Metacam for cat? any suggestions???

Hi guys.

so I found my cat this morning hiding under the bed and licking her self for hours. 

and when she came out, I found her limping. she was in pain with one of her leg. 

she hissed at me when I was trying to check her paw. but at the same time, she was still sitting on that side (pain leg)

and was able to move little bit but I saw the leg was shaking little bit.

I took her to the vet right away and he said she's fine. it's just sprain muscle. he banded her leg and found nothing is broken and told us she should be fine.

he prescribed Metacam for 1 week for her pain relief. but I debating  I should just let her heal itself without giving this medication or not. 

I heard pain killer is not good and I checked many forums here people were against to it. 

do you think it's ok for me to just leave her without medication? will she be in pain? if this medication doesn't actually do anything and just kill the pain, 

I would rather keep her out of it (she seems not much in pain anyways now. she didn't yelp at all when the vet was trying to twist her leg)

I need your advice. it's Metacam Oral suspension for cats.

thanks!!

]I don't give Metacam to my cats..  If you think she's in pain and aren't comfortable with Metacam, you can ask for a different pain med and/or steroids to help the inflammation subside

I definitely think cats deserve pain management, same as humans do. Metacam does have a bit of a reputation as there have been reported cases of cats who suffered ARF (Acture Renal Failure). That said, many many cat benefited from Metacam with no harm and it has been approved to be used in cats for that.

What I suggest you do is call your vet and let them know you have reservations about this specific drug and ask for alternatives. Keep in mind that no drug is absolutely risk free. Nothing in our lives is 100% risk free and medical care is all about risk management. Pain, and the physical stress is generated, is also not risk free. So, it's a question of balancing risks for your specific cat. Your vet should be able to assess which pain relief medication is least dangerous to your cat and may perhaps has already done so when prescribing metacam. Owner compliance comes into the equation and again, if you feel uncomfortable with a drug - for whatever reason - and there are viable alternatives, your vet can prescribe those instead. It's what you're paying them for, so don't be shy about calling in and consulting with them. Just please do not leave your cat with no pain management at all. I don't think that's fair to the cat and it does take a toll on its body as well.