Hopefully, living with CLL doesn't bring with it much in the way of additional pain, but undeniably, there are times when we do appreciate having access to painkillers, perhaps due to more frequent infections or from the side effects from treatment or even a bad bone marrow biopsy experience. Plus we are all getting to the age where wear and tear can result in us looking for pain relief. If you frequently take painkillers, in particular ibuprofen - commonly sold under the brand names Nurofen and Advil, then you'll find this article by Ian Musgrave, Senior lecturer in Pharmacology, University of Adelaide, Australia enlightening, plus it may help you work out the best compromise between pain management and protecting your digestive system:
Great article. I was stopped by my doc from taking acetaminophen and NSAIDs. The NSAIDs were bad for platelets and kidneys and acetaminophen is bad for the liver. Of course this is now while I'm in a clinical trial with idelalisib and BR.
He prescribed OxyCodone because it doesn't have either of these other drugs. If I need something, which is rare, I take 1/4 of a 5mg tab and it works. He's amazed that such a small dose works but I take it sparingly and am a light weight.
It was difficult to fill though due to all the abusers. The only place that would fill the RX was the hospital.
Thanks Jeff and Neil! My internist and oncologist told me to only take ibuprofen as a last resort. Having celiac disease as well as CLL has made my GI tract ultra sensitive to any OTC pain relief.
Related research into how our brains perceive pain and how a better understanding of that can help us better manage pain - hopefully with less reliance on drugs:
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