Which painkillers lower platelets?

[vepiskop]

One of the symptoms of my CLL is joint stiffness and sore joints and I need to take painkillers. My platelets are low and I cannot take aspirin or NSAID because they are haemolytic i.e interfere with blood clotting. Does anybody know whether paracetamol and codeine phosphate lower platelets? I would be grateful if you share your experience with painkillers while exhibiting CLL symptoms.

[Parramatta]

Hello vepiskop, I too have cll related pain in feet and legs. I take paracetamol with codeine, my cll Dr.

says it's ok as long as I make sure I don't take any more than is allowed. I take 4 per day as well as

2 slow release paracetamol tablets. For about 3 years now my platelets range from 110,000 to

150,000. I hope this is of some help to you.

[vepiskop]

Many thanks for tis helpful and fast reply. Take good care

[Dave3579]

This is a really interesting subject for me because I went to the doctors yesterday complaining of stiff fingers and had almost convinced myself I had rheumatoid arthritis . The doctor/GP who I trust and is very experienced assured me that I did not. is there actual evidence that CLL has effects on joints? in my case I have a high white blood count, any advice on this appreciated. I was trying to assume that stiff joints are one thing and CLL is something else and not to try and tie the 2 things together even though both diseases are auto immune related.

[AussieNeil Administrator in reply to Dave3579]

Read the pinned post 'How high can you go and what does it matter' for information on how we are relatively free of complications from high white blood counts compared to other leukaemias. Auto-immune complications of course are a different issue and highly individual.

healthunlocked.com/cllsuppo...

[Cllcanada Top Poster CURE Hero]

All kinds of things inhibit platelets, you might be surprised... this is an informative article

asheducationbook.hematology...

[Berrytog]

A very interesting subject on which the jury is out in my case. I have a lot of cramp in feet legs and hands or is it something else? Since starting treatment my cramp and joint pain has got a lot worse to the extent that I have to resort to pain killers but they have little effect. Tramodol does help a little with my hips but not with my shoulders, the pain there seems more in the bone and keeps me awake at night which ever way I lay. I have reported all this to my trial doctors as I am asked to but they say it is nothing to do with CLL or my treatment with Ibrutinib, however I remain unconvinced. I do have a hip problem my right leg now being an inch and a half shorter than my left due to erosion of the joint necessitating two sticks to walk but the shoulders started with treatment and my cramps/rheumatism have been around for awhile generally at night, every night then nothing for two weeks. My platelet level despite every other level improving remains at the bottom end of normal.

[hammyj]

So nice to hear of other people with the same issues. I have joint pain (it comes and goes), but can’t take ibuprofen as I have a platelet count of 60,000. Are there other mild painkillers other than paracetamol?