Low doses of ibuprofen can treat moderate pain from osteoarthritis

are the most commonly used medication treatment for mild or moderate pain from osteoarthritis. They are reasonably effective.

The low dose your husband is taking makes the likelihood of side effects very small. Among the possible side effects of ibuprofen are stomach upset, stomach ulcers, diarrhea and kidney damage. People who have a history of stomach problems or are over 60, and those taking other medications that can cause bleeding issues are at a higher risk.

The manufacturer states that adults can take up to 3,200 mg a day (that’s 16 tablets of the 200 mg OTC strength), but I recommend keeping at or below 2,400 mg daily. In your husband’s case, two or three tablets a day is likely to have a greater benefit than just one tablet while still bringing only a low risk of side effects.

It is not recommended to switch among different NSAID drugs, as that increases toxicity without increasing effectiveness. One advantage to naproxen (Aleve) is that its effects may last longer. I don’t recommend more than one or two of the 220 mg OTC tablets once or twice daily.

Dear Dr. Roach: How often is it safe to have cortisone injected into an arthritic knee? For me, these injections are effective for three to four months. I would like to delay knee replacement for as long as possible. I am a healthy, very active 80-year-old male who takes no medications.

A: Although doctors have injected joints with steroids (like cortisone) for decades, recent evidence has shown that they can damage the cartilage over time and aren’t much more effective than a placebo injection.

Also, people who get steroid injections and then get a knee replacement may be at increased risk for infection in the new joint.