NSAID intolerance

Noisybadger

Hello,

I am completely new to this community chat. I am 51 (female) and suffer from fibromyalgia and suspected osteoarthritis (I have never been diagnosed but both my parents suffered from that). I wanted to ask if anyone know of any other medication that can be prescribed excluding NSAID to help with arthritis? I sadly can't handle NSAID as they give me extreme intestinal cramps and eventually diarrhea if I persist to take them. My GP said that only NSAID can treat inflammation, and tried to prescribe some Omeprazole 20mg one time a day along with Naproxen 250mg three times a day to help, but not only my pain doesn't go, but I had signs of intestinal problems recurring on the first evening after I called the GP. I didn't dare to take the third Naproxen in the end, but can't really do anything without a lot of pain.

PeterJ

Hello @Noisybadger and welcome to our community. We are a friendly and supportive group and I hope that that will be your experience as well.

I understand that you have fibromyalgia and possible osteoarthritis and are having problems with medication. Our website contains a lot of useful information and you can use the search to access it as well as just looking around. I've put a couple of links below which you may find of use but do have a look around. You will need to discuss your medication with your GP but I am sure others will connect with you and share their experiences as well.

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/fibromyalgia/

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/treatments/drugs/painkillers-and-nsaids/

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/osteoarthritis/

Please do keep posting and let us know how you get on and I hope that others will connect with you.

With very best wishes

Peter

Loggiemod

Hi @Noisybadger I have never had much relief with Naproxen for some reason and I can't take Ibuprofen. From experience it is a case of keep going back to your GP and getting something that suits you. keep at it and good luck

stickywicket

I think you'll find the links that Peter gave useful.

I can't help wondering if you just need to take the omeprazole for a day or two to get its protective value fully working before resuming the NSAIDS but I do think that a doc or nurse practitioner should be the one to advise on this. A phone call should be enough.

Loggiemod

Should have mentioned that my wife had shoulder pain which was causing her great difficulties and having tried Naproxen (which didn't seem to help) the GP eventually prescribed gabapentin which did help with the pain. It is meant to treat epilepsy but GP prescribed it and it certainly helped with the pain.

Noisybadger

Thanks everyone for your answers, suggestions and links.

Peter thanks for these links, I don't think I can learn anything new about fibromyalgia as I have been living with it for 14 years and know that there's not a lot out there to treat it, doctors don't seem to understand it. But I am sure I will learn much more about the links about NSAID and osteoarthritis.

Loggiemod, that is interesting to hear that some NSAIDs work better than others. I also saw somewhere else that Gabapentin usually used to treat epilepsy has some good results. My condition deteriorated today, and on top of my right hip I have intense pain in the neck and in the left part of the low back, so if tonight I feel the same I will call the GP again.

Stickywicket, I am new to this medication, so I didn't dare to take more than prescribed, but if I call the GP tomorrow I'll ask him if it could work.

I have another question to ask you, do you guys think that it's normal procedure for not being referred to have an x-ray and not receive a proper diagnosis while still being treated for osteoarthritis? I know that with the Covid situation things have been tough on the NHS, and that maybe can explain why there have been no proper investigation? What do you think, should I ask the GP?

Thanks again for all the help!

Loggiemod

Hi, yes I would push your GP for a referral. It took us numerous times before my wife got a treatment that helped, including x-rays

stickywicket

Oh no! Please never take more of anything than what is prescribed. I simply meant to take the omeprazole, as prescribed, for a couple of days but not the naproxen. That way, if it's naproxen that's causing the problem, you'd have a completely fresh start on it. But much wiser to check with your GP.

Was it a rheumatologist who diagnosed your fibro? If not, a referral would be a good thing to ask for. If it was, it would still do no harm to go back. A physio might help too.

There are lots of painkillers of one ilk or another. NSAIDS are, as the name suggests, anti-inflammatories. They ease the pain by reducing inflammation.

Noisybadger

Thanks again Loggiemod and Stickywicket for the answers. Yes this is a rheumatologist specialised as well in fibromyalgia who diagnosed me back in 2010, so I guess I could ask to be referred to him again, although again with the Covid situation I don't know how long it would take. But I feel it would be right to be properly diagnosed, it doesn't feel ok somehow to be treated for a condition without a diagnosis.

Stickywicket don't worry, I actually didn't express myself well when I said "more than prescribed", I meant differently than prescribed! I struggle with my concentration and have fibrofogs that means that I sometimes don't think straight, and if on top of that I am in pain that worsen the thought process. So apologies for that.

I know that NSAIDs are anti-inflammatory medications, and the fact I can't take them worry me as arthritis IS inflammation :(

But you gave me some hope, I think I will likely call back the GP tomorrow morning and explain the situation, suggest Gabapentin, ask about a referral to the rheumatologist who saw me for fibromyalgia.

Thanks again for the support!