Which pain relief is best ?

cymraeg555

I used to have Tramadol and another tablet co-something ,the Dr said he could no longer prescribe the co-? and that I would have to have just normal paracetamol,which did nothing...
then he stopped the Tramadol saying I couldnt have 2 types of pain relief at the same time, I now take co-codamol only ,but the pain is still there,I cannot take Diclofenac as am on Warfarin ,even though he did give it to me in gel form ( that doesnt work either )
I was wondering what is the best medicine for pain relief that doesnt cause drowsiness ?
I try and keep the co codamol for evenings as they can make me sleepy ,and they used to help somewhat with my sleep,I now take Zolpidem for sleep though,even though I still wake up in pain with them as well ,am just fed up of the constant gnawing pain ...as am sure everyone here does ,
Is it true you can only have one form of pain relief at a time ?
Thanks for any replies
Cymraeg.

woodbon

Hello, I think that you really should talk to your doctor about the pain you have. I take tramadol slow release and amatriptyline at night. Which help quite a bit.

I have been referred to the Pain Management clinic at the hospital. They changed my ordenary tramadol to the slow release type, which suite me.

Some pain killers can be taken together, but others can't and I'd get advise about this.

You say that you are trying to keep your pain killers mainly for the night, but sometimes, it is best to take enough throughout the day to keep the pain from getting too bad. Sometimes, if you are already in a lot of pain when you take the medication, it will not be so effective, but a small frequant dose means that the pain is managable.

I think, though a talk to your GP would help you to decide the best course for you. I can only tell you what works for me, you may have a differnent experience, we are all different!

Hope you get things sorted out for you.
Love Sue
PS I found that pain relief can make you feel tired for the first week or so, but then the body gets used to it and it settles down, without the tirednes.

elnafinn

Hi

I have just read your other threads to get a little insight into what is going on. No one can really suggest medication for you, that is up to the doctor, that is their job. It is a shame that you cannot take anti inflammatory drugs of any kind, which I presume is the case, if you have only been offered gel.

You mention in another thread that you need new knees but have to wait 6 years until that would be granted. What happens at the magical age of 60 that makes things change? If your knees are shot now and giving you jip, all the time, why can't you have at least one knee down now and the other later on?

I would find another medic to chat to, the one you are with does not seem overly helpful from what you have told us.

I do hope that something gets sorted for you soon, either help with better management of your pain or a knee operation.

Luv
Elna x

skezier

Hi Cymreg,

Glad you found this site, they are a good lot here. Sorry about about your pain and I agree with Sue and Elna you maybe should see a different doctor. Like you paracetamol don't touch mine and I am on 2 pain tablets and an anti inflammatory as well so to tell you you can't have 2 consecutively doesn't sound right to me.

Is there a different doctor in the practise you can see? You one doesn't sound terribly sympathetic to me. I really hope you can get some help soon. Take care Cris

dorcas

Hi Cym, welcome from me too! ':D'

I agree with everything the others have said; you need better advice and the right balance of meds and pain killers. ':roll:'

What about your rheummy? can you contact him/ her for advice? they are usually very helpful and know the arther meds far better than GPs! worth a try.

Good luck with it all. Iris x

salamander

hi, I was given two types of pain killer plus amitryptilline at night. I was told there is a national standard of pain relief which can go up to three types of pain killer. However, I am not a doctor and don't know your circumstances so, as everyone says here, maybe you could find a more sympathetic doctor or talk to your consultant. I had a very good doc once who said 'in this day and age there is no need for anyone to be in pain.' I know it doesn't always work like that and I had trouble getting pain relief in the summer but when I was hospitalised, finally, they got it under control.

I hope you get what you need.
S

salamander

p.s. as someone has said above, it painkillers sometimes work better when you take them regularly, rather than just at night. If I'm not too bad I do what you do and take them then but at other times I'll take something every 4 to 6 hours. Supposed to be more efficient that way and certainly seems to work better for me.

trisher

Hi

Sometimes what painkiller works for someone, it may not work with another.

Can you not ask your Rheummy doctor to refer you to a pain clinic, if the pain is bad?

I'm not giving you medical if you are advise, but if you are prescribed medication and you try to leave a dose out that could be the reason you are in pain.

I hope you feel better soon.

Trisher xx

cymraeg555

Thank you for your replies
I am with a fairly new GP ,as the old one was even less sympathetic .Every time I ask for an alternative medicine they say "well you are on co-codamol " and they are strong ,so thats why I have been reluctant to ask for anything else ,its like thats the only tablet I can take !which am sure there must be others ?
When someone mentioned Rheumy Dr ,do you mean the orthopedic Dr ?He is the one who said I have to wait until I am 60 for the knee replacements .In all honesty I am petrified of having more surgery but at the same time I have no life the way I am either ,am just having a moan ,I am usually a cheery person ..honest ...
and yes I am Welsh .

cymraeg555

pixyandfaries wrote:

hi cym, you welsh!??? 8)
welcome home , i can only say ditto to above, new doc and pain clinic is wot you need by the sounds of it , as for HAVING to wait for new knees wot a load of rubbish! :x its all down to quality of life ,would they tell a 20 year old they have to wait till there 60, hollyhocks to that ! :x
come over to chat and have a coffee in the cafe hun, jan xxx

Dear Pixy where do I find the chat ?

elnafinn

Hi

If you have OA then I expect you do not have a Rheumy Dr. Peeps who have RA tend to see a Rheumy and often have a nurse that they can call with problems, questions etc.

If you have OA then you more than likely are treated with meds via your gp and as you say, you have seen an orthopaedic surgeon and he has told you that you are too young for any ops.
You can ask your gp to refer you to a pain clinic and they are well in the know about different drugs for you to take and may offer steroid injections and other types too. Well worth asking to be referred to a pain clinic.

Although you are petrified about any ops, if you feel that is the way forward for you, perhaps you could ask your gp to refer you, for a second opinion......

I do hope you find your cheery side very soon.

Luv
Elna x

annie_mial

cymraeg555 wrote:

pixyandfaries wrote:

hi cym, you welsh!??? 8)
welcome home , i can only say ditto to above, new doc and pain clinic is wot you need by the sounds of it , as for HAVING to wait for new knees wot a load of rubbish! :x its all down to quality of life ,would they tell a 20 year old they have to wait till there 60, hollyhocks to that ! :x
come over to chat and have a coffee in the cafe hun, jan xxx

Dear Pixy where do I find the chat ?

We're all on the Chit-Chat forum. Join us for a cyber drink or for a cuppa tea and cake.

Annie

evabuk

Hi Cym,

just to chime in with my 2 cents worth...like the others, I can only say what works for one person won't necessarily work for another...but as for being prescribed only one painkiller at a time goes that's rubbish (as a general principle - obviously, there may be individual instances where this is not the case).

I've got OA, and my GP has prescribed all sorts for me in the past, diclofenac (which I had to give up because of gastro problems) co-codamol 30/500, then tramadol AND dihydrocodeine AT THE SAME TIME if necessary (ie if the pain got very bad) and finally Oramorph liquid on tope of the previous two.

I ended up on MST continus (a slow release morphine) but also take ordinary paracetamol sometimes.

It doesn't sound as if your GP is being very helpful, and that can be very awkward, specially if you don't have much of a choice.

I gather you have OA rather than RA, which is harder to deal with in as much as we don't have the rheumatology nurses that some of the others have referred to who can be very helpful at times....rather than waiting for appointments with the God-like consultants themselves!

I wish you the best of luck, anyway, and keep on emphasising how had your pain is - they do have a legal responsibility (and national standards) to give you adequate pain relief.

If you have specific questions, try making friends with your local pharmacist - II've got to know mine really well, and have gleaned some invaluable information from them about medicaation and other things!

lots of love
Eva

cymraeg555

Thank you all for replying ,have made an appointment to see the Dr,not the one I usually see ..as there are a few in the practise ,and see if I can get some different pain medication before xmas

sharmaine

Hi
I think you need to see your GP again and discuss this properly. I'm on 3 diclofenac and 8 co-dydramols plus 3 amytriptlines at night. We're all different but if you're not resting at night then coping with the day in front of you is hard.

I hope you get something sorted soon.
Sharmaine

cymraeg555 wrote:

I used to have Tramadol and another tablet co-something ,the Dr said he could no longer prescribe the co-? and that I would have to have just normal paracetamol,which did nothing...
then he stopped the Tramadol saying I couldnt have 2 types of pain relief at the same time, I now take co-codamol only ,but the pain is still there,I cannot take Diclofenac as am on Warfarin ,even though he did give it to me in gel form ( that doesnt work either )
I was wondering what is the best medicine for pain relief that doesnt cause drowsiness ?
I try and keep the co codamol for evenings as they can make me sleepy ,and they used to help somewhat with my sleep,I now take Zolpidem for sleep though,even though I still wake up in pain with them as well ,am just fed up of the constant gnawing pain ...as am sure everyone here does ,
Is it true you can only have one form of pain relief at a time ?
Thanks for any replies
Cymraeg.