Neck osteoarthritis question
Posted , 6 users are following.
Hi everyone
I was diagnosed with neck arthritis by a rheumatologist three years ago following a neck and back x ray and physical examination. I'm 58.
I take citalopram for health anxiety, just 5mgs, I reduced from 10mg.
I am in the UK and my question is, what is the best med to take for pain and stiffness? I take anaddin extra because that is the only med that seems to agree with me but I am willing to try something else. I know these contain aspirin and you shouldn't take aspirin with citalopram but it doesn't seem to have affect that. I'm not sure about supplements. My rheumatologist said paracetamol but they have little effect and make me feel sick. She also g ave me capsaicin cream for my neck but I don't feel any benefit. I sneeze a lot with it.
Thank you
0 likes, 14 replies
Guest
Posted
Sorry, the other thing I wanted to ask is, if anyone has this, c a n it make you feel lightheaded?
Thanks
loxie Guest
Posted
I sympathise, I too have OA in my neck (along with other issues) and I find paracetamol makes me sick also. Like you, aspirin seems to work well for me but obviously it's important not to take too much. Some people find ibuprofen of use - do not take them alongside aspirin however. Unfortunately for me, NSAIDS (like ibuprofen, naproxen, voltarol, etc) have nasty reactions for me so I cant take them. You're very lucky to have been prescribed capsaicin cream - my doctor wont prescribe it and its not available off prescription in the uk, sorry it doesnt seem to work for you. Be careful with supplements, many of them supposedly have wondrous effects but to be honest if you eat a balanced diet you wont be deficient enough in any vitamins for supplements to be needed and some vit supplements can cause toxic overdose levels. I do find ginger of help, its a great anti-inflammatory. Best bet for stiffness is to make sure you keep the neck moving, there are some good exercises specifically for this problem, have a look online. I picked up some from the arthritis uk website.
Guest loxie
Posted
Thanks for replying Loxie,
I went to physio for a while, they gave me exercises to do, chin tucks mostly but they didn't do anything for me.
A wheat bag helps and I always feel relief after I shower and wash my hair every night.
I've tried ibuprofen, paracetamol, co-codamol and other otc meds but anadin extra is the only one that doesn't make me ill. I've tried supplements too but there seems to be no easy fix.
I'll try the capsaicin cream again, so unfair your doctor won't prescribe it for you. I have to use gloves to apply it because it burns like crazy. I dare not touch my eyes even after I've taken the gloves off, I found that out when I put my contact lenses in.
I'll try ginger and I'll take a look at the website you mentioned.
The worse is after lying down. When i get up my head feels heavy and sometimes I get a lightheaded feeling. I also get tinnitus. I went to ENT about it but they said it's very probably all to do with my neck. They did a hearing test and the Epley manouvre but all that was OK too.
So good to talk to someone who understands.
Best wishes
Anhaga Guest
Posted
You, and everyone with osteoarthritis, need to know that regular use of all nsaids, including aspirin, is not a good idea as they interfere with cartilage regeneration.
I have relied mostly on exercises prescribed by physiotherapists.
I have OA in my neck, lumbar spine and hands and feet, and developing it in my knees. First diagnosed when I was 40, but may have had traces earlier. I am now 72 and do not take any pain medication for OA. But I do crashingly boring exercises faithfully every day!
Guest Anhaga
Posted
Hi Anhaga
Thank you for replying.
Yes, I've heard that about taking aspirin but anadin extra is the only med that helps me which i s a mixture of aspirin, paracetamol and caffeine. It's strange how I i can tolerate paracetamol like this but cannot take it on its own. I have to take something because I get horrible headaches.
It's really good that you are managing your OA without painkillers. What exercises do you do for your neck, if you don't mind me asking?
Anhaga Guest
Posted
The point of the exercises is to strengthen muscles which support the afflicted joints. In my case my spine, both cervical (neck) and lumbar (lower back) have given me trouble over the years. The exercises are very simple and quite gentle. They are hard to describe and I would not anyway as these were prescribed for me to target specific muscles which I needed to pay attention to. Your situation might be different so a good physiotherapist would evaluate you and prescribe accordingly.
Yes I do have some pain and stiffness, and it is definitely worse than it was long ago, but I manage, and do not need medication. I do enjoy the relief if I take aspirin for a headache, though!
I have also taken glucosamine sulphate (a powder in a capsule, not a hard tablet) for about thirty years, and having heard that Vitamin B6 is also supposed to be helpful I take a complete B supplement every second day. I do think the glucosamine has helped, and believe that studies which are inconclusive or negative simply haven't gone on long enough. It isn't a painkiller but helps to maintain the cartilage thus slowing down the progression of OA. For over four years I've been on low dose prednisone for polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and I understand that pred also harms the cartilage. Fortunately, fingers crossed, I am now down to a very small dose and hopefully will be able to discontinue it by spring.
Guest Anhaga
Posted
Hi Anhaga
So sorry , you seem to be going through a lot. I thought I may have had PMR or fibromyalgia but my rheumatologist said no.
I did try physio for months but it never did anything for me, I think I gave up before my physio did.
I may go back to my doctor and see what he suggests.
My citalopram withdrawal may be a contributory factor to the way I am feeling at the moment.
Thank you for sharing,
Best wishes
amkoffee Guest
Posted
I also deal with chronic pain and was on citalopram and finding that it conflicted with too many of my other meds. So my doctor switched me to escitalopram. It's working well for me without all the problems with citalopram.
Guest amkoffee
Posted
Hi Amkofee
Thank you for replying.
I have been slowly reducing citalopram for close on a year. I'm down to 5mg from 10 but still getting some withdrawal effects. I've been doing this because citalopram and aspirin don't go well together and aspirin based meds seem to be the only thing that gives me some relief. Citalopram has analgesic effects so reducing is probably not helping with regards to pain.
I have been thinking about switching to another ssri or snri but I want to level out on 5mgs first. I have meddled with doses in the past which has caused me many problems.
So glad that escitalopram is working better for you, definitely something to consider.
amkoffee Guest
Posted
I found that Excedrin worked better then anything else available OTC. It contains aspirin, Tylenol and caffeine. For some reason it helped my pain more then anything else.
Guest amkoffee
Posted
Hi Amkoffee
I only just saw this, thank you, came on here to ask another question. I've never heard of that med before, same ingredients as anadin extra though. I'll look out for it.
I didn't think of mentioning in my original post but I had a steroid injection in my shoulder for tendonitis 7 months ago and it's now wearing off. I had an xray and it's not osteoarthritis. I didn't feel well after the injection for weeks, headaches, dizziness Because I've been withdrawing from Citalopram for 10 months I was getting these symptoms to some extent but since the injection has worn off they have become worse. Shoulder pain back as well . I wondered if anyone who has had an injection has had withdrawal effects after it had stopped working. Does anyone know if this is possible?
Thank you, hope everyone is coping ok.
kate63976 Guest
Posted
I was also diagnosed with arthritis of the neck and back. I'd been having bad headaches and quite a bit of neck pain. After the MRI I was told that my choices were to take medication for the rest of my life or try and ease the pain with visits to the physio and the acupuncturist. I did the medication course for awhile but found that the medication caused an upset stomach so was then taking two types of medication.
The acupuncturist recommended a shiatsu method of stretching called Makko ho so I thought I would give it a try. Started doing the stretches 5 times a week and gradually all pain disappeared and the need for medication stopped. I find now I only do the stretches twice a week and each session takes about 10 to 15 minutes. When I first start I can just barely bend forward but by the time I finish I can just about bend my head almost to my feet. Check out the method on youtube. I do the main four stretches. I am 71.
Cheers
Kate
Guest kate63976
Posted
Hello Kate
Thank you for replying and sharing.
I too have it in my spine although early stages.
I get neck pain, headaches, tinnitus, ear fullness feelings and lightheadedness. It's so debilitating,
I've never heard of Makko, that's great that it's working for you, certainly worth looking into, thank you for that.
Best wishes.
loxie kate63976
Posted
Very interesting that you mention shiatsu and Makko as helping. I was watching a medical tv programme which took a group of people who for various reasons couldnt do much exercise and placed them with sports therapists over a period of weeks who did stretching exercises with them. At the end of the time, all of them had increased muscle strength and as a result had increased mobility and reduced pain. It wasnt high impact or high intensity, just manipulation and stretching, much like shiatsu. I have been referred to a physio by my doctor but i only get an appointment about every 8 weeks which consists of about five minutes just talking and being give a rubber band to take home to exercise. No hands on treatment at all, which I dont find helpful. Thank you for the info, I'll definitely look into Makko.