Painkiller

[versa2508]

What are the best painkillers.Tried tramadol n has a bad effect on me.Looking for things inbetween paracetamol n tramadol worth a try.

[momander]

Hi Versa 2508,

None of us are allowed to give medical advice here I am afraid. I think the best thing you can do is aske your GP. You do not say what the condition is or what the pain killer is for? depending on this, will affect what pain killer you are advised to try

[magdolna in reply to momander]

If it is nerve pain like after a SAH which is what i had, I was eventually given amitrityline which worked a treat for the pain in my leg specifically. Good luck!

[versa2508 in reply to magdolna]

is amitrityline a tab or liquid ?

[paxo05]

Hi, as has been said we cant give medical advice. Even if we could and even if we knew what your pain was we are each different and what works for one may not work for all.

This may not seem helpful but the best person to help would be your gp or consultant.

Good luck in finding a solution,

Pax

[moo196]

I swapped my tramadol for 10mg amitriptyline.

[versa2508 in reply to moo196]

how did you find that ?

[moo196 in reply to versa2508]

it works well for me.... as long as I take it before 7.30pm.

plus I cut out diet coke and everything else with artificial sweeteners in.

Coming off tramadol - even after only 4 weeks - was horrible and hard. but I managed it knowing the bad side effects on me.

[Skallagrigg]

tramadol never worked for me but doctor gave me something else which worked better, cant remember what it was called ,back the dos is best answer

[Pairofboots]

Something I learned when training is pain is experienced, and it is felt to the degree that the patient reports it. As others have said it is individual, it also depends on the cause. Tramadol, along with other opiate pain killers are great for short term use, they often cause problems if used for a long time. It is worth discussing your needs with the GP or pharmacist, they can give you specific advice. I know opiates fill me with dread, as I know that for more than a couple of days, the side effects are worse than the actual cause. NSAID can be useful, and sometimes a combination maybe effective, sometimes other classes of medication can be used for specific types of pain. These are often met with some trepidation as they are psychotropic, they won't suddenly changed you and make you change personality.

I hope this helps 🍀

[versa2508 in reply to Pairofboots]

tramadol defo doesnt have a nice effect on me.whats ssri ?

[Pairofboots in reply to versa2508]

Oops, forget the SSRI, brain fiz, wrong group of meds. Hence why always check with Dr or pharmacist. I should have said Non Steroidol Antiinflammatory Drugs, (NSAID) , like ibrufen, there are a few in this class that may help, these have to be taken with food as they can be damaging to the stomach, other adjuncts may be required. This is why we try to avoid specifics recommendations, we can get it wrong, I will edit the original response to reflect this.

[Writeronstack]

Hi Versa 2508,

I'm with the people who say 'ask your GP'.

I had the same problem, and was hesitating. But when I did ask (not after the brain injury) I was given one new option which made me wobbly (initially and very briefly on tramadol which was a definite no-no) and it was changed to something which I took in addition to the paracetamol, which worked really well. So, a dialogue with your GP is really where you'll find the answer - they have the experience of looking at many people with many intolerances - and will sometimes let you combine two drugs. But it is not for anyone not qualified to say, really. They also followed up after a week, to see if I was still needing to take it. So worth talking to them.

[versa2508 in reply to Writeronstack]

why was tramadol a no for you ?

[Writeronstack in reply to versa2508]

oh, I remember that it made me feel a bit woozy.. and somewhat unsteady on my feet. Nearly fell down the stairs. On the other hand, it relieved the pain fine.

[versa2508 in reply to Writeronstack]

ive tried some cocodamol on top of paracetamol was it that ?

[Writeronstack]

no, it wasn't - and it was a while back, so I can't really recall - sorry.

[Leaf100]

Hi Versa

One thing people haven't mentioned is speaking to your paharmacist. It is their specialty and they will understand interactions between all and any medications you are on and even some foods and supplements. They can even track what you have tried that gave you issues and put that into the mix.

Depending on the type of pain they may be able to recommend or compound some sort of topical for you.

They can consult with your doctor if needed.

If you decide to try complimentary alternatives, such as those that might be suggested by a naturopath, pharmacists can also tell you how those might interact.

There are some treatments that do not involve taking tablets, such as accupuncture, massage therapy, physiotherapy, getting better sleep, etc.

Some areas also have pain clinics that specialize.

Here in Canada where I live they also have a treatment called various things, it is often called trigger point injection. What they do is inject a saline or sugar solution into the muscle areas that hurt and somehow it releases - muscles evidently contract when we are in pain making it worse. One of the trademarked names here is Myotherapy, I mention it because here they are often run by doctors and accessible by your doctor's referal - and which you can look up and discuss with your doctor to see if is something suitable for you.

(I did quite a bit of this and it really helped, though mine was through a naturopathic office.)

There are other complimentary therapies such as Hellerwork or Bowen Therapy. Sometimes the cost is covered but sometimes not.

Always check first to make sure whatever you try is suitable, and only try one at a time and take notes so you know what is actually working.

My aim here is not to give medical advice, just to let you know there are options that are not drugs that your doctor may be ok referring you to if you think they fit your situation.

And don't forget to have a chat with Headway.

(As I say I don't live in the UK but I have found never hurts to ask around and also ask the right sort of questions - for example asking about medications for pain is specific and asking 'what might help? Or, is there a trigger point therapy clinic nearby and do you think it would be ok for me to try? Or, do you know of any supportive treatments that might help with this? Or, is there a pain clinic and would it be an idea for me to try it? )

Docs can be pretty busy and don't know what you might be receptive to so sometimes bringing it up yourself can get the conversation started.

I do hope I haven't overstepped the website guidelines.

Leaf

[versa2508 in reply to Leaf100]

what other options you aware of for pain other than a painkiller ?

[Leaf100 in reply to versa2508]

the things I talked about in my answer

[versa2508 in reply to Leaf100]

what was that

[Leaf100 in reply to versa2508]

You seem to be looking for options that come in pills.

What I talked about were options that do not come in pills.

My understanding was that is what you wanted. If not, no worries.

All pain killers that come in pills make you constipated, and long term are hard on your kidneys, and make your eyes and mouth dry. Dry mouth leads to dental problems, such as massive amounts of cavities. Dry eyes can impair your vision if not treated. Using drops such as Hi Lo can help your eyes, and spry such as a xylitol one can help your dry mouth - this info is from my pharmacist - check with yours, just don't take my word for it.

If you are looking for a pill, you are looking for another pain killer. There are a few.

Basically, most things that kill pain that come in a pill cause the above - it has to do with how pain killers work.

When you need something, you need something - so do check with your doc and pharmacist - for example inflammation can cause pain and so you might need an anti inflammatory - so other options are something your doctor and pharmacist can advise based on knowing your medical history.

I have experienced a lot of pain, and lots of different types of pain, and not many drugs work the way they are supposed to for me. (I have a feeling that is true for a lot of people.)

So, I thought I'd share some of the other options I have tried.

[versa2508 in reply to Leaf100]

if not a pill whats your answer to killing pain ? My main aches n pains are head/skull due to having gone through brain operations.

[versa2508 in reply to Leaf100]

i have the hylotear for eyes pretty good.had femtolasik in prague quite recently maybe should be applying that more.

[Leaf100]

Do you have a case manager at a brain injury association or someone to help you through Headway?

Take what I wrote maybe to them and ask if any of that is right for you.

Also ask what pain is and how it happens.

For example, pain can cause our muscles to tighten, and tight muscles cause more pain. So, if you can get the muscles to relax you get some relief.

Also ask your doctor about P.E.A. - not the vegetable, but a supplement - it is a clinically studied supplement that helps with inflammation - here is a link - the actual word is a tongue twister.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

Do keep talking to your medical people, there are things out there.

My goal is to provide you some ideas to bring up with your medical people, and to show you there may be other things to try than just more pills.

Whether they are ok for you or not will be decided by your medical people.

Take care.

[versa2508 in reply to Leaf100]

thank you.

[versa2508 in reply to Leaf100]

is heaway the best for me to try n get some help ? How do you contact them ?

[Leaf100]

0808 800 2244 or [e-mail]

Yes, try headway

If there are other places near you they can tell you if you live in the uk

[versa2508 in reply to Leaf100]

what kinda things do headway do to support ?

[Leaf100 in reply to versa2508]

phone and talk to them, I don't really know for sure - I don't live in the UK and I have never spoken to them