Safe amounts ?

Since I stopped taking Duloxetine I've been keeping the pain at bay by resorting to over the counter pain killers until I can get up enough nerve to go and tackle my new GP.

I try to manage the pain with heat pads most days but the last week I've had to resort to pain killers . For a few days I took 2 ibuprofen and 2 paracetemol ( not at the same time ! ) and that was enough to take the edge off things . Today however I've had to take a further 2 ibuprofen and I'm now worried I may have taken too many over the last week.

Anyone know how long it's safe to take these tablets for ? I know they aren't meant for long term pain relief but I thought it was OK if I stuck to the recommended daily amount , but Rich says you can only take them for 3 days .

xx

[floozy]

hi , i take 4,000 mg of paracetamol daily along with lots of other medication and have been told by more than one dr. that this is the maximum daily dose of paracetamol and im looking at taking them for life , hope their giving you some relief ?

[Hidden in reply to floozy]

I'm taking 1000 MG a day and have been the past week , but also up to 4 iburofen . GP originally told me I can take these 2 meds as long as there are 2 hours in between , so basically 2 paracetemol and then 2 hours later take 2 ibuprofen but she didn't say if it was safe to do that for more than a couple of days .

They are taking the edge off things ( I've got more than Fibro going on at the moment and am struggling to cope with both )

xx

[Hidden]

hi you really should go to see your GP you should not take more than 8 paracetamol aday i believe it is usually on the packet and it says on there if symptonds persist go to GP so come on pick up that phone now and book an appointment he/she is not going to hurt you and you may get a surprise and wish you had gonwe a while a go come on do it now no excuse is ther love to you and your next blog i want to see is seeing GP on ??? love to you diddle x

[Hidden]

I'm only taking 2 500 mg of paracetemol a day so I'm not exceeding the daily limit but I'm more wondering about the accumulative amount, whether it's safe to take 2 of the paracetemol per day longer term ( in my case the past 7 days )

I'm battling the agoraphobia at the moment diddle, not scared of seeing the GP, just unable to leave the house.

xx

[Hidden]

Hi Lynn,

GP said originally to leave 2 hours between paracetemol and Ibuprofen and it should be fine , that was a short term solution though so was wondering how long it's safe to do that for. I'm only taking 1000 MG of paracetemol a day but I'm being cautious because I know it can build up in the liver .

[LindseyMid]

I have been assurred by more than one pain consultant that paracetamol is safe long term as long as you never go over the limits of 1g in 4 hours and 4g in 24 hours. That is assuming that your liver is fine and that you have no other factors that could affect how your body deals with it.

Ibuprofen is risky to take long-term because the gastrointestinal side effects are very common and can be severe (gastritis, ulcers, etc). But how long you can take it without issue will vary from one person to the next.

It is worth remembering that paracetamol is best taken on an empty stomach, but ibuprofen should always be taken with or after food. That helps protect your stomach.

[Hidden]

Thanks Lindsey . it's quite strange that Ibuprofen is one of the few medicines that don't upset my stomach , considering just about everything else does.And also considering most things give me severe heartburn .

I used to take cocodamol , which was very effective for pain but didn't help my IBS as even in low amounts it made me very constipated .

I know I'm going to have to find the courage from somewhere to go and see the GP, but at the moment leaving the house isn't possible and although I could ask for a house visit , being as it's a new GP I would really prefer to see them in the surgery .

I feel a terrible coward for not being able to go

[LindseyMid]

Have you asked to get referred for CBT to help you combat the agoraphobia?

[Hidden]

I've had it Lindsey , helped short term . I've also had psychotherapy and hypnotherapy .

I've had the condition since I was a child , it comes and goes. I'm guessing because I've recently moved house and arranged my wedding, the extra stress has made it kick in.

[Hidden]

I wish I could stop catching the submit button before I've finished !

The court case concerning my ex plus some other niggly health problems haven't helped either . It will pass, it normally does.

Thank you though.

xx

[pottydog]

I use co-codamol 30/500 most days, usually 2 tablets twice a day but sometimes the full amount of 2 tablets up to 4 times in 24 hours, and I'll take the naproxsyn aswell. I've been reassured by GP this is safe, especially as I don't take the lot every day. I also suffer with IBS and the constipation, but I up my fruit intake, use fibrogel, drink plenty of water/herb teas, and eat dates daily. Usually works. I know my liver is ok as it's reguarly checked through blood tests and scans.

I don't think it's cowardly to be scared of going out, it's a big deal for you at the best of times and it doesn't sound like you're having anywhere near them right now.

I'm terrified of the dentist, my regular one retired recently and I had to get drugged up to my eyeballs just to meet the new one! I can make custard look white!

[Hidden]

Thank you so much pottydog, it's so great to know someone understands . That's why I love this site !

I've been fighting agoraphobia most of my life and most of the time I don't let it win, but after the last few weeks it seems to be beating me - for now.

Dentists * shudder * , I waited a year to have a wisdom tooth that was causing me pain taken out because the fear of the dentist was worse than the pain ! I've found one I'm comfortable with now and they are luckily just round the corner , the last one was miles away and the journey there was as scary as the actual treatment !

xx