Q: I take Nimesulide 100mg whenever I have severe headache. I've been told that recently it is banned as it has serious side effects. I'm planning for pregnancy shortly but as I have both sinusitis & migraine, sometimes I am forced to take medicines as a last resort. My question is is it safe to take Nimesulide for headaches and what is the alternative, particularly when I become pregnant? What would be the safest way to get rid of my headache?

A:Nowhere in the world, nimesulide is permitted to be used for headache. It is a Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drug (NSAID) indicated for musculo-skeletal inflammatory pain in those few countries where it is still available. In most countries it is either not approved for human use (e.g. USA, Canada, Britain, Australia etc) or has been banned (such as Finland, Spain, Turkey etc.) due to serious, sometimes fatal, side effect on liver. For simple headache and migraine, the first line therapy is paracetamol (Crocin) or aspirin. In resistant cases, sumatriptan is the drug of choice. A preparation of ergotamine (such as Migranil) is also useful but it is not to be taken by pregnant women. During pregnancy, it is best to take only paracetamol. It is best to avoid all drugs in early pregnancy.