Arthritis and what's best

I was prescribed Voltarol, or officially, Diclofenac under the name of Arthrotec, when it was first introduced. It helped my very painful elbow and I continued to take it when I had a painful shoulder, and an arthritic hip. It turned out that I should have been prescribed Omeprazole or equivalent to protect my stomach and now I have several complaints that could be traced back to long-time use of diclofenac.
So please be warned crazyH and be sure to ask your GP about the risks.

You can buy Voltarol without a prescription.
I use it to soothe postviral pain/itch from shingles in my left ear and head.
But will heed your warning about long-term use, annodomini.

Fennel

You can buy Voltarol without a prescription.
I use it to soothe postviral pain/itch from shingles in my left ear and head.
But will heed your warning about long-term use, annodomini.

You can buy the gel over the counter but not tablets.

From a Government website:

Diclofenac is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug used to treat pain and inflammation. Diclofenac tablets must no longer be sold to anyone without a prescription.
22 January 2015

^When prescribing or dispensing diclofenac, consider that^:

^oral diclofenac must not be sold without prescription
a recall has been issued for non-prescription diclofenac
the prescribing advice for diclofenac was updated in June 2013^
topical formulations of diclofenac (eg gel and cream) remain available for sale over the counter

Callistemon21

Fennel

You can buy Voltarol without a prescription.
I use it to soothe postviral pain/itch from shingles in my left ear and head.
But will heed your warning about long-term use, annodomini.

You can buy the gel over the counter but not tablets.

From a Government website:

Diclofenac is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug used to treat pain and inflammation. Diclofenac tablets must no longer be sold to anyone without a prescription.
22 January 2015

^When prescribing or dispensing diclofenac, consider that^:

^oral diclofenac must not be sold without prescription
a recall has been issued for non-prescription diclofenac
the prescribing advice for diclofenac was updated in June 2013^
^topical formulations of diclofenac (eg gel and cream) remain available for sale over the counter^

My late husband ended up with an internal bleed caused by Diclofenac tablets prescribed by the hospital, to treat spinal arthritis. I remember his GP saying if he had his way, he would ban them as they caused more problems than they solved. If it’s of any interest to anyone, although Voltarol can be bought over the counter in gel form, there is a stronger version of the gel only available on prescription. I think most anti inflammatories are really not designed for long term use. I have rheumatoid arthritis and a swollen, painful knee joint as a result. I’ve been prescribed Naproxen with Omeprazole but the advice is only to take it for a few days at a time to reduce inflammation and then have a break from it.

One GP has prescribed 2 weeks worth in the past but now they just advise paracetamol only.

That's the problem, isn't it, one drug which works well may cause unrelated problems.

I’m waiting for my second hip replacement, and I find that if I forget to take this daily, I suffer more. I have a repeat prescription for Naproxen, but I try not to take it because, even with Omeprazole, it affects my stomach.

I do take magnesium sometimes as it alleviates cramp but DD recommended turmeric too
Thanks Missingmoominmama

I have had one hip replaced and now my knees are troublesome. Previously I had used Voltatol gel very freely and found it helped a lot. But now I have been advised against that, as since the hip op, I have been diagnosed with heart problems. Flexiseq is ok to use, but quite expensive as you need to use a lot each time.