when those drugs are at prescription dosage. I’ll be keeping an eye on this thread to see if anyone has a GQ-worthy answer. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2007, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-valteron-and-other-anti-inflammatories/414477/11 "2007-08-07T22:41:28Z")
No particular NSAID has been found to be particularly more effective than any other NSAID for the population at large. The reason for individual variation is not known. At least not by me, anyway. I do tend to switch folks from one category of NSAID to another in an attempt to find one that works better for them, but it’s all guesswork. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2007, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-valteron-and-other-anti-inflammatories/414477/12 "2007-08-08T00:58:27Z")
That’s why they call it a medical practice ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2007, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-valteron-and-other-anti-inflammatories/414477/13 "2007-08-08T18:26:00Z")
The difference is, Harry Potter can never take Voltaren.:eek: