Pain meds

Do you take them? If so, what?, and how often? I have terrible joint pain and body/muscle aches. It makes me miserable.

I don't know why my signature with my current medications won't show up. I'll try again. :) I don't ever feel "normal." There are just times that are better than others. Even if I only have to go 1-2 times per day, there's always blood. I take percocet sometimes, but I don't know how often I can safely take it and I hate asking for it. It does help me function though if I'm having bad joint pain and body aches. I'm wondering what other people take or what they do to manage pain. Regular tylenol does nothing for me.

Micky3270 said...
Do you take them? If so, what?, and how often? I have terrible joint pain and body/muscle aches. It makes me miserable.

I have similar issues and I have struggled with this as well. I cant take the normal pain killers.

What does work:
**Extra strength acetaminophen 1000 - 1500mg - It takes the edge off of my joint pain but it is hardly the perfect solution as it can cause my acid reflux to act up if I take it too often.
**Hydrocodone - 1-2 tablets - Works great.. if you have the luxury of going to bed directly after taking them.
**Liquid form of Glucosamine/Chondroitin/MSM/ - 2x dose. A single dose is ok and takes several days to really feel the results. When I take a double dose, I really feel the results within an hour. Absolutely the best solution to joint problems I have found so far.

I am still looking for a better solution though.

It seems crazy to me that taking just 600mg of Advil work better at killing the pain than my liquid supplement solution. Intestinal bleeding is not an acceptable side effect so it isn't a good option.

Tramadol with one extra strength Tylenol works for my mild/moderate pain. Every 6-8 hrs if needed. I have a form of arthritis as well as UC and Chronic Pancreatitis so pain is a real part of my daily life.
I take Vicodin, one every 4-6 hrs but only if I'm miserable as its pretty addicting and can really slow your gut down, which might not be a bad thing when we are flaring. I am totally alcohol free and I'm an ex-smoker.
I went gluten free and that has helped my joint pain a ton, but its slow and it takes weeks before your
joint pain diminishes and you have to really stick with it to make a difference but boy, did it make a HUGE difference for
my joint pain. My joint pain was really bad for about a year, and the last 3-4 months of being seriously gluten free and the pain is about 90% gone, even when I'm flaring in my gut!!
I take hot epsom salt baths. VERY helpful and cheap. I also use hot packs or ice packs on super painful spots.
I also have found that ATIVAN, which is an anti anxiety drug, really potentiates the effects of narcotics.

So, what that means is, when I'm really hurting and anxious, if I take a Vicodin(usually only one) AND a small dose of Ativan,
I get a greater relief from my severe pain. I'm stoned and can't drive, but I can rest deeply and we all need that.
Its again, addicting, but when you are in horrible pain, you gotta do something!!

My UC doctor here at the U of MN in the Twin Cities says that Valium (specifically) can really help some folks with rectal pain when we are flaring. I agree. He has me on Lialda daily, Prednisone 10mg. daily for my current UC flare.

I also do a whole bunch of supplements daily and acupuncture once a week.
Good luck and let me know what helps as I'm always interested in what people are doing that really makes a difference.