Pain relief : Hi ladies, What painkillers... - Endometriosis UK

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Pain relief

Catlover93 profile image
15 Replies

Hi ladies,

What painkillers/medication do you feel best works for you? I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle with my doctor at the moment as he says my pain is to complex to manage. As you all know when your in pain you'll do or take anything to numb the pain and they just don't get that.

Thanks in advance,

Lots of love

Xxx

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Catlover93 profile image
Catlover93
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15 Replies
me08 profile image
me08

I know what you mean and I have had sleeplessness for the past 48hrs as a result of being in pain. At the moment, I take 1000mg of paracetamol, 400mg of Ibruprofen and 60mg of Codeine all together everytime the pain comes (if I'm in the office I do not take the codeine).

I am not taking anything stronger as I am ttc but the endo pain is real!!! Sometimes like as I am typing this message I wish there's a button to press and stop it all :(

Mollie97 profile image
Mollie97

Hello, I am very much in the same boat at the minute!

My doctor prescribes me Tramadol and a drug called Mefanamic Acid. They don't take the pain away but it at least takes the edge off. I also find the easiest way to be comfy is lay on my side with a pillow under the bottom of my back and music helps to take my mind off it as I know a lot of it can be physiological!

Hope this helps and you are better soon!

Xxx

zeezeeba profile image
zeezeeba in reply to Mollie97

I agree with psychological.. When my back is in pain.. My partner punches it for me just so I can focus on a diff pain lol.. Works for me ;-)

angelpie12 profile image
angelpie12

After my laparoscopy I found codeine took the edge off a bit. I started prostap injections this month in prep for IVF and found that I've had no pain! It's amazing! I know it won't be suitable for everyone but it's working for me xx

TheresaM profile image
TheresaM

Currently, I am on lowest dose of long acting morpheine.

With short acting morpheine for when needed.

But I know I would be foggy and in pain on higher levels of morpheine if it wasn't for lots of trials and errors of non- narcotics. I know this as I was on much higher doses of many other narcotics, sometimes makeing me foggy while still being in severe pain.

I found Cyclobenzaprine / Flexeril (prescription muscle relaxant) to be a really big help. It surpised my doctors by how much it helped.

Also Nabilone/Cesemet, not just for nausea, but for its anti-inflammatory and many other medical long words that just means it helps in many ways. Also, since takeing it regularly, my surgery dates are now further apart as I don't end up back in pain as fast.

Clonazepam. You were not probably not expecting that one, but it calms your nervous system. I am one of the small percentage that react really well to it, and not like a zombie. So no usual side effects, more the oposite actually. But it does work realy well for some people.

Naproxen, I don't take as much of this as I used to. I found that haveing to take it on a regular basis made me have to take other medications to deal with the severe stomach pain it eventually causes. I do take it occasionally, and it does help as it's an inti-inflammatory, but Nabilone works better and has fewer side effects.

My sister has endo also. But her pain isn't as bad and doesn't have an insanely high tolerance that I do to narcotics.

So she used to take Tramadol as her mild to medium pain med, codeine for medium to bad, and oxy for severe. But when we added the cyclobenzaprine her meds to take she was able to cut out oxy compleatly, and the Tramadol. Now she just takes Codeine with the Cyclobenzaprine and Nabilone when her pain is horrible.

Fentanyl is a pain med that comes in a patch (or lollipop) and is usually a good go to for severe pain, but I am allergic, so I can't take it. But when I did try it, it did help the pain a lot, it was the allergy part that was the problem.

Avoid caffeine. I know you probably have been told that. But I found that even just one can of cola that has caffeine in it can make my next endo pain attack extreamly severe where it would be just moderately uncomfortable if I had not had any caffeine.

Also, its not just caffeine within or around the bad endo pain time that affected it, caffeine even a month before seems to make the next attack, whenever it is, worse. (Pain and food diary helped me find that pattern.)

Ginger Tea. It is like the tylenol + gravol of the plant world. It works well enough that I now hate the taste of it after drinking so much of it over the years.

Just make sure it is ginger tea, not ginger flavored tea. You can make it from Ginger root (grocery store veggie section) cut it into slices, drop them in boiling water. Wait until you can stand the taste, and add sweetener. And remove the ginger slices as it will keep getting stronger if you dont.

Otherwise, lots of water, magnesium supplements (helps with muscle cramps), and a heatpack, and or coldpack.

Hormone meds.

I hate most of them. The only one that realy helped me was depo-provera. For a few years, until it wasnt effective enough anymore.

Others like depo-lupron were helpful for reducing incidents of pain, but the side effects became worse than the pain.

I am about to start yet another new ( to me) hormone medication tomorrow. Unfortunately the hormone meds will always get insisted upon by doctors.

But I figure its a trade off; the doctor picks out a med to try, then I pick one.

And back and forth until something actually helps me more than it hurts me.

And the doctors are more willing to let me try a medication I suggest if I am willing to alternate or suppliment it with one they pick out.

I hope that helps.

Isa74 profile image
Isa74

I take DEXKEPROFEN TROMETAMOL. My GP does not even know about it but it is widely known and used in Spain as Enantyum (and sold over the counter, whereas here you need a prescription). The thee meds you take do absolutely nothing for me. Alternatively, BUSCAPINA COMPOSITUM, but unfortunately you cannot get this one in UK (I buy it in Spain). If you or someone you know travels to Spain and gets it for you it's worth a try. I have had endo for 27 years in 4 different countries so I have tried lots of meds...

It depends on the severity to be honest; if it's what I call 'normal' pain (what others may call bad period pains) I use co-codamol (30/500mg), if it's a little more severe then I use a combination of tramadol (50mg) and naproxen (250mg). When it gets to the point I can't really walk, move, etc. then I down two large tablespoons of oramorph (morphine). These combination normally work though every now again it seems nothing seems to work, not even when I use the above drugs AND sit in a very hot bath to try and relax the muscles. I also find that sometimes with the spasm pain, it helps to take buscopan (50mg).

Hope that helps!

slaccie98 profile image
slaccie98

I'd ask for a referral to a pain management clinic. I take 100mg gabapentin daily. I take paracetamol, Naproxen when it flares up with heat pads on belly and back with a tens machine on my leg.

I also have massage and reflexology every month to help with the pain and to destress.

NW248 profile image
NW248

This acupressure point is good for pain anywhere but particularly for gynaecological pain. Never to be used in pregnancy as it induces labour. I would also suggest using it in the day before your period is due because the reason it induces labour is because it helps the uterus open up to let things out.

old.tcmwiki.com/wiki/li4

Tboag profile image
Tboag

I take 12 hour release morphin 10-30 mg depending on what type of day I'm having, and a sickness tablet,

X

applebird profile image
applebird

Hey I found taking a combination of tramadol, paracetamol and codeine best.

Took something every 2hrs I.e.

8am - tramadol 100mg, paracetamol 1000mg

10am - codeine (30-60mg)

12 noon tramadol/paracetamol

2pm - codeine

Etc.

Meant my last dose of tramadol was 8pm, last dose codeine 10pm. You can switch doses up or down and try different combinations. I found paracetamol helped the tramadol to work better. Obvs this would be useful for any combo of 2 painkillers or more - would advise having a notebook to write down times/drugs taken until you get used to the routine as when you're drugged up it can get confusing!!

Cyclizine helped with nausea, buscopan with cramps - though peppermint tea has done wonders for that. Endo diet and acupuncture also great.

Avoid NSAIDs for long term use, it can cause major stomach/bowel problems/pain, so you essentially end up feeding your own pain and with serious complications.

Yazza profile image
Yazza

I take dydracodiene as co-codamol made me feel sick! It's the same type of pain relief but it metabolised differently by the body.

I also found that a tens belt helped massively (brought from boots) as it works by disrupting the pain signals to the brain and works well.

Good luck Sharon x

Hi really weird but I have tried everything diclofenac codamol paracetamol etc . One day my sister suggested ginger fresh sliced in hot water with lemon and honey . It worked ! Just a thought . I do hope you start to feel better very soon honey . Take care x

JellyKat profile image
JellyKat

When in work, I take paracetamol interspersed with mefanamic acid or naproxen. When not at work, I take 30/500 cocodamol instead of paracetamol.

I tried tramadol for a while but it took the edge off, but severely loosened my tongue (not good with the stressful atmosphere I work, I really struggled to not say what I was thinking, plus I struggled to concentrate).

I use a heat pad under my desk and have a TENS machine which helps a bit to disrupt the pain signals a bit.

I use ginger for the nausea.

I had contemplated asking the GP for some antidepressants to alter the brains perception of the pain - I'd done this before when I had joint pain - but it stopped working after six weeks, so the gp doubled the dose, then it's effectiveness wore off another six weeks later...

Spoke to a lady at Endometriosis UK who suggested asking my GP if they have any pain management clinics... there's gotta be a better solution to just taking drugs this often...

Littlebob1 profile image
Littlebob1

I'm on Memfamic Acid, take them 3 times a day 2 days before my period, then during I take Memfamic plus 30g co-codomol but last time they didn't work, so borrowed my husbands dyhydracodine. They worked a treat with Memfamic acid - but also sent me to sleep! 😆

Went to the doc to ask for something stronger than Memfamic and co codomol and got told that's "my only option...."

I was so mad. Off to see the private doctor to get some real advice. The pain is so awful, I get sick, my thighs ache, and I'm in absolute agony. This is really the most awful thing to have 😞

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