pain control

helendenise59

hi im new to this forum ive been suffering with arthritis for a number of years and its been getting worse just lately ive tried a number of painkilling drugs but i dont tolorate drugs like tramodol well so i have to take co codomol and currently on tapentadol which are not agreeing with me there making me weepy all the time and im still having a lot of pain im beginning to dispair and worried that there isnt going to be any drugs i can take i have two bulging discs at the bottom of my spine and my pain is in every joint you can imagine any advice would be lovely

[Deleted User]

Welcome Helendenise59,

It is terrible when the pain breaks through. I understand the problem when you can't tolerate drugs, with me its codeine. Sometimes it can be worth persevering to see if your body adapts, sadly there's no way of knowing in advance.

We do have a booklet on coping with pain, maybe you will find some of the hints and tips useful. It can be found here
https://www.arthritiscare.org.uk/what-is-arthritis/resources/217-coping-with-pain

One big thing you can get right now is the understanding and support of many people who also know pain very well indeed - much better than we want to

With gentle ((((())))) and a few xxx

Yvonne

stickywicket

Hello helendenis59 and welcome from me, too

Pain is a foregone conclusion for us. I have RA in virtually every joint but my back is my best bit. My Mum used to have a bad back and disc problems as she got older and it was no fun at all.

I wonder what you have been offered besides pain relief. Have you seen a physio? Has anyone suggested you might benefit from attending a Pain Clinic? There are ways of combatting pain other than meds. Most of us here are big believers in distraction (reading, doing puzzles, anything which we can 'get lost in') as concentrating on pain only makes it worse though, of course, there are times when that becomes very difficult. Have you had any steroid injections into the spine? They are only a temporary respite but they do help many people.

Sometimes the relentless pain just gets us down and some people find a short course of anti-depressants can help them over a bad patch.

Arthritis Care has some very good advice on coping with pain https://www.arthritiscare.org.uk/managing-arthritis/coping-with-pain And / or you could just join us on any thread anywhere. We are friendly and do understand about living with pain.

hileena111

Hi Helendenis59,
I think most of us have certain medicines that we cant tolerate.

I have OA in my ankles, lower spine, hips....... 2 replacements and the 2nd didn't work so I'm permanently on crutches now.
Kypho scoliosis, now {just recently my knees have decided to join the party as well }:roll: A few other plces as well :?

Like you I cant take tramadol. The other one I cant take is dihydrocodeine {spelling?}

Things like distraction, relaxation, heat/cold. You will find out what helps you. Admittedly during the night distraction isn't a lot of help.

Have you tried going back to your GP and telling him your painkillers aren't working? There are lots of different ones and he may try another one to see if that helps.

Like others have said Arthritis Care have a lot of good booklets, worth reading.

Love
Hileena

bubbles

Hi Hilendensis59, good to meet you and welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear that you are having such pain.

I can reiterate what others have said. Distraction is a good thing, but sometimes the pain gets the better of us all.

Co codamol is often a drug of choice, but it is not the worlds best at relieving joint pain and codeine is not tollerated well in a lot of people. There are so many drugs to choose, that might well help you. Tramadol is a good pain duller, again, some of its side effects are not pleasant. Fortunately I can tollerate it. Tapentadol is a strong pain duller, similar to tramadol.
Drugs that are used to treat epilepsy have been quite successful in blocking pain signals, ones like pregabalin and gabapentin.
Anti depressants like amytriptiline, are also helpful with pain, especially neuropathic pain. Plus they can help with lifting your mood, that is lowered with constant pain. I can totally sympathise with you on that.
It is a case of trying things out and seeing if they help. It might take a few more visits to the GP or Pain clinic before a regime that dulls the pain more effectively, is found.
Do keep us posted and enjoy the forum, everyone is so kind and helpful.
XX Aidan

dreamdaisy

Hello, it's nice to meet you but I am sorry you have had to find us. All of us on here understand pain and how it affects our lives, it intrudes on all areas doesn't it? It slows us down, sometimes even brings us to a grinding halt.

I am lucky on two fronts, my back is not affected and I can tolerate the stronger pain relief medications. I have PsA and OA (the former began in 1997, the latter was diagnosed in 2011) and life became much easier for me to manage once I'd forgotten about being pain-free. I prefer to keep my pain relief to the minimum so I have room to manoeuvre when things worsen (which they do from time to time). I see that Bubbles has given you a comprehensive list of other options, I know that some on here have pain patches but I've not tried those.

I began a low dose of an anti-depressant in 2011 and that does help me to manage better: I was depressed at the diagnosis of the OA and thought I'd be taking them for a couple of months until I had sorted myself out but my rheumatologist pointed out that if I was feeling 'better' mentally then I could cope better with the ongoing onslaught of everyday life. She was right.

The trouble with pain relief is that the body adjusts to a certain level so more is needed to achieve a similar outcome. Pain is the ground-elder of our lives, it will always be there thrumming away and we have to develop our own coping strategies in addition to the meds. There are many options out there and I hope we have given you some ideas to follow up, please let us know how you get on, come and talk to us at any time because we know what it's like and how hard things can be. I wish you well. DD

helendenise59

thank you all for replying ive been back to my doctors because i was given tapendol which sent me into a terrible depression where i woke up sobbing all day long my doctor that i see wasnt in that day so had to go to another one who put me back on pain relife patches but a 20mg patch that was only yesterday 23/8/2016 i woke this morning with no back pain but not getting excited because its early dayd she also said to do exercises to strengten my back and im getting a orthapedic mattress which she said would help i was becoming distressed in case it ends up theres no drugs i can take and i be in pain for the rest of my days excuse the spelling but your replys have cheered me up im going back to see my usual doctor soon and going to ask about injections in my knees i cannot have them in my spine because of where my bulging discs are but once again thank you all

dreamdaisy

Sometimes it good to see another doctor because they see us with 'fresh' eyes. I hope the patch works and keeps working without side effects; finding out what we can and cannot tolerate is very much a matter of trial and error, in my experience many trials and quite a few errors.

Pain is part and parcel of our conditions and sometimes we waste too much precious energy fighting it. I still do my post-op exercises on a daily basis, sometimes they are painful to do so I don't push myself too hard but it is true that stronger muscles work better for us. Pain is debilitating, frightening and intrusive, it affects us both physically and mentally but there is only so much the medics can do to relieve it. DD

helendenise59

i was glad i went to see someone else fingers crossed up to now ive been ok with this patch i will keep you all posted x

helendenise59

just a quick question ive only been on 20mg buprenorphine patches since monday and i feel a little dizzy does anybody know if this will go away over time xxxxxxxx

barbara12

Hello Helen and welcome to the forum
I think this is another name for the butrans I am on, at the beginning I felt quite sickly and dizzy , but I soon got used to them I would say less than a week..has for the pain I try to not take the maximum just so I have some for when things are really bad..what works for others and all that..I also tweek my other meds and try and see what will work..like Hileena say distraction is the is a big help..wishing you well with everything...

stickywicket

Have you read the accompanying leaflet, Helen? Some meds can cause side effects at first which can disappear over time. I've never used pain patches but they are powerful meds so, if in doubt, check with your GP or pharmacist especially if you are also taking other meds or supplements / herbal medicines.

[Deleted User]

Hi helendenise59
I have found this booklet from Nottingham University NHS hospital which does mention dizziness. If you are worried I would phone your GP about it.
Best Wishes

dreamdaisy

Oh dear, that doesn't sound too pleasant but it may be par for the course: the stronger pain relief meds can bring their own troubles and often do. We tend to think, thanks to adverts, that any pain relief we take will target only the painful areas but that is not true because their ingredients affect the whole body. Like Sticky I've not tried these but I know that others swear by them. I hope it settles soon and you should, at the very least, talk to your pharmacist about this and tell them every med you are taking alongside; they are very knowledgeable and easier to see compared to GPs. I wish you well. DD

stickywicket

Hi there, jerry, and welcome to the forum

I've never heard of this so I googled it and I see Guys and St Thomas' have a leaflet on it.

They say “It is effective in five to seven out of ten cases”

BUT

among those for whom it will NOT benefit, it lists “for example, pain due to arthritis or spinal instability” http://tinyurl.com/pwukc2o

I guess that's most of us ruled out :roll:

Story of my life

What sort of arthritis do you have? I have RA and OA. Welcome on board.

Airwave!

Hmmmm, pain relief is not working so where next? Cognitive and physical activities do work and its the power of our mind and body that copes, we just have to find the combination that works for us. Pain relief is for those times when we need help in the small hours or when we feel vunerable, if we can reduce those times we can win, one day at a time.

This is not the only formula just another way to cope, you must find your own.

:cheers:

Wivenswold

I think I might ask my doctor about Tapentadol.

I've usually taken around 4-6 x 30mg of Codeine with Paracetamol per day during flare-ups. I find that it covers-up the worst of the pain, lifts my mood and helps me to get to sleep.

However, my doctor seems to be in a constant panic about me becoming addicted to them and will only let me have 25 at a time which is not only expensive but impractical when I'm in the midst of a bad phase. She doesn't seem to understand that I'd rather risk having the withdrawal symptoms than having a week of sleepless, bed-ridden days due to pain.

She did prescribe Naproxen on three occasions though. Each time I was on it for 3 months it had absolutely no positive effect.

Has anyone found Naproxen useful?

stickywicket

Wivenswold, you'll see from my earlier post that, according to Guys & St Thomas', this treatment is not effective for arthritis.

It's actually good that your GP is concerned about addiction. It's not just about dealing with withdrawal symptoms. It's about not using strong pain relief as a first resource. How are you getting on with the hydroxy? If you're still flaring, and have been on it for over 2-3 months, you should contact your rheumatology helpline. They'll probably add another DMARD. Just dealing with the pain isn't the answer and your GP can't prescribe DMARDS unless instructed to by rheumatology.