PAINKILLERS OR NOT?

All painkillers carry their own problems and it is about balancing risks/side effects against the need to lead as normal and pain-free a life as possible.

I never take NSAIDs as I get stomach pain and heartburn; I used proton pump inhibitor to counteract this and finished up with lots of little polyps in my stomach. Opiates (codeine and its friends) make me woozy and constipated and, as others have said, can become addictive and require a period of adjustment if you stop them. Paracetamol is only effective with mild pain; and is very toxic indeed in overdose, but entirely safe if taken as instructed.

So - no problem free options to be had. It is a matter of making choices. It is also important to be clear about which painkillers can and cannot be taken in conjunction with each other. It is easy to make a mistake with this if you are taking drugs from the GP and also over the counter. If you do buy OTC it is good to tell the pharmacist what you are taking and ask if your planned purchase will mix safely with it.

DH has had both his hips replaced and I was amazed how quickly he got over the ops. It's important to follow all the advice and do the excercises but if I ever have to have mine done I won't hesitate.

Pleased I do not have any problems with my hips as I cannot take either Ibuprofen or Cocodamol. Both affect my breathing. I do have back pain much of the time, but I'll put up with that.

Everything that Pompa said , I won't hesitate to have my second hip replaced when the pain gets too bad.. it really was such a relief to be free of that grinding constant pain instantly when my first hip was replaced.. I've not regretted if for one second.

I had my hip replaced several years ago. If I need another, I would have no concern about having it done. Following the op, I was in pain for a couple of weeks but that reduced over about 4 weeks to a level that did not require pain relief. I was walking on crutches immediately and could walk quite a distance within a few weeks (mile or more). I was able to drive after 6 weeks. I would say it was 5/6 months before I was 90% fit and able to do everything I needed to do. After 10/12 months I had forgotten that I had a replaced hip. There are restrictions early on that you must observe to ensure it does not dislocate, but they are easy enough to follow, I give no thought to that at all now, and have more movement than the good hip.

Oh, dear. It's all very confusing, isn't it? I've been told I can have a hip replacement (well, go on the list for one) when I feel I need to but that state of affairs 'could be years away' according to my GP. However, my hip is a good bit worse now than it was 6 months ago so I can see a hip replacement on the horizon. Would others recommend that? I have heard a hip replacement can leave you feeling worse!

I take Ibuprofen for the pain in my left hip. I have to take them with food otherwise I burp something rotten. Needless to say I only take them when absolutely necessary.

pompa I did not like the side effects listed either.

Our GP has taken as many patients as possible off diclofenac (we both had them on repeat prescription), so we no longer take them. I must say I am feeling it somewhat, especially with walking when my knees are painful.
Occasionally I will take Nurofen for joint paint, but have noticed that, if I do, I then get a small blood vessel which may start to be painful in my fingers or palm of my hand, sometimes resulting in a little bruise. So I am very reluctant to take them any more.

I was prescribed Omeprazole to combat the stomach cramps I had when withdrawing from opiates, I only took them for a few days,but I didn't like the side effects listed with them.

No, as you say, bags. It is an opiate and I can't tolerate it. Ibuprofen, however, is a NSAID.

Sorry, anno, crossed posts.

I don't think co-codamol is an NSAID.

I attribute a lot of my problems to long-term use of an anti-inflammatory, Diclofenac, which seems to have affected my stomach in several ways. So if you have a NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) prescribed, ask your GP if you should also have a proton pump inhibitor with it (like Omeprazole) to counteract increased stomach acid production.

Ibuprofen and aspirin work in a different way from the paracetamol and codiene in co-codamol. You can actually take co-codamol and one of the others. I have done for years with my GP's blessing. Don't take anything else containing paracetamol though.

Ibuprofen doesn't work for everyone.

All of the nsaid's have that side effect. There must be a reason why ibu is the only one sold otc.

I wouldn't advocate taking it day in, day out, for any length of time. Paracetamol would be better if that were necessary. But, of course, paracetamol cannot reduce inflammation.

When I requested a repeat prescription for Ibruprofen (for a recent cracked rib) I was told that I should be taking a "stomach protectant" as well as Ibruprofen could cause stomach ulcers

Ibuprofen has some nasty side effects, especially if taken with other common drugs. My Dr. would not prescribe me ibuprofen because of the potential stomach damage.

I wouldn't want to go any stronger than ibuprofen. I found it worked just as well as co codamol, without the side effects.

I'm in the same position with a long standing knee problem. I use Ibuprofen. Others have said go and get anti inflammatories from the GP.

I'd second the advice not to use CoCodamol if you can help it. Some people find Paracetamol ok though I think that can damage your liver if you take it regularly for too long. I think different people find different painkillers suit their physiology.

Do you take things like fish oil? I think that helps with arthritis and joint problems and there are herbal supplements you can try like Devils Claw. There's a list here www.arthritistoday.org/arthritis-treatment/natural-and-alternative-treatments/supplements-and-herbs/supplement-guide/

The other thing I do is try to have days off taking painkillers. So if I'm doing an activity like your badminton, I might take painkillers on the day and the day after to counteract inflammation and pain and then I'll try to have a couple of days with no painkillers to let my liver and system recoup. Hope that helps. Great to keep moving while we can!

I was only on 8x co codamol per day for about 8 weeks, very surprised how bad the withdrawal was, and still is, it can take many weeks for the brain to get back to normal. I would be very wary about ever taking them again.
If your hip is bad enough to need constant pain relief, you really should talk to your Dr. about a replacement. Never regretted having mine replaced, got more movement in the replaced one than the good (?) one.

I punched a hole through my stomach with taking too many painkillers, and would dearly love a hip replacement (not allowed around here until I am 60) so am interested as to why you haven't chosen to have one. I have had problems for some years now, I took diclofenac/naproxen for ten years and was told they would have no side effects. I'm only allowed the odd ibuprofen as an occasional treat! They give me dreadful heartburn now so at least I get warning.

Lots of excellent advice NotTooOld I would suffer if it were not for my anti-inflammatories I wasn't happy having to take them at first but I am so grateful for the relief they give me I take prescribed Naproxen. Keep playing while you can, have you discussed a hip replacement with your GP?

Hi, Pompa. My GP did warn me about that and I've read the instruction leaflet. Definitely something to guard against. Thank you.

Just be careful if you use co-codamol. See my posts on other threads regarding the withdrawal problems I had.