Pain relief

mikey1963
mikey1963 Member Posts: 7
in Living with arthritis

Hi, I have severe osteoarthritis and spurs in both knees and am in constant pain, much like everyone else here, I’m guessing. My doc has prescribed naproxen and co-codamol which don’t really touch the pain to be fair. The doc won’t send me to a specialist as they say I’m too fat and they won’t do anything until I have lost sufficient weight, which I am trying to do but it doesn’t happen over night. Is there any other pain relief that I can be prescribed by my GP in the interim? Without some additional pain relief my activity levels remain low, hindering further weight loss, my version of catch 22. Any help much appreciated. PS I have tried turmeric etc to no real benefit.

thanks, Mike.

Comments

  • jonr
    jonr Member Posts: 425

    Hi Mike,

    It's a bit of a vicious circle I know, you can't exercise or do physio because it hurts too much so pain management is key. My guess is your GP isn't inclined to go any further, I'm on Naproxen and Omeprazole but have to to buy my co-codemol from the Pharmacy because my GP refuses to prescribe it. Turmeric is more of an anti-inflammatory than a pain killer and it's not always effective for everyone anyway.

    There is some good info on the website about pain relief but I can recommend the following: a TENS machine, CBD capsules, FlexiSeq gel, Hemp cream, Diclofenac gel and Capsaicin cream. The latter really needs to be prescribed but many GP's won't due to cost in which case it is available on eBay if you have deep pockets. Most if not all of these things are available from good pharmacies and you should seek advice before trying these as some can be an irritant and there may be complications if you are taking any other medicine.

  • Baloo
    Baloo Member Posts: 527

    Yes. A huge dollop of patience is needed with these catch 22's. I believe I am right in saying the body can find ways round things. Im fairly certain for example that I have read osteophytes (bone spurs) can eventually stabilise a loose joint, so its not necessarily all bad news, just some bad news, and a very good reason to keep moving. But you are right, it's a guess. I'm waiting for some news on my knee X-ray to see what the doctor/physio says about mine.

    Meanwhile I am going to the gym and found I can press up to 40 reps of 40 kg in the leg press, which is a lot more liberating than trying to get out of a chair or off the loo, where I have to press my full 90kg of weight, and only be able to do it once.

  • mikey1963
    mikey1963 Member Posts: 7

    Sound advice from both of you, many thanks, I will begin some investigations and I’ll let you know how I get on.

    thank you.

  • MaureenB
    MaureenB Member Posts: 29

    Hi I have had both hips replaced. I would recommend a TENS machine ( you can get these from LLoyds and they do a wireless version which is useful for walking and exercising out of the home). They don't work for everyone so if you can borrow one to try, that's a good idea. I used mine with rechargeable batteries which cuts down on running costs. Best of all you can't overdose on a TENS machine so can use it as much as you like. Capsaicin cream worked well for me. You can buy a big tube of the strong version in Greece from pharmacies for about EU16 and its manufactured in Greece so its the real thing. Look it up on the BNF website which is the Uk site for approved drugs as there are certain things you need to be aware of before use. Its more expensive than eg paracetamol and also there were shortages of it in the UK, which is why I think its not prescribed often. I did an online search and found a useful leaflet from an NHS trust which led me to adding the cream to some body moisturiser to reduce the strength

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