Painkiller gel - any good?

katie5

Hi

I'm sure this has been covered before - so apologies

but can anyone tell me if the painkiller gels are any good. I'm really trying to ease up on taking tablets been taking them for the last 19 years on and off and really worried about side effects (although it's probably too late for that).

a sore and fed up Katie x :sad:

dreamdaisy

In my experience they are about the same as the tablets, more expensive as a habit and you shouldn't use the two together. Pain dullers are just that, they dull it, never kill it. (Killed things do not resurrect, apart from horror films.) I wish you well. DD

barbara12

Hi Katie
Sorry I didnt get much relief from the gels, like DD says they shouldn't be used with the tablets....but that is what I ended up doing.
There are patches but I haven't tried these.
I hope you get some relief very soon,
Love
Barbara x

katie5

thanks DD and Barbara

think will stick to my beloved hot water bottle and a couple of paracetamol. got a lift home from work from a colleague who had heated car seats - thought I was in heaven asked her to go the long way home and turn up the heat!

Hope you're both having a good day.

Katie x

dreamdaisy

Ye gods, it never ceases to amaze me how we are all so different - I am sitting here with the fan going full-blast, cold can of coke to glug, a wet bath towel draped round my neck, a sodden nightgown draped around the body and a dry towel (well, it was) on my thighs to mop up the drips. This dodding sisease, it does push one to one's limits, yes? I am off to go and stand in the back garden - it is frosty, hurrah! Coolth, I NEED COOLTH! DD

speedalong

Hi Katie, I have found the max iboprufen gels help - but they are better on some joints than others. They are easier on the stomach too of course.

Speedy

kate3

Hi
Tony suggested,when I was asking around, 'capscasim' which doc said 'give it a go' thought it was going to work, but fraid it did not, so stuck with paracetmol/codeinne and 'Tens' they fool the brain for a short while..

Brr!!! Cold No No NO, like the sound of that warm seat.LOL!!!!
Funny how we all react differently.
Take care,
Hey all, into February, what is it 6 weeks or so to start of SPRING(Boing!Boing! I wish!!) maybe someday and after the replacement, a little boing!!!!
Kate

julie47

Hi kate
I have tried a pain killer cream voltarol and that gave a little relief at the back of my neck.I have also used the spray deep heat but with that although it seemed to give relief of muscle pain it was proobably the fact that it stank, and irritated me to the point of scratching that my mind was on that rather than pain.
I stick to water bottles and wheat pads and good old paracetamol.
Hope you are not too bad today.
I too am waiting for spring and like you wish i could boing
Have a good day
juliepf x

Starburst

I use ibuprofen gel for my elbows (I have tendontitis) but I don't bother for affected joints. It def helps the swollen tendons but not sure it's useful for my joints but we are all different. Be careful if you're on anti-inflammatory tablets. I use gel and take a strong dose of anti-inflammatories but I'm not sure I should, ooops!

Take good care.

tillytop

I use Max Strength Ibuprofen and find it helpful, particularly on my feet, wrists and knees. Apparently (according to a medic friend of a friend) Voltarol gel is more effective because the molecules are smaller and it is absorbed more easily, but it didn't work for me.

Love Tilly xxx

katie5

thanks everyone for advice - really helpful.

i'm feeling much better today apart from feeling extremely tired. Counting the days to Spring too. Just been planning a long weekend away to my Mum's in Wales for April so fingers crossed the weather is good and not having a flare up.

Hope you are all well.

Katie x

hileena111

Hi,
I find gels helpful {knowing that they wont have the side effects tabs will} As for being expensive...your GP can prescribe some......eg...voltarol under a different name....but everyones right....you dont use them with anti inflam tabs.
It depends on where the pain is....sometimes I'm just one complete ache and gel is not going to help that but other times there is a specific place that is sore and it does help.....I use wheat bags etc but they are no good if you are moving about and trying to do something {ok if you are sitting} thatse wher I find the gel comes into its own.
Love
Hileena

lavenderlady

I use Algesal (diethylamine salicylate) its brilliant stuff you massage it on the joint its not hot or cold just sinks into your skin and the pain drifts off , I used this to cope with my wrist pain before the TWR, always have it in my bag next to my bed etc
my DR prescribes this for me, I swear by it I use it on my many OA joints massaged into to my fingers is the only way to ease the awlful pain, give it a go, good luck

frogmorton

I googled that one Lavendar lady and it looks interesting!

I have tried a fair few from movelat to volterol to ibuprofen. They are good for me as a lot of anti-inflams give me belly issues :oops:

A friend mentioned something cooling too like deap heat and might be made by them a kind of deap cold!

Love

toni xx

katie5

Lavender lady - is the gel you mentioned available to buy at the chemist or is it prescription only?

think i will give the gels a try - used deep heat and like the warming effect although someone asked me if I'd been playing rugby!

will let you know how i get on - thanks again everyone

Katie

hileena111

Hi Toni,
The one you are talking about is I think Deep Freeze.....you can get it in a tube as gel or as a spray. I found that excellent for gout in my knee

Love
Hileena

skezier

Hi Katie,

I was bit skeptical really till i tried some and it does kinda help a bit. It used to help a lot cus I get a huge amount of spasm in the muscles cus the bones are pulling them out of line a bit.

I can't handle the freeze ones but the heat ones are god and the stick on pads help as well though the ones on the skin are better than the ones that go through clothing. Hope you get a good result flower. Cris x

katie5

skezier wrote:

Hi Katie,

I was bit skeptical really till i tried some and it does kinda help a bit. It used to help a lot cus I get a huge amount of spasm in the muscles cus the bones are pulling them out of line a bit.

I can't handle the freeze ones but the heat ones are god and the stick on pads help as well though the ones on the skin are better than the ones that go through clothing. Hope you get a good result flower. Cris x

thanks cris

the pads might be better actual when I'm working - shoulder muscles become so tense I can't move my head in any direction. its always cold at work too so think pads will be great idea.

katie x

tillytop

Hello peeps

Just a word of caution - I have noticed that some of the heat/freeze pads (and maybe some of the heat/freeze gels) specifically state that they are not to be used by people with RA - don't know why but might be worth checking the packet beforehand or checking with the pharmacist...

Tillyxxx

katie5

hi thanks tilly,

had a look at gel today - my god it's expensive! I've got OA and the muscle pain is really bad still think i will try heat pads for shoulders and neck.

hope you are doing ok.

Katie x

constable

Hope you dont mind me answering, I know I am new but I just wanted to say that I find the deep heat gels best for me. The ibuperfen gels are to cold on my skin, they make me shiver, dont like it.
I did try the deep heat spray version, and oh my god, I thought I was choking, couldn't get rid of the smell, never again.

katie5

hi constable

thanks for answer - don't like the sound of cold gel definitely not for me I'm not good with cold much prefer the heat. i tried the roll-on stick many years ago and its stays on forever only trouble was when i got in the bath it heated right up and was very sore - it was a long time ago and don't know if they still do in in a roll-on but it saves you hands smelling all day!

hope you are feeling ok today

Katie x

skezier

Hi Katie,

Oh the locked up shoulder I do know well.... Trigger points can help them sometimes if you know where they are and also if you can get your hands to reach the bits they need to reach. there is a reasonable god one just under your skull that can sometimes help to be massaged.....

mine now has gone beyond that and it just wont unlock so they use botox in it. Might be worth you asking to see a pain clinic cus they are the ones, for me, that truly to do something about the muscle spasms.

Its that horrible circle of pain, tension and spasm so more pain but breaking it your self can be so hard.

Try the stick on ones, they might help but I have found the ones on the skin are more effective than the ones you put on the clothes. Cris x

suzygirl

The pound shop do a lot of the heat pads and gels etc. I do love a bargain!!!

I have found biofreeze to be effective, I don't usually like the cold gels but that was great. I used it on my neck shoulders and it worked.

I usually put a hot water bottle or wheat bag around my neck. The heat packs are useful for when you go out. Also a scarf as draughts, tense the muscles.

Then I have my muscle relaxant tabs to stop the spasms. Wouldn't be without them.

need me bed

Hi All,

I have recently discovered the freeze gel, awesome for my back pain, but i tend to use Lloyds cream a lot, (http://www.boots.com/en/Lloyds-Cream-100g_37911/) I never go anywhere without it!! To me it's a little bit of heaven in a jar, so it's worth the money. As others have said we are all different so you just have to find what works best for you.

I'm still trying to find somewhere I can get a decent massage, all the places i've tried so far just kinda tickle and don't do much so am looking in the Sports Therapy region to see if i can get a deeper muscle massage.... and hoping it works to relive some of the muscle pain in my legs and back....

take care
Gentle Hugs

NMB X

katie5

thanks all for the tips

suzy - I'm off to the shops tomorrow to stock up on supplies - never thought to check out the pound shop for heat pads but will be having a look.

NMB - will be giving the magic cream ago - thanks again.

Cris - massage is the best thing but i agree it's difficult to reach - try a tennis ball pressed between your back and the wall and roll away (hope that makes sense)

Katie