Prostaglandins: What They Do, How They Affect Your Body, and Why They Matter in Medications

When you take ibuprofen for a headache or naproxen for a sore knee, you’re not just masking pain—you’re targeting something deeper: prostaglandins, hormone-like compounds your body makes on the spot to signal inflammation, pain, and fever. Also known as local hormones, they aren’t stored or released from glands like insulin or cortisol. Instead, they’re made right where they’re needed—around injured tissue, in the uterus, or in the stomach lining—and they vanish quickly after doing their job.

These compounds play a surprising number of roles. Inflammation, the body’s natural response to injury or infection relies on prostaglandins to bring blood and immune cells to the site. That’s why swollen, red, hot joints in arthritis aren’t just damage—they’re prostaglandins at work. Pain relief, especially from common drugs like aspirin and ibuprofen, works by shutting down the enzymes that make prostaglandins. Without them, pain signals don’t get amplified. But prostaglandins also protect your stomach lining and help control blood flow in the kidneys. That’s why long-term NSAID use can cause ulcers or kidney stress—it’s not just blocking pain, it’s disrupting essential functions.

They’re even involved in childbirth. NSAIDs, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, can delay labor by suppressing prostaglandins that trigger uterine contractions. That’s why doctors warn against taking them in late pregnancy. On the flip side, doctors sometimes give synthetic prostaglandins to start labor or treat postpartum bleeding. They’re also used in eye drops to lower pressure in glaucoma and in pills to treat ulcers. Every time you hear about a drug affecting inflammation, pain, or stomach health, there’s a good chance prostaglandins are the hidden link.

The posts below dive into real-world connections: how drugs like aspirin trigger asthma in some people, how NSAIDs interfere with other meds, why some pain relievers cause rebound headaches, and how your body’s own chemistry can turn treatments into risks. You’ll find practical advice on managing side effects, understanding drug interactions, and knowing when a common medication might be doing more harm than good. This isn’t just about chemistry—it’s about how your body reacts, what your pills are really doing, and how to stay safe while using them.