Q: What are the long term side effects of medicines like Xenobid and Stemetil, if consumed together every week to prevent migraine?

A:Xenobid is the brand name of a medicine called naproxen. It belongs to the Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) class and is indicated in the treatment of musculo-skeletal disorders such as arthritis, acute attack of gout etc. It is not used in migraine. Long-term use of Xenobid can result in a number of serious side effects such as high blood pressure, peptic ulcers, oedema, blood disorders, serious cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events etc. The acute attacks of migraine should be dealt with simple painkillers such as paracetamol (Crocin) or aspirin along with an anti-vomiting agent such as Stemetil. In resistant cases sumatriptan is used.