THERESA: Did you see this story in the New York Times? I've always been pretty conservative about popping painkillers, but I think active people are especially prone to misuse of aspirin, acetaminophen and other medications as we seek to relieve aches and pains we suffer from exercise. Before a big race, I do like to take an Advil or Motrin to prevent soreness as I run. Not a good idea?

KIMBERLY: Maybe I'm weird but I rarely if ever take pain medication. When I have muscle soreness I take a hot shower or soak in Epson salt. I have to be in major discomfort to take aspirin or Tylenol etc. In fact, I don't even have a bottle in my medicine cabinet. I try to create the right conditions and let mother nature do the healing.

WENDY: I feel stupid -- I thought that Tylenol also worked for inflammation. Seriously, you have to be so careful with these. My mom had seven bleeding stomach ulcers a couple of years ago, which the doctor said was a direct result of too many Advil. She didn't take a lot at a time, but she did take it daily. Yikes.

JILL: I often get into the habit of taking Advil every day, for a headache here and a backache there and then discover that I'm getting rebound pain and stop. It's helpful to remember that these are real drugs with real side affects.

LAURIE: It's foolish to think any medicine, over-the-counter, herbal or otherwise, has no potential side effects. But I also found foolish the reaction many people had when I was taking large (doctor-supervised) doses of ibuprofin for my jaw. I was in agony for months, and the pain meds really helped, but people kept telling me how bad they were for me -- mixing up the side effects of one for another and such. Meanwhile, these drugs were treating major inflammation and, in the end, were extremely helpful to me.

THERESA: Amen. When you're in pain, let's face it-- painkillers rock.

APRIL: I have to admit I swear by Motrin and find that Tylenol does nothing to alleviate pain for me. The downside to Motrin is the harshness on the stomach, so I try not to overuse it. I do, however, pop Motrin before a big race.