Nabumetone is in a group of drugs called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Nabumetone works by reducing hormones that cause inflammation and pain in the body. Nabumetone is used to treat pain or inflammation caused by arthritis.
Nabumetone is a non acidic NSAID (Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) that is rapidly metabolized in the liver to a major active metabolite, 6-methoxy-2-naphthyl acetic acid. As found with previous NSAIDs, nabumetone's active metabolite inhibits the cyclooxygenase enzyme preferentially blocks cyclo-oxygenase-2 activity which is indirectly responsible for the production of inflammation and pain during arthritis by way of enhancing the production of endoperoxides and prostaglandins E2 and I2 (prostacyclin). The active metabolite of nabumetone is felt to be the compound primarily responsible for therapeutic effect. Comparatively, the parent drug is a poor inhibitor of prostaglandin synthesis. It may be less nephrotoxic than indomethacin which decreases the excretion of 6-oxo-PGF1a by inhibition of cyclooxygenase-1 or by inhibition of specific exercise-induced activation of cyclo-oxygenase-2, or both. Nabumetone belongs to a new class of NSAID with a low potential for causing gastrointestinal mucosal irritancy and inhibition of platelet function and has little effect on renal prostaglandin secretion and had less of an association with CHF (congestive heart failure) than other traditional drugs of the class. Effects of nabumetone on blood pressure control in hypertensive patients on ACE inhibitors is also good i.e. equivalent to paracetamol.
Nabumetone should be stored at 20-25 C (68-77 F), in a sealed, light-resistant container. Avoid moisture.
PRESCRIBED FOR: Nabumetone is used for the treatment of inflammation and pain that results from rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Nabumetone has the convenience of once daily dosing.
DOSING: May be taken with or without food. The recommended starting dose is 1000 mg daily as a single dose. Some patients may respond better to 1500 or 2000 mg daily. The lowest effective dose should be used.
Healthcare providers may recommend the use of nabumetone to treat several conditions related to pain, inflammation, swelling, and stiffness. It is particularly effective at relieving symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. The drug is sometimes used in an “off-label” (unapproved) fashion for treating symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome, gout, and juvenile arthritis.
Nabumetone is a prescription medication that has been licensed to treat several conditions related to pain, inflammation, swelling, or stiffness.
Specific nabumetone uses include the relief of:
Osteoarthritis symptoms
Rheumatoid arthritis symptoms.
Nabumetone is not a cure for these types of arthritis, however, nor does it slow down the progression of the disease.
On occasion, your healthcare provider may recommend this product for something other than the conditions discussed in this article. This is called an “off-label” use. Some examples of off-label uses for nabumetone include the relief of:
Juvenile arthritis symptoms
Mild-to-moderate pain, such as lower back pain, neck pain, or leg pain
Fibromyalgia symptoms
Gout symptoms
Chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms
Symptoms of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or lupus)
Pain or inflammation caused by other conditions.
Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat. Stop taking nabumetone and seek medical attention or call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:
chest pain, weakness, shortness of breath, slurred speech, problems with vision or balance;
black, bloody, or tarry stools;
coughing up blood or vomit that looks like coffee grounds;
swelling or rapid weight gain;
urinating less than usual or not at all;
nausea, stomach pain, low fever, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes);
fever, sore throat, and headache with a severe blistering, peeling, and red skin rash; or
bruising, severe tingling, numbness, pain, muscle weakness.
Less serious side effects may include:
upset stomach, mild heartburn or stomach pain, diarrhea, constipation;
bloating, gas;
dizziness, headache, nervousness;
skin itching or rash;
blurred vision; or
ringing in your ears.
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects.
You must not use Nabumetone during pregnancy or if you are trying to become pregnant due to possible harm to the unborn baby and interference with normal labor/delivery.
Talk to your healthcare provider or doctor about taking this drug while breastfeeding. There are no data on the excretion of nabumetone or its metabolites into human milk. The active metabolite, 6-methoxy-2-naphthylacetic acid (6MNA), is excreted in the milk of lactating rats. The manufacturer recommends that due to the potential for serious adverse reactions in nursing infants, a decision should be made to discontinue nursing or discontinue the drug, taking into account the importance of the drug to the mother.
This medicine can increase your risk of life-threatening heart or circulation problems, including heart attack or stroke. This risk will increase the longer you use nabumetone. 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 nabumetone. 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.
Do not use any other over-the-counter cold, allergy, or pain medication without first asking your doctor or pharmacist. Many medicines available over the counter contain aspirin or other medicines similar to nabumetone (such as ibuprofen, ketoprofen, or naproxen). If you take certain products together you may accidentally take too much of this type of medication. Read the label of any other medicine you are using to see if it contains aspirin, ibuprofen, ketoprofen, or naproxen. Do not drink alcohol while taking nabumetone. Alcohol can increase the risk of stomach bleeding caused by nabumetone. Avoid exposure to sunlight or artificial UV rays. Nabumetone can make your skin more sensitive to sunlight and sunburn may result.
Tell your doctor if you are taking an antidepressant such as citalopram (Celexa), duloxetine (Cymbalta), escitalopram (Lexapro), fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem, Symbyax), fluvoxamine (Luvox), paroxetine (Paxil), sertraline (Zoloft), or venlafaxine (Effexor). Taking any of these drugs with nabumetone may cause you to bruise or bleed easily.
Before taking nabumetone, tell your doctor if you are taking any of the following drugs:
a blood thinner such as warfarin (Coumadin);
lithium (Eskalith, Lithobid);
methotrexate (Rheumatrex, Trexall);
diuretics (water pills) such as furosemide (Lasix);
steroids (prednisone and others);
aspirin or other NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as etodolac (Lodine), flurbiprofen (Ansaid), indomethacin (Indocin), ketoprofen (Orudis), ketorolac (Toradol), mefenamic acid (Ponstel), meloxicam (Mobic), nabumetone (Relafen), naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), piroxicam (Feldene), and others; or
an ACE inhibitor such as benazepril (Lotensin), captopril (Capoten), fosinopril (Monopril), enalapril (Vasotec), lisinopril (Prinivil, Zestril), ramipril (Altace), and others.
This list is not complete and there may be other drugs that can interact with nabumetone. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor.
Condition: Joint Damage causing Pain and Loss of Function, 9/7/2011 12:51:08 PM
Reviewer: 75 or over Male on Treatment for 2 to less than 5 years (Patient)
Comment: I have arthritas ln hands and wrists. It reduces pain and helps with the operation of hands and wrists.I have been taking it for about two years and it has hrlped considerly.
Review by Anonymous: User Rating: 9.0, November 8, 2009 8:25 PM
nabumetone for Back Pain: I have suffered chronic lower back pain (due to ankylosing spondylitis) for years, which I was treating it with Advil. After I was diagnosed with AS, my doctor put me on Relafen (Nabumetone). It's been 3 months now and my back pain has virtually disappeared! I only hope the side effects from taking this long-term are not severe.
Condition: Joint Damage causing Pain and Loss of Function, 5/4/2011 12:48:59 PM
Reviewer: 35-44 Male on Treatment for less than 1 month (Patient)
Comment: I have had several injuries with inflammation(2,back & 1,knee)and accute pain. This med seems to work for a short period of time as ana anti-inflamatory, but offers little in the area of pain relief. Not to mention upset stomach that occurs from med.
Review by Anonymous: User Rating: 5.0, March 26, 2010 12:23 PM
nabumetone for Osteoarthritis: It works fairly well and better than OTC or even prescription Naproxen. Not as well as Diclofenac in my experience.
Condition: Joint Damage causing Pain and Loss of Function, 4/18/2011 2:44:03 PM
Reviewer: 55-64 Female on Treatment for 1 to less than 2 years (Patient)
Comment: I have been taking this drug for over a year, and if I miss more than 1 dose, I FEEL it. It works for me...
Condition: Joint Damage causing Pain and Loss of Function, 2/27/2010 1:53:15 PM
Reviewer: 65-74 Female on Treatment for 6 months to less than 1 year (Patient)
Comment: Combined with physical therapy this drug has been [very good] for me. I have herniated discs in lower back, both shoulders have torn rotator cuffs and I have rather severe arthritis in feet, knees and hands. I had foot surgery with virtually NO pain even though I had been warned that recovery would be 4-6 weeks with considerable pain. This medication is the best thing I have ever used for managing long term pain.
Review by Anonymous: User Rating: 1.0, March 26, 2010 12:20 PM
nabumetone for Rheumatoid Arthritis: It doesn't touch the pain levels I experience.
Condition: Joint Damage causing Pain and Loss of Function, 9/11/2010 5:25:48 PM
Reviewer: 45-54 Female on Treatment for less than 1 month (Patient)
Comment: I started taking 2 tablets of 750 mg per day for a foot pain,this medicine help with pain but i do not like the side effects it has bothered my stomach a lot with nausea,vomiting,acid indigestion and headache i am not sure i am going to continue taking it.
Review by Anonymous: User Rating: 9.0, December 15, 2011 9:50 AM
nabumetone for Osteoarthritis: I have suffered from osteoarthritis for roughly 8yrs now and am 35yrs old. My condition effects me through out both legs, feet, mid back going down to the base, right shoulder, parts of my collar bone, left forearm, right wrist and parts of both hand and fingers as well as left thumb. My GP has tried a number of different medicines which include diclofenac, ketoprofen, naproxen and one other. None of which ever helped and had bad reaction to the naproxen which caused really high blood pressure and pins and needles in both legs (sitting down or standing up). I was taken off that after being on it for 11 months and as of Monday gone (today being Thursday) I've been put on nabumetone 500mg slow. I'm sleeping like a baby and in less pain.
Condition: Joint Damage causing Pain and Loss of Function, 10/16/2008 3:43:39 PM
Reviewer: 45-54 Male on Treatment for less than 1 month (Patient)
Comment: Has worked well for the three weeks that I have been using
Condition: Joint Damage causing Pain and Loss of Function, 5/16/2008 7:56:18 AM
Reviewer: 55-64 Female (Patient)
Comment: I have used this for 3+ years. If I don't take it, I immediately note level of pain increases. I am allergic to alot of NSAIDS, but this one seems to work fine. I can't imagine functioning daily without it.