Maryland’s Health Matters - St. Joseph - Winter 2018 - 3

HEALTHY START
P H YS I C I A N S P OT L I G H T

DR. SHANNON J.
WINAKUR
UM St. Joseph Cardiovascular Associates welcomes

Guide to Over-theCounter Pain Relievers
You'll find several kinds of over-the-counter pain relievers
on drugstore shelves. How do you know what's right for your
aches and pains? It all depends. Here are the main types of pain
medications, what they're good for and how to use them safely.

Shannon Winakur, MD,

1. ACETAMINOPHEN

blood pressure, kidney

a board-certified cardiolo-

What it's good for:

disease or gastrointestinal

gist. Dr. Winakur recently

Acetaminophen (Tylenol)

bleeding; if you take blood

served as the medical direc-

relieves fever and common

tor of the Women's Heart Center at Saint

types of pain. It does not

Agnes Hospital. In practice for more than

soothe inflammation.

a decade, Dr. Winakur is a highly experienced

But it's often a good

cardiologist who cared for patients at UM

choice for people with

or rivaroxaban

SJMC while she was a member of MidAtlantic

arthritis pain because

(Xarelto); or if

Cardiovascular Associates from 2004 to 2011.

it is less likely to cause

Dr. Winakur received her medical degree

thinners, such as warfarin,
clopidogrel (Plavix),
apixaban (Eliquis),
dabigatran (Pradaxa)

you are already on

side effects such as

a prescription NSAID,

from the University of Maryland School of

stomach problems.

such as celecoxib (Celebrex)

Medicine, completed her internal medicine

Safety precautions: Never

or nabumetone (Relafen).

residency at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and

take more than 3 grams

Children should not take

completed her cardiology fellowship at the

(about six extra-strength

aspirin. It increases the risk of

Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

pills or nine regular pills)

Reye's syndrome, which can

Although Dr. Winakur is dedicated to treating both men and women, she explains her

because large doses can

special interest in women's heart health this

harm the liver. Alcohol

way: "Heart disease is the biggest killer of

can increase the risk.

women in the U.S., but according to stud-

Acetaminophen can be

ies, just over 50 percent of women realize

present in other over-

this. There is so much that physicians and

the-counter medications,

patients can do to help prevent and treat

such as cold preparations.

heart disease. First of all, we need to increase

cause brain damage

of acetaminophen in a day,

awareness. Just as women get regular mam-

2. ASPIRIN

mograms, they should have their hearts

What it's good for:

checked out regularly."

Aspirin, a non-steroidal

and liver problems.

3. OTHER
NSAIDS
What they're good for:
Other popular NSAIDs, such
as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin)
and naproxen sodium (Aleve,
Naprosyn), also target everyday
pain and inflammation.
Safety precautions: As
with aspirin, discuss the

anti-inflammatory drug

MAKE AN APPOINTMENT
To schedule an appointment with
Dr. Winakur, please call 410-427-2021.
Dr. Winakur's office is at Seven Square
Professional Building, 9110 Philadelphia
Road, Suite 300, Rosedale, MD 21237.

(NSAID), not only

use of these NSAIDs

reduces pain, but also

with your doctor

decreases inflammation

if you have heart

from problems such as

disease, high blood
pressure, kidney disease

muscle injuries and arthritis.
Safety precautions: Talk to

or gastrointestinal bleeding,

your doctor about using aspirin

or if you are on blood thinners

if you have heart disease, high

or prescription NSAIDs.
stjosephtowson.com | Winter 2018  3
http://www.stjosephtowson.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Maryland’s Health Matters - St. Joseph - Winter 2018
