A message we get in different words all the time goes something like this: my doctor told me to lay off ibuprofen because of my stomach and my kidneys, but my knees and my feet still hurt every single day, so now what. If you have been told to limit oral painkillers, it can feel like your options just got taken away. They did not. It helps to understand why oral NSAIDs get restricted, and where a topical that does not use an NSAID at all fits into the picture.
Who gets told to limit oral NSAIDs, and why
NSAIDs are the ibuprofen, naproxen, and diclofenac family, the drugs a lot of people reach for first. They work, but because you swallow them, they circulate through your whole body, and that is the source of the caution. The largest analysis of the evidence, pooling data from hundreds of trials and nearly 300,000 people, found that higher-dose oral NSAIDs raise the risk of major vascular events and clearly increase serious upper-gastrointestinal complications like bleeding (Lancet, 2013).
That is why certain people are steered away from them, especially over time. It commonly includes people with a history of stomach ulcers or GI bleeding, reduced kidney function, heart disease or high blood pressure, those on blood thinners, and many older adults who fall into more than one of those buckets at once. If your doctor has put you in that group, it is not arbitrary. It is the systemic exposure that drives the risk.
Why “where the drug goes” is the whole point
Here is the concept that reframes everything. The problem with oral NSAIDs is not only the drug, it is the delivery. Swallowing sends it everywhere. Putting medicine on the skin over the sore spot keeps far more of it near the target and far less of it in your bloodstream.
Even within the NSAID world this shows up clearly. A Cochrane review found topical NSAIDs deliver relief for chronic musculoskeletal pain comparable to the oral versions but with blood levels a small fraction of what a pill produces, and gastrointestinal side effects close to placebo (Cochrane, 2016). That is the case for going topical in general: same neighborhood of relief, much less whole-body exposure.
You can take that logic one step further by choosing a topical that is not an NSAID at all.
Where topical menthol fits
Menthol relieves pain through a completely different mechanism than an NSAID. Instead of blocking the inflammation-related enzymes that NSAIDs act on, menthol activates a cold-sensing receptor in the skin called TRPM8, producing a cooling sensation that competes with and helps quiet the pain signal (Neuroscience Letters, 2002). For someone specifically avoiding NSAIDs, that difference is the entire point. You are not looking for a gentler NSAID, you are looking for relief that does not rely on that pathway or that whole-body dosing at all.
For arthritis, that means you can address a painful knee or hand at the source without adding to the GI, kidney, or cardiovascular load your doctor is worried about. For nerve pain, it means a way to calm burning and tingling feet without leaning on oral medications and their side effects and dependence concerns. None of this is a reason to stop a medication your doctor prescribed without talking to them. It is a reason to know a non-NSAID topical is a legitimate part of the toolkit.
How F&M gives you an NSAID-free option
Every Frankincense & Myrrh formula uses menthol as its only active ingredient, alongside nine essential oils. There is no ibuprofen, no naproxen, no diclofenac, and no salicylate anywhere in the line, so there is nothing to add to the systemic risks that get people told to cut back in the first place. It is also non-drowsy and has no known prescription interactions, which matters when you are already managing several medicines.
For daily joint pain, the Arthritis Pain Relief Rubbing Oil penetrates deep to the joint, works as fast as five minutes, and provides temporary relief up to eight hours. For nerve pain in the hands and feet, the Nerve Rubbing Oil targets nerve pain receptors and helps block the pain signal, also within minutes. Both relieve pain temporarily. Neither is a cure for arthritis or neuropathy, and neither treats any underlying condition. What they offer is real relief that sidesteps the oral-NSAID problem entirely.
The bottom line
People get told to limit oral NSAIDs because swallowing them exposes the whole body to risk. Going topical cuts that exposure sharply, and choosing a menthol-based topical sidesteps the NSAID pathway altogether. If a pill is off the table for you, an NSAID-free rub is one of the most sensible places to look.
Start with F&M Arthritis Pain Relief Rubbing Oil for joint pain or F&M Nerve Rubbing Oil for nerve pain, both NSAID-free. Want to make each application go the distance? See our guide on why topicals wear off and how to make them last, and talk with your doctor about the right mix for you.