Help! Should I take motrin or more celebrex?

mamadeesix

So I somehow took a shovel to my big toenail. The nail bed is already purple and ripped and my toe swollen. It is very painful all the way down the toe joint to the middle of my insole. The toe joint with arthritis is throbbing and reallllllly hurts.

I have been icing it. Can I take Ibuprofen if I am on Celebrex already (200 mg). Or maybe Tylenol? Can I take an extra Celebrex?

daffy2

I wouldn't want to venture an opinion on what drugs to use mamadeesix as I'm not qualified to do so, but given the nature of the injury is there any possibility of infection?
On the basis that prevention is better than cure, perhaps use suitable protective footwear next time you are wielding a shovel....? Not glamorous , but then neither is a bashed up foot!

stickywicket

From my visits to USA I know that motrin is another name for ibuprofen which, like celebrex, is an NSAID. So, no you can't either take that or take extra celebrex. It might be possible under a doctor's supervision. I really don't know and NSAIDS are not something to be dealt with lightly. Tylenol is essentially paracetamol and, though I think it would be OK to take it I would always take proper medical advice before embarking on such an action. Apart from anything else I recall a wide range of tylenol doses which might complicate matters.

But, as daffy says, I would fear infection and surely this toe needs looking at if only to ensure you don't need a tetanus boost.

Also, I can't remember whether or not you decided to take a DMARD such as methotrexate or sulphasalazine. If so, they would probably need to be omitted for a while but again, really, you need a doctor to decide on these things not us.

mamadeesix

Thanks, guys.

I remembered reading you shouldn't take extra ibuprofen while on celebrex, so I didn't.

But then I also read the max celebrex dose is 400 mg a day, and I take 200, so I took another. Right or wrong, but I couldn't sleep and I figured it was only once.

Finally got to sleep, certain I broke my toe. Lol

Low and behold, today the swelling is down and MUCH better. We'll see if I keep the nail, but it looks good. Not infected or broken. Pain only slight now. A dramatic improvement.

I did learn how painful a blow to an arthritis joint/area can be!

So I still wonder........for people on meds like Celebrex......do you have no options with a short term, acute injury?

dreamdaisy

When I was very young there were no options so I'm used to living without them and often forget that now they are there. I don't notice if I've tweaked or hurt something in addition to the usual pain but after so long of living with arthritis that's hardly surprising.

The daily guide for celebrex may well be 400mg but that does not mean that is a safe dose for you. You've done it, nothing untoward happened, so I daresay you will do a it again because that is human nature. Accidents happen but why people don't wear suitable gear for the work they are attempting never ceases to surprise me; my husband when dealing with very thorny roses won't wear leather gardening gloves, he will climb step ladders in flip flops, last week he replaced a toilet connector pipe with bare hands . . . . oh yeah, that's why he does silly things, he's a bloke and ain't immuno-suppressed. NIce life if you can get it. DD

stickywicket

mamadeesix wrote:

So I still wonder........for people on meds like Celebrex......do you have no options with a short term, acute injury?

There are plenty of options but I don'y know what they're called over there :roll:

Celebrex is an NSAID (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug). They reduce pain by reducing inflammation. You can't take more NSAIDs even by another name. What you can take are straight painkillers which are not anti-inflammatories. If you ask for a word with the pharmacist at your local drug store I've always found them very helpful in both countries.

Glad it seems better today and thanks for letting us know.