I’m wondering what is the safest pain medicine to take. My mom has gotten into the habit of taking Tylenol 700mg twice a day.
She gets pain in her shoulder from a bad disc that can’t be operated on and also pain in her arm and fingers.
I’ve read Tylenol inhibits your liver from making glutathione and ibuprofen increases heart attack risk.
So I’m not sure what to have her take?
If the acetaminophen is helping her she should continue taking it with 2 supplements: silymarin/Milk thistle and Nacetyl cysteine.
The herb Milk thistle has been used for liver ailments for hundreds of years but there is a catch. For its major active component to be effective it needs to be standardized to 80% concentration. The following article also states its hepatoprotective/liver protecting effect:
"Because absorption of silymarin from the gastrointestinal tract is only moderate
(23-47%), it is best administered as a standardized extract of 70-80 percent silymarin."
e-lactancia.org/media/paper...
I am a believer in the AND school of supplements, meaning, it has to have some evidence that it may also good for PD:
Silymarin promotes longevity and alleviates Parkinson’s associated pathologies in Caenorhabditis elegans
sciencedirect.com/science/a...
Secondly, when someone has an OD on acetaminophen they are injected with N-acetylcysteine which is well known on this site.
N-acetylcysteine/NAC and the liver:
Acetylcysteine for Acetaminophen Overdose
poisoncontrol.utah.edu/news...
N-acetylcysteine and PD:
N-acetylcysteine Helps Ease Motor, Cognitive Problems in PD, Study Reports
parkinsonsnewstoday.com/201...
Milk thistle/silymarin is a safe supplement and its only possible conflict is in the CP450 liver enzymes and it has been tested with tuberculosis antibiotics and shown not to effect the metabolism of the antibiotics.
A randomly chosen silymarin supplement: jarrow.com/product/367/Milk...
NAC can cause stomach upset - GERD, and can be taken with food (or on an empty stomach). NAC usually comes in 600 mg capsules.
Pharmaceutical grade NAC: gnc.com/nac/217942.html?mrk...
Thank you!
I will look into getting her both supplements.
You may find both in the same tablet.
This one has both...
Liver Supplement with Milk Thistle, NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine), Dandelion Root, Picrorhiza, 7 Other Liver Detoxifiers for Superior Liver Detox/Liver Cleanse - 60 Liver Pills amazon.com/dp/B07L9KJMKY/re...
Do any of these supplements interfere with Carbidopa levodopa?
If the acetaminophen is helping her she should continue taking it with 2 supplements: silymarin/Milk thistle and Nacetyl cysteine.
The herb Milk thistle has been used for liver ailments for hundreds of years but there is a catch. For its major active component to be effective it needs to be standardized to 80% concentration. The following article also states its hepatoprotective/liver protecting effect:
"Because absorption of silymarin from the gastrointestinal tract is only moderate
(23-47%), it is best administered as a standardized extract of 70-80 percent silymarin."
e-lactancia.org/media/paper...
I am a believer in the AND school of supplements, meaning, it has to have some evidence that it may also good for PD:
Silymarin promotes longevity and alleviates Parkinson’s associated pathologies in Caenorhabditis elegans
sciencedirect.com/science/a...
Secondly, when someone has an OD on acetaminophen they are injected with N-acetylcysteine which is well known on this site.
N-acetylcysteine/NAC and the liver:
Acetylcysteine for Acetaminophen Overdose
poisoncontrol.utah.edu/news...
N-acetylcysteine and PD:
N-acetylcysteine Helps Ease Motor, Cognitive Problems in PD, Study Reports
parkinsonsnewstoday.com/201...
Milk thistle/silymarin is a safe supplement and its only possible conflict is in the CP450 liver enzymes and it has been tested with tuberculosis antibiotics and shown not to effect the metabolism of the antibiotics.
A randomly chosen silymarin supplement: jarrow.com/product/367/Milk...
NAC can cause stomach upset - GERD, and can be taken with food (or on an empty stomach). NAC usually comes in 600 mg capsules.
Pharmaceutical grade NAC: gnc.com/nac/217942.html?mrk...
Leylaleyla,
Magnesium chloride oil, commonly referred to as mag oil (MO) is very effective at easing shoulder pain and is applied topically and is readily absorbed through the skin. It is also good for relieving arthritis pain and it tends to relax the muscles helping to increase range of motion. It can also help relieve a stiff neck. It is not expensive and because it is so well absorbed through the skin, it adds to your total magnesium intake which is good because most of us are not getting enough magnesium from food. Just spray it on and get relief in less than 5 minutes. It doesn't get much safer than this! Some forum members use it to good effect. It is also effective for relieving muscle cramps in the arms or legs. More recently I have found that it can help you get to sleep when applied before bed to the chest and back of the neck or at least it does for me. This will avoid the multiple problems associated with long term use of NSAIDS such as ibuprofen, naproxen and aspirin.
Here is a link to an inexpensive 8 ounce spray bottle that will last quite awhile for around $10.
amazon.com/Magnesium-Oil-Sp...
Here is a post I have written on how magnesium is useful for people with PD :
healthunlocked.com/parkinso....
Art
Thank you.
My mom uses Theraworx magnesium foam every night on her feet and calves. I’ll suggest she try it on her shoulder.
I have bought her the oil in the past but it gets to messy for her to use.
The Theraworks is a good homeopathic form of magnesiun sulfate that feels much better on the skin than regular MO. Yes, definitely she should try it on her shoulder!
Here is a tip when using regular MO to make it feel better on the skin. If the pain returns after hours, instead of applying more MO, just rub plain water onto the skin where the MO was originally applied and the pain should go away again unless you have taken a shower to wash it off of your skin.
Please come back and let us know if MO or Theraworks helps her shoulder! This feedback will help other forum members!
Art
My liver can't metabolize tylenol. But if I end up having it in my meds mix, I always take plenty of NAC to limit liver damage. This is what they do in tylenol overdose cases. I think tylenol is better suited to sore throats and fever than muscle issues. Ibuprofen at the true therapeutic dose helps me a lot. That dosage is 2x the recommended dosage on the bottle. I try to take it with food.
Why would Tylenol be I. Your drug mix if you cannot metabolise it? A drug that cannot be metabolised cannot work!
I've been a Parky 7 years. I take so much medication, I try to keep it at a minimum. I've been smoking Cannabis for years. In addition to the Parkinson's symptoms it relieves, I have to taken ANY Non Steroidal (IE Tylenol, Aspirin, etc. Cannabis is good foe inflammation, and THCV is the new CBD.
First, a general discussion in this link from a reputable consumer publication about acetominophen/Tylenol:
health.harvard.edu/pain/ace...
Next: Since she uses what sounds to me as a minimum of 1500 mg a day and perhaps in more in any 24 hour period, I suggest that first if she's going to stay with it have a wide ranging liver panel done and an endocrinologist or internist establish her current liver health. You can screw up your liver from too much or too chronic a use of Tylenol and you cannot live without your liver, or someone else's transplanted into you. Ever had dialysis? No? Have a chat with someone condemned to it 3 times a week. Then decide that a healthy liver is the only way to prevent it by being careful about chronic high dose Tylenol.
Tylenol became popular long ago when McNeil was smart enough to give it away to hospitals and then to market it by saying it was the most used by hospitals (true, because the hospitals got it free and could charge anywhere up to $15-20 per pill in the 1970s, so of course they did so). Great marketing job.
I have seen several study summaries (summaries) that suggest that NSAIDS (non steroidal anti-inflammatories, e.g., acetominophen, aspirin, ibuprofen) are just about as effective as opioids and far less dangerous, but of those NSAIDS, first you must know their different main effectiveness and their side effects and match them to your entire medical condition, because they are different in their main effects and also their side effects. If you are on blood thinner drugs, it may be dangerous to use aspirin and ibuprophen...if you have clotting problems or atherosclerosis, you want to have more slippery blood platelets so you can prevent clots that will give you heart attacks and strokes, so you will actually want aspirin. And so on and so forth. Aspirin reduces temperature and is very effective at pain control, and ibuprophen is very effective for pain control, and yes ibu can irritate or exacerbate stomach issues, so consult a health professional first.
So you have to have an informed context of your overall medical condition and then ask a medical professional.
If you are in an area that allows for people to use medical marijuana you can see a doctor for approval to use it for pain management; or recreational marijuana if legal, in which case you can just go buy some for the specific ingredients that control pain rather than getting you high.
When it comes to supplements, it matters just what complaint the pain control is for, and because supplements require no real studies for safety nor effectiveness and have no controls or standards for manufacturing purity nor controls on potentially toxic fillers and "non-active" ingredients or adulterants to save money nor for whether the use is to be episodic or chronic, it is a jungle out there of much gambling. This would include NAC without definitive studies on safety and effectiveness and the manufacturing source; unfortunately not very many people are equipped to effectively find and competently consume research and so separating wheat from chaff is pretty difficult; so tread with great care, maybe it works miracles, and maybe it will kill you dead, not unlike the uninformed use of high dose chronic Tylenol. At your own risk entirely. Dont expect ethics from drug makers or supplement makers.
It seems her pain may be inflammatory, so in that case I recommend she tries turmeric AND curcumin pills, if not Theracurmin (highest absorption, but pricey). I add organic turmeric powder in food along with copious amount of black pepper (pipeline), especially on fried eggs (fat enhances absorption). Curcumin is one of the best anti-inflammatory you can take and it helps the body in so many ways, including treating/preventing cancer.
Long term Tylenol intake is devastating to the liver, NSAIDS are horrible for the kidneys, heart, etc... and I can't recommend any pharma med for long term safe intake.
You should concentrate on her lowering inflammation more naturally, including eliminating sugar, complex carbs and highly processed foods. Exercise can help as well, and if she's thiamine deficient (as many are), she could experience persistent painful lactic acidosis so trying high dose B1 hcl (passive diffusion) or Benfortiamine or Allithimine may help with mediating anti-infllamatory effects. Adding a good methyl b-complex always helps with higher intake of any B, and adding a good magnesium supplement in various forms (glycinate, l-threonate, taurate, malate, etc) is good for sleep and muscle relaxant on top of being a co-factor for B1 to do its job.
Painful toes due to Parkinson’s 
C/L induced dyskinesia - severe wrist pain 
Misery 
Is anyone else dealing with plantar fasciitis in either or both feet along with PD?
