WHEN SHOULD YOU AVOID PROLOTHERAPY?
Prolotherapy works by causing inflammation. If you are taking anti-inflammatory medications such as Advil, naproxen, Voltaren, Celebrex, indomethacin, aspirin or ASA (except for the 81 mg dose) or any other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication (NSAID), you will not respond to prolotherapy. Medications which shut down your immune response such as prednisone or Decadron and antirejection medications such as methothrexate, cyclosporin, azathioprine, tacrolimus, or antitumor necrosis alpha antibodies will also prevent prolotherapy from working. If you suffer from an inflammatory condition, such as rheumatoid arthritis, prolotherapy is contraindicated.
If you are very debilitated or malnourished, or if you are a smoker your ability to heal will be interfered with. Before you get prolotherapy, you need to improve your nutrition and your general health. One of the best ways to do that is to quit smoking and eat a healthful diet (check out the caveman diet).
The most likely substances that will be injected are lidocaine, which is a local anesthetic, and dextrose, which is a kind of sugar. If you are allergic to local anesthetics, or to corn which forms the basis of the dextrose solution, you may be able to receive prolotherapy, but not with the usual solutions. Make sure you warn the doctor before you proceed.