Naproxen for fracture pain

[Snowybear]

I think I’ve had another fracture in lower back. GP referred me for urgent X-ray which takes 2 weeks. Paracetamol and Ibuprofen not doing much for pain and I’m extremely sore and stiff. Try to keep moving as sitting doesn’t do it any good at all. I’ve been prescribed Naproxen and Omeprazole and not started as worried about side effects. Can’t take co-codamol. Does anyone have experience of Naproxen? Thanks!

[MWZ3]

Two weeks for an urgent X-ray? Urgent should mean immediate! I’m in Australia and urgent would mean that day unless in a remote area.

[Snowybear in reply to MWZ3]

The last place I lived the GP would send you straight to the local community hospital, but near a big town now and have to get appt. My friend is waiting for an appt after an urgent referral to heart specialist thirteen months ago and appt has just been delayed!

[MWZ3 in reply to Snowybear]

Oh my goodness, what’s going on! Heart emergency brings the ambulance straight away. Yet they can’t organise a heart check. I, not long ago, had one and it was immediate.

[Mavary in reply to Snowybear]

I was supposed to have a heart scan four or five years ago. I’m still waiting. I’m sill here so it can’t be that bad.

[Danni54 in reply to MWZ3]

Just to add that I went to my Dr. in agony from 2 wedge fracture's which I've now had for 3 year's with a scan showing Osteoporosis. I have had no help , support or medication and had an appointment with our Physio who sent me for an urgent Xray. I got the results yesterday 2 week's and 3 days after the Xray! Apparently they can take 5 - 6 weeks to come through because they are being outsourced to India, Australia etc.! I live in Scotland! BTW ....I didn't even know that our Surgery had a Physio despite having been begging for help. The Xray has shown chronic inflammation at the fracture sight. I don't understand why or what that means for me and wrote a post yesterday , I just know that the pain I'm in is unbearable and my leg's are numb etc. So, 2 week's for an urgent Xray in Britain is par for the course. The NHS is broken and I'm so sad for all of us including NHS workers.

[Snowybear in reply to Danni54]

It’s getting worse, it seems. GP referred me to local hospital re worn out hip as newly moved here so couldn’t keep appt near old home. I’ve now had a letter to say I might be sent an appt letter in September. What a waste of postage in the NHS.

[Fruitandnutcase]

in 2021 I flew through the air backwards while getting up of the ground. Total agony! To cut a very long story short I had fractured my sacrum. There had been a takeover at my local surgery and a GP I had never heard of and who certainly didn’t know anything about me fobbed me off told me it was ‘probably just a touch of osteoarthritis, quite common at your age’. I was so incensed I went to A&E and saw the GP based there. He was good and thought sacroiliitis although it wasn’t but he prescribed Naproxen. Can’t remember the dose, no omeprazole. I found it really helpfu..

Once I had an MRI - paid for privately and organised by a physio, also paid for privately) I was prescribed more naproxen at a higher strength again I can’t remember how much, plus omeprazole.

Boy did it affect my gut. My heart raced and I had the worst ever diarrhoea. The GP who prescribed it said to stop the naproxen and double up on the omeprazol which I did, problems continued until I just stopped the omeprazole.

The first lot of naproxen was fine so who knows what it was about the second lot and I wouldn’t take imepraxole again, I suspect at my age I have low stomach acid although I’m not sure whether or not that was the problem.

[Lunasgran in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

I was prescribed Naproxen for back pain (turned out to be a fracture) and it did nothing at all to relieve the pain.

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to Lunasgran]

I suppose it must be how your body reacts to different meds and also what your pain threshold is like. When I stopped the naproxen the second time I just moved onto paracetamol and for a little while ibuprofen. After the second and stronger prescription of naproxen I wouldn’t want take it again.

To be honest I’m 75 and one way or another apart from osteoporosis my spine is a bit of a mess, I’d say my body has been well used (and probably abused).

I also bought myself a PEMF mat ( they were much cheaper back then) and lay on it morning and night. I think that made a huge difference, so the mat, gentle exercise, building up my walking and back to Pilates plus a couple of paracetamol every now and again sorted me out.

[Snowybear in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

I seem ok with them so far, but back still very sore! Thanks for replying

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to Snowybear]

Hope they kick in and help, I found the first lot really good, I wonder if it was the ‘tummy protector’ not ti mention the stronger dise that the second doctor made things worse, things weren’t good until I stopped them.

[One-Blue-Lady in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

The omprazol has nothing to do with osteoporosis it’s for acid reflux which is too much acid in the stomach. I took it for about five years and think it was the cause of osteoporosis because it stopped my body absorbing calcium from my diet. Naproxen is strong, my doctor won’t prescribe it so I use codeine.

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to One-Blue-Lady]

No I know it wasn’t for the osteoporosis - it was prescribed as my GP quaintly put it as a ‘tummy protector’ because of the Naproxen, however unfortunately as you say PPIs are one of the things that can have a negative effect on your bones. Same thing with steroids, they also have a negative effect on your bones. Total nightmare isn’t it.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl....

[One-Blue-Lady in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Getting old is hard, my mum told me years ago, ‘Don’t get old June it’s hell’, the NHS wasn’t as bad then either!

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to One-Blue-Lady]

Your mum would be shocked now. No, as they say ‘growing old is not for softies’ and I’m not all that old and I’d say I’m reasonably fit.

[Lunasgran]

The first time I took Naproxen for arthritis it helped a lot. I have osteoporosis and arthritis in my spine and like yours, it’s a mess. Before my hip replacement last year, the consultant told me that my spine was a mess! Not very encouraging but nice to have confirmation of what I’d long suspected. I’m trying a mixture of paracetamol and exercises and think that’s helping a bit. At least I’m doing something to help myself.

[Snowybear in reply to Lunasgran]

I think I’m getting enough exercise as I’ve just moved house - think that’s probably the cause tho’ been v careful. This isn’t helping the hip pain either as I need a new one of them too! Just need to get unpacked and settled first. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[ROSModerator Partner]

Hi Snowybear,

Thank you for taking the time to come on and share as it sounds like it’s been a really difficult time with the pain and stiffness you’ve mentioned you’re experiencing. We just wanted to drop by to let you know that we have lots of information on our website that you might find helpful, including information about pain relieving drugs after fractures: strwebprdmedia.blob.core.wi...

And lots of other information (including videos) about osteoporosis: theros.org.uk/information-a...

We hope you find the support you're looking for within our community and are wishing you all the very best,

ROS Moderator

[beckyiswell]

Naproxen is the only thing that helps me with a bad headache, but it doesn't touch fracture pain.

Naproxen thins the bones as well.

[Snowybear in reply to beckyiswell]

Hard to know what to do for best. I know from the last one, which was much more painful at night than this, that it will take a good while. This is difficult as hard to lift FurBaby into car and she can’t jump! I think I’ve given up worrying about what is good or bad for bones. Tried to do so many things over years to be healthy and not been very successful.

[beckyiswell in reply to Snowybear]

The only thing that helped me when I was fractured was hydrocodone.

I hear ya, about not worrying about what thins the bones anymore. I've gotten to taking naproxen again for when I've got a bad headache. Just so tired of being in pain.

So sorry about dealing with your fur baby.

Hope your fracture heals quickly.

[TeddyandCocoa]

I have some experience with Naproxen. I fractured my L3 in January.. The pain got so severe that I could no longer stand or even sit. MRI showed not only a compression fracture but a vertical fracture (split in half) in the L3 as well as several bulging discs in lower spine. This accounts for the severe pain. My spine MD didn't believe in bracing (most spine MD's do). Just said not to bend or twist until fracture healed which was about three months.

Spine MD gave me 2 emergency epidurals for the intense pain and that brought down the pain levels. Within 3 days, the epidurals kicked in and then I continued on the Naproxen which worked quite well for me. I also used 5% Lidocaine patches. It took pain level down to an 3-5 which for me which was tolerable compared to what it was before. I always took the Naproxen on a full stomach otherwise I'd risk serious stomach problems. So hang in there. Try to keep moving if you could and avoid bending and twisting your torso.

[Snowybear in reply to TeddyandCocoa]

Thanks for sharing that. I’m coping ok with Naproxen - no adverse effects and pain is manageable - more so than with first fracture and not getting the awful spasms in my back at night I had last time. I’m keeping quite active with having just moved and unpacking - very carefully! Certainly doesn’t help to sit a lot - do a bit then rest it a bit. Think I’ll have bungalow sorted by Christmas and present speed!

[Purplegrey44]

Hi I've taken Naproxen for years & I've been fine just make sure u take omeprozole

[Snowybear in reply to Purplegrey44]

Thanks! So far so good….

[Sleeplessinlife]

I never found naproxen helped me, and codiene I can only tolerate at the lowest dose. My gp just gave me yet another anti inflamm....meloxicam...but it's no help either. Sitting is worse for me too. I can walk for 20 to 30 mins, then lying down gives me most relief. I'm working it out on my I own really!

[Snowybear in reply to Sleeplessinlife]

Can’t work out what helps best either - just takes time and is improving on own, i think