External Hemroid Medications

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External hemroids are the most painful kind because they start right on a very dense band of nerves. They are the hemroid most likely to make your life miserable due to dryness, itching, discomfort and outright pain. However, external hemroids are also treatable by any kind of medication you can possibly get. Considering the vast array of hemroid remedies that are available over the counter, this represents a serious resource for potential relief and cure.

There are only two over-the-counter medications that you can take by mouth to relieve external hemroids. Acetaminophen and ibuprofen both work to block the pain of an inflamed hemroid, but only ibuprofen also works to reduce the inflammation directly. There are many other pain relievers out there that can help hemroids, but the vast majority of them are only available by prescription. If you feel the need to ask your doctor to prescribe one, be prepared to try several to find the one that works best for you. In particular, try to avoid narcotics, as they can increase constipation and gastrointestinal problems.

Topical hemroid remedies are widely available without a prescription. They contain a wide variety of ingredients in multiple formulations to address any combination of symptoms. However, no external hemroid cream contains all of the possible ingredients, so it's important to have some idea of what will best relieve your particular symptoms.

The base for most hemroid ointments is a moisturizer such as cocoa butter or petroleum. These are best for reducing irritation and dryness to inflamed hemroids. Other bases, such as calamine lotion and zinc oxide, help to reduce swelling. If you aren't comfortable with one base, you may wish to try another. You may go through several before finding the best one for your skin type. Of course, the base isn't the only part of the ointment. Topical anesthetics are possibly the most immediately useful, considering that they numb surface tissue upon contact. When looking at drug information panels, look for a medication that ends in –caine, such as xylocaine or lidocaine. You may also find an astringent, such as witch hazel, which draws moisture out of skin cells, shrinking them and soothing the hemroid.

You may find some more heavy-duty medications in external hemroid creams from time to time. Vasoconstrictors and corticosteroids are the most common allopathic additions. Of course, both can be very useful in treating a serious case of hemroids. However, when talking about pharmaceuticals, power equals danger. It's hard to hurt yourself with an over the counter medication if you follow the directions on the box, but when talking about vasoconstrictors or corticosteroids, it's even more important to follow them exactly. Vasoconstrictors work by reducing the size of the blood vessels. This can be very handy because hemroids are, in essence, enlarged blood vessels. However, it's important not to use them if you've got other circulatory problems, such as high blood pressure. Corticosteroids interfere directly with the inflammatory response, again helping with painfully inflamed hemroids. However, if used for too long, hydrocortisone and its relatives can start making the tissue around the anal
sphincter thinner, which makes hemroids even more likely in the long run. Neither should be used for more than two weeks at a time, and they should never be used unless needed.

Of course, no hemroid medication can work forever without lifestyle measures to eliminate hemroids for good. However, if you know what you're looking at, the right external hemroid medication can make the process of permanent hemroid eradication much quicker and more pleasant.

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