What do systematic reviews say?

NSAIDs vs glucocorticoids

NSAIDs showed no clear difference in withdrawals due to adverse events compared with glucocorticoids (moderate certainty).

• Non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs for acute gout 2021 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  RR 2.8 [0.55, 14.22]
  Studies not reported
  Moderate

NSAIDs vs placebo

• Non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs for acute gout 2021 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  no estimate extracted
  Studies not reported
  Low

COX‐2 NSAIDs vs placebo

COX‐2 NSAIDs showed no clear difference in withdrawals due to adverse events compared with placebo (low certainty).

• Non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for axial spondyloarthritis (ankylosing spondylitis and… 2015 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  RR 2.14 [0.36, 12.56]
  669 participants
  Low

Traditional NSAIDs vs placebo

Traditional NSAIDs showed no clear difference in withdrawals due to adverse events Due to adverse events compared with placebo (high certainty).

• Non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for axial spondyloarthritis (ankylosing spondylitis and… 2015 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  RR 0.75 [0.46, 1.21]
  1165 participants
  High

Non‐selective NSAIDs vs selective cyclo‐oxygenase‐2 inhibitors

Non‐selective NSAIDs probably leads to higher withdrawals due to adverse events compared with selective cyclo‐oxygenase‐2 inhibitors (moderate certainty).

• Non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs for acute gout 2021 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  RR 2.34 [1.33, 4.14]
  Studies not reported
  Moderate

Low‐dose colchicine vs NSAIDs

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Colchicine for acute gout 2021 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  no estimate extracted
  Studies not reported
  No studies found

Acupuncture vs NSAIDs

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Acupuncture for hip osteoarthritis 2018 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  no estimate extracted
  Studies not reported
  No studies found