I need to ask my PCP for a pain med to get me through my next try on killing bart. I gave up after intense pain for 5 weeks on Rifampin. It never let up. I have still not recovered. I felt like a knife was in my lower back and arthritis everywhere.
Any pain med recommendations?
Thanks!
Posted by Carol in PA (Member # 5338) on :
How about something to reduce inflammation, which should reduce the pain.
Systemic enzyme therapy Magnesium Pharmaceutical quality fish oil Turmeric
Tramadol/Ultram are low level narcotic like pain relievers.
Oxycodone is percoset w/o the aspirin so it's not as taxing on the liver, is effective but not recommended for long term use.
There is vicodin, and many others as well.
Also the suggestions above should be tried before going this route as they are highly addictive.
Posted by sutherngrl (Member # 16270) on :
Lyrica!
Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
i can't take ultram. the only thing i can take is vicodin. allergic to morphine.
never tried lyrica but i've heard both good and bad.
unfortunately, it's getting the docs to prescribe it.
Posted by sparkle7 (Member # 10397) on :
Oxycodone & vicodin help me alot. I don't find them to be addictive. There are studies that find that when people take pain meds like these for actual pain - the addiction rate is extremely low.
Tolerance may go up if you take them for a long time. If you need them to feel better & to function - it's not really addiction. Addiction is when you take them in large doses when you are well to get high - not when they alleviate pain so you can function.
There are alot of misconceptions about pain management.
Posted by jennie46 (Member # 20953) on :
quote:Originally posted by Carol in PA: How about something to reduce inflammation, which should reduce the pain.
Systemic enzyme therapy Magnesium Pharmaceutical quality fish oil Turmeric
I take all these except enzyme therapy. How much fish oil should I take? I also need to get a better quality.
Carol
Posted by trigal2 (Member # 20578) on :
It is a HUGE misconception to think that addiction cannot happen when taking narcotic pain meds as directed for pain relief. As a matter of fact that is how both addiction and dependancey usually begins.
While abuse may lead to addiction, addiction can also ocur with out abuse.
Abuse can still occur in people using narctics for pain relief. When this happens they find themselves reaching for more of the drug not necessarly to get "high" but to ward off the withdrawal or withdrawlal tolerance (going through withdrawal while still taking the med)
Some people - but not all- get addicted (psychological craving) and dependant (physiological craving)without knowing it is happening to them.
I am not saying don't take narcotic pain killers. Somtimes the pain is so bad we do need them on occaision.
What I am saying is be aware of the potential for some people to develop addiction and/or dependency and know the signs.
I my Clinical Psychology practice I have seen first hand what perscription drugs can do to people - well meaning people just seeking pain relief. TG
Posted by jennie46 (Member # 20953) on :
Lady at GNC told me bromelain would do the trick. What do you think?
I just need something on hand to take every few days, when I can no longer stand the pain. I just had 5 weeks of intense daily pain and can't tolerate that again.
I tool Ultram years ago for back pain. I took maybe twice a week.
Posted by purplemom (Member # 21064) on :
Please be sure to understand the difference between addiction and physiologic dependance.
Too many people undertreat pain due to a fear of addiction. Undertreated pain causes significant issues. I pretty much lost the use of my arms due to excruiciating chest pain that went untreated--as a results I had 6 months of physcial therapy to undo the resulting muscle tension. I was nearly bed ridden from the pain.
Physical dependance is NOT addiction. When your pain decreases you need to SLOWLY decrease you pain meds and not quit them cold turkey. This is the same thing you would do with some psychiatric meds like ativan and SSRI's (You can get serotonin discontinuation syndrome by decreasing some antidepressants too quickly) Yes, your body becomes physically dependant on the medication but this is NOT medically defined as addiction
Yes, presciption meds are the #1 abused medication. But keep in mind that many people use pain meds to effectively treat pain and improve the quality of their life.
Yes, there are other ways you need to treat pain as well--rest, hot baths, anti-inflammatories, stretching, physical therapy, massage but no one should ever not use pain meds when they need then out of fear.
Posted by merrygirl (Member # 12041) on :
taking tumeric. hasnt really done much.
Maybe see a pain management specialist to help you. I take oxycodone and fentanyl. but I also do accupuncture (which rocks) and physical therapy.
good luck
Posted by LightAtTheEnd (Member # 24065) on :
I know someone who was prescribed Percodan for a week or two after surgery, and was alarmed to still be having strong cravings for it two years later.
People should definitely treat their pain, but I don't think it's unreasonable to be concerned about the possible physical and mental consequences, and weigh the pros and cons, just as we worry about prevention of yeast and C. diff. with antibiotics.
Addiction and/or dependence can be overcome, if it comes to that, and their likelihood can be reduced by some precautions like not taking the med continuously, or using natural methods to reduce the amount of it needed.
Posted by Carol in PA (Member # 5338) on :
quote:Originally posted by jennie46: I take all these except enzyme therapy. How much fish oil should I take? I also need to get a better quality.
I am taking 3000 mg of fish oil daily. OmegaBrite is excellent. Omega 3 Mood is less expensive.
I'm using Wobenzym for enzyme therapy.
Carol
Posted by sixgoofykids (Member # 11141) on :
I herxed for six weeks on Levaquin for bart then felt better. I also needed pain meds to deal with zitromax.
I took Norco (same med as Vicodin, but less Tylenol, more hydrocodone) AND three Advil for pain. It's the only thing that would touch it.
Turmeric is great for everyday to try to keep down inflammation, but it wouldn't have touched the bart herx pain.
I did not start taking any pain meds until I considered it a 6 on a 10 scale (non-functional physically, constant pain, I considered a six), then I'd take 3 Advil. If it wasn't enough, then I'd take the Norco. I didn't try to eliminate pain with the meds, just tried to make it bearable. I simply stopped taking it when I didn't hurt anymore by using that method.
Posted by sparkle7 (Member # 10397) on :
There are many studies about addiction & pain treatments. The statistics are very low for addiction when you have a chronic pain situation. I have to say that purplemom stated the situation quite well when it comes to pain meds.
Perhaps the people who are addicts - would be addicts to other things, as well... It's just that they happened to come across pain meds. Just take a look at Tiger Woods...
In my opinion, there has been an unjustified assault against using pain meds. Some people really need them to function & have some kind of quality of life.
There are days that I could just lay around & not get out of bed if it wasn't for pain meds. How depressing is that? Not being able to function, think, move in bed all day...
So many doctors I saw were completely freaked out about giving me a pain med prescription. It's absurd... Yet, they practically threw Zoloft samples at me.
I was in pain - not depressed. Most doctors I have seen are not experienced in pain management. If you have serious pain & it limits your life - go see a pain management specialist or a doctor who is more well versed in how to deal with chronic pain.
There's no reason to suffer. I'm not saying don't go the natural route or take warm baths, do accupuncture, stretching, etc. but sometimes you really need some drugs to help get you through.
I tried all of the natural approaches & I really don't care for drugs. I would avoid all drugs if I could but chronic pain is very debilitating.