How many painkillers have you all taken ?!
Posted , 14 users are following.
Since my back pain journey started 6 months ago I ve lost count of the amount of tablets Ive put into my previously fit body !
Initially when the pain was horrendous I had codeine,,naproxen and Gabapentin which I didnt give a fig about taking as the alternative was worse, but as time went by I self medicated with OTC paracetamol and ibuprofen.
I would love to go a full day without having to take anything - a dream for most of you I know.
When Ive asked the GP about whether its ok to keep taking OTC stuff she wasnt concerned.
If you read the back of most packs of ibuprofen it advises not to !
Apart from these painkillers I take no other medication.
Just wondered if it bothered anyone else ,or maybe I analyse too much,as I know most of you dont have a choice. 😕
0 likes, 45 replies
nixxxie alison96523
Posted
I've had back pain for about 8 years and take lots of painkillers everyday. Yes I would love not to take them but that's not a choice I have. To have the best quality of life they are just part of my daily routine. They do have side effects after taking them for a long period, you just have to adapt. I will be taking them for the rest of my life but you can do other things to help your pain. If you have been given exercises by physio do them every day.I am a good swimmer and can't use my legs in the water because it's to painfull. You can just float in the pool with a woggle, your body will really appreciate it. Keep taking the tablets if you need them but try thinks that others suggest you will find what works for you best.
alison96523 nixxxie
Posted
Hi, sorry you ve been in pain 8 years.
Your right of course about having no choice because as you say its having a life . I know when Ive tried not to take as many the pain has made me grumpy ,and we re all happier pain free !
Thanks 😉
nixxxie alison96523
Posted
I was refered to the pain clinic by my doctor they were really helpful.I did course about relaxation and coping with pain. The groups were good as I was able to chat to other people coping with pain. In my opinion if you can manage to carry on your job life etc as normal without taking painkillers then your not in real pain. As the other lady mentioned worry about it later I'm passed that stage there is nothing to worry about I wouldn't get out the house or work . I have had to reduce hours at work only 3 days now. If you were diabetic would you not take your insoline cause it's a drug.There are a lot of people who rely on type of medication.We are lucky that medical knowledge has improved and we have NHS. Try not to worry you are a strong person you are only taking what you need your not a drug addict. Get on with enjoying your life.
amkoffee nixxxie
Posted
Nixxxie as a chronic pain patient I am appalled at your comment. to say that this person doesn't have real pain because they're still attempting to function is not only unsympathetic but damaging. Everybody perceives pain in a different way and everyone handles pain differently. actually the fact that she's able to continue working is a good thing because working or doing anything during the day create a diversion for your mind to stop thinking of the pain. until you've walked a mile in the Alison965 shoes then no judgment.
nixxxie amkoffee
Posted
I said alison is a very strong person. I didnt say she wasnt in pain. If a person can function normally without pain relief they cant be in extreme pain. Which is different from someone with chronic pain who chooses not to take pain relief and battles on. I am not saying painkillers are the answer for everyone. I did suggest other things. The lady from the US mentioned CBD oil and tens machine which work for some but unfortunately didnt for me. I dont want alison to stress over painkillers if she wants to take them, the more you stress it increases the pain. If an alternative works for her even better.
Alison we will all have different stories and ideas just do what you feels is right. Stay strong.
JohnAk nixxxie
Posted
HI I SUFFER WITH CHRONIC BACK PAIN AND HAVE DONE FOR ABOUT 30 years .I SEE YOU ARE ATTENDING THE PAIN CLINIC. I am on Cocodamol ,Gabapentin,Amatryptline . I Also have Ablations into the Fawcet joints which is a pain block injected into the nerves , I Would recomend these to anyone who suffers chronic low back pain. They should offer you this at the pain clinic. As for the Tablets they come with the side affects which i sure most people know they can effect people in different ways as every person is different with the way that these different tablets affect you. I Find that it is better to have pain relief than none at all .
amkoffee alison96523
Posted
I live in the US and I have suffered from chronic back pain for 15 years . during the first year I was able to get by with naproxen twice a day everyday . that ended up ruining my stomach and Ibuprofen will do the same . I don't know what codeine does to stomach but I'm sure it can't be good to take it regularly. after my naproxen stopped working I was shifted over to opiates and I was on them for over 10 years. I recently stopped them and am struggling to find a method that works to control my pain. I'm guessing you probably do not live in the US so I'm going to mention several Alternatives but you will have to check your local area to see what is legal and available to you. medicinal marijuana helps quite a few people with pain but of course it's not legal in a lot of places yet. CBD oil made from hemp can have Trace Amounts of THC in it but I've been told it's the cannabinoids in the CBD oil that helps with chronic pain. I've tried kratom with no success. those that do get success with it (there are thousands upon thousands of people who do) God love them because it did not do anything for me. it tastes horrid so the trick is to find a way to mask the taste of it. then you start looking into opiates and opiate derivatives. these medications have become a Hot Topic in a lot of countries especially the US. This is making it very difficult for chronic pain patients to get any from their doctors. Tramadol is a name brand for a drug that is an opiate derivative. So it's not exactly an opiate but it does have addictive qualities to it. if you can get a referral to see a pain management doctor they can look at ways to help manage your back pain with things other than drugs. there are procedures such as epidural injections, nerve ablation and needling. for non drug use I would recommend you buy a TENS unit. a TENS unit has patches you stick to your back and they are attached by a cord to the unit. the unit sends out electrical pulses to those patches. a TENS unit send tiny electrical shocks to your muscles.. this sensation interrupts this signal of pain going to the brain and therefore it helps to alleviate some of your pain. Unfortunately it's only good while you have it on. they also have a very similar apparatus that they surgically implant in your back called a spinal cord stimulator. then there is a pain pump. a pain pump is surgically implanted in your back and it delivers opiate and or muscle relaxers to your spinal cord and this drug then travels to your brain where it can alleviate the pain signals (called opiates receptors). one huge benefit to a pain pump is that it only requires a tiny amount of opiate since it is delivered directly to the brain unlike tablets which have to go through your digestive tract. it is the difference between milligrams and micrograms. finally I can't close this without mentioning Chiropractic, phsyo, acupuncture and massage. then there's the latest phraseology that I really hate is "pain acceptance." It is just like it sounds, the doctor that coined that phrase obviously just doesn't understand that pain cannot be ignored all the time. And when someone has a lot of pain no one wants to accept that. It is human nature to want to fix it. I wish you all the luck in the world.
alison96523 amkoffee
Posted
Thankyou for taking the time to reply.
Yes your right Im not in the US .
In the UK we always try a conservative approach first in the form of physio ,simple pain relief and time . Our NHS guidelines on backpain advise our Gps to use a 12 week watch and wait ( unless its a red flag situation). After this if we re lucky enough to have a sympathetic doctor we may get an MRI for diagnosis and or referral to a consultant /pain clinic. Unfortunately all this takes weeks/months so this is where self medication starts.
Im waiting for a pain clinic appointment but it could be a while.
Like you I dont support pain acceptance. I work and have/had a life. Its got to the point where work colleagues dont ask how my back is anymore because the answer is always the same.
Thanks for you good wishes.
.
lis10127 alison96523
Posted
Alison, i worried about taking medication and struggled on for as long as could without it and then a friend said take what you need and worry about it later. i did that and now i am at the worrying about it later part. i've weaned down from 60mg to 10mg of nortiptyline over the last 3 months. It has been hard and given me horrible side effects and i sometimes wish i hadn't started taking medication. However the mental stress of being in pain all the time as well as the physical back pain everyday is too much to cope with without medication. i think the advice i got was good - worry about it later.
alison96523 lis10127
Posted
Lis- good advice,thanks. Ive lain awake in the early hours in pain determined not to take anything but why I dont know ! I could have put myself out of misery and had a decent nights sleep ! Im taking less pain relief than 6 months ago so I suppose thats progress. Yes Im going to worry later 👍
JohnAk alison96523
Posted
HI Alison 96
I Am taking Cocodamol Amatryptlyn Gabapentin plus heart meds they have side effects but give me a bit of
pain relief . I Can put up with the side effects as the tablets help with my chronic pain
antig alison96523
Posted
I take ibuprofen and paracetamol. Doc gave me a tablet to take to counteract the side effects of ibuprofen on the tummy (which i dont take).
Someone suggested i take Naproxen and Co codomol?
Currently waiting to see pain management for hopefully injections in spine.
JohnAk antig
Posted
You should mention it to your doctor regarding naproxen and co codamol they do help with chronic pain. Also the pain block injections help too,
I Can speak from experience.
Good luck Alison
mjcg alison96523
Posted
My back pain "journey" has only just begun. The spine specialist and physical therapists seem to think I'll "recover," but I have my doubts that this problem will ever be fixed. I was on gabapentin which helped me sleep but made my loopy and mindless during the day. Advil or Tylenol help, but if I take too much my ears start ringing. I'd much prefer not to take any meds, I just want this pain to go away.
james82082 alison96523
Posted
I started on co-dydramol in 2013 and diazepam after my car crash in 2013. I was then put onto tramadol as the pain got worse and ended up on morphine. The dose was increased repeatedly to keep onto of the pai and i ended up at 220mg a day in 2015. Thankfully they then operated andi got off the morphine with relative ease. I did have gabapentin in the mix too but it made me a zombie so had to stop taking it.
Sadly my disc went again and i am now on pregabalin and tramadol for breakout pain. Reccently however i am suffering a really bad flare up and now am taking tramadol, ibuprofen and paracetamol with no effect at all.
amkoffee james82082
Posted
I have found that Excedrin Migraine works better for me then any other OTC pain medication. it's got Tylenol aspirin and caffeine. I don't know exactly why this works instead of just plain Tylenol but it does help a little.