Aleve was my go-to for back pain. I only took it when really needed it, though. Thankfully, the back issues are gone. I have not taken an NSAID in 3 years. With my CVD risk factors the timing couldn't be better.

Just like they do with salt, caffeine, red meat the media regularly splashes troubling results of various OTC medication studies on the evening news. These reports, accurate or not, made me wary about taking any medications unless I had a really good reason to. When I get a cold virus related headache Tylenol is the pain reliever that works best for me. I used to think it was totally safe if taken as directed. But I've seen reports that even if taken as directed liver damage can occur. So I'm downright paranoid of everything these days. I'm just getting over the first serious chest cold that I've had in several years. I had a nasty headache for several days. I took a chance and used Tylenol a couple of times a day for a week. It worked. But I still didn't like taking it.