After having a med review with my GP things were going good. I was able to start using Naproxen again after being given Omeprazole and Codeine and had a good balance with them. Yesterday was a bad day, chest pains, bad indigestion. Stopped taking the Naproxen and hey presto the chest pain stopped. However this morning, wow! Not had pain like this for a while. My Dr has now stopped the Naproxen and said she doesn't advise taking anti inflammatories. Great! Just what I needed to hear. I thought I was doing really well and had stopped using my crutch. One step forward, 2 steps back I guess!
Does any one have any suggestions, experienced the same situation has a different anti inflammatory they use without the side effects? Any advice would be appreciated. I'm going to try Turmeric and see how that goes. My Rheumy doesn't have a problem with it, so I guess it won't hurt.
Thanks all,
Andy
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I struggle with anti inflammatories and painkillers. I have been given Etoplan (etodolac) which is slow release. I wouldn't say they work very well for me. I find an ice pack is more effective and faster. Steroid tablets also work like a dream, however, I'm not keen on taking them. I juice fresh ginger root and drink that as a shot almost everyday, or add it to juice. I tried turmeric tablets but didn't really feel as though they worked. I also tried ground turmeric drunk as a paste from a shot glass, with added pinch of black pepper as this helps turmeric be absorbed faster. It appeared to work for me and is not harmful. I prefer anything natural if I can.
If I'm hurting and my belly feeling bruised and bashed and uncomfortable, and the family are not that good at 'preparing' my 'natural remedies' I resort to dissolvable anti-inflammatories like Meltlets and dissolvable paracetamol or blends. These seem to be kinder on the stomach and i don't feel so sick.
I need to find what's right for me. It helps if my GP's had any clue! I have read others posts and they rave about steroids. I had them when my knee initially flared up first time before diagnosis and I needed to travel some distance in a car. Ive had an injection which was excellent but orally since I've found them to be pretty useless with pain. I feel like I have the most useless Dr's ever to work in a practice! Other than the one I've mentioned in another thread.
Did he explain why, was because of the chest pain or the indigestion or maybe both? If it's chest pain that may be because it's known NSAIDs can cause cardio issues, chest pain may flag up warming signs but it could be related to the indigestion, a full cardiovascular check would determine. If it's because of indigestion you may just need a change or increase in your ppi (stomach protector). Either way just stopping your NSAID without recommending an alternative or suggesting checking why isn't ideal.
I've been prescribed quite a few different NSAIDs including naproxen but etoricoxib (Arcoxia) suits me best. When my Rheumy reinstated it after a Registrar stopped me taking it daily all my Rheumy said was needed was a CV check to make sure I was ok to continue taking it. My Practice nurse performed it & I'm now back to taking it daily. Have you discussed your GP's withdrawal of them & possible alternatives with your Rheumy?
I've not tried turmeric though we have used it in cooking if we're low on saffron, I've heard others take it though.
I've had no mention of CV tests or any other anti inflammatories that I could take. I was told to double the PPI for a week and drop back down after a week and continue to take. I was told to double the steroids in the mean time to compensate for the naproxen. I don't think it works if I'm honest. I'm so stiff and aching in the morning it's unreal. I don't feel comfortable until at least midday, and by then I've taken a large dose of codeine. I'm pretty fed up with it all at the moment. When I was taking the AI I was a 7/10 I'm now lucky to feel better than a 3. Most of the practice Dr's doesn't seem to understand RA at all and I'm finding my self suggesting pain relief based on what others have said! The only that does works 2 days a week and getting appt with her is like striking oil in you back garden! The turmeric thing lasted 2 days! I can only describe the side effect as having a spicy tummy ha ha it was weird, but I don't know if that was due to the AI reaction. I will leave it for a while and try again. Ive suffered massively since stopping the naproxen. My Rheumy appt isn't until the end of March and I've spoken to the nurse that wasn't much better than the Dr!
Yes, you see not all NSAIDs work the same & whilst it works for some naproxen did nothing for me. When I was diagnosed celecoxib & nabumetone formed part of my initial treatment, they became less helpful so I tried meloxicam, again got used to it (!). Since 2011 I've been on etoricoxib, except for the hiatus when the Registrar considered I'd been on it too long & stopped it without checking if only was ok to continue on it or 'allowing' me an alternative. This works well for me & as I routinely have an annual CV check in theory any issues which could be caused by etoricoxib should flag up.
I have a similar problem with my GP, she's popular too & is well versed in pain relief but it's her I'm registered with so to a degree I'm willing to hold off for an appointment with her. I can usually have an appointment with a couple of days though.
GP's unfortunately aren't that clued up on RD (though mine has a better understanding now), but there's only so much being general practitioners we can expect them to know I think, it is a specialised condition after all. You may find booking an appointment to see your Rheumy nurse more productive than trying to discuss your pain relief over the phone, you certainly can't be left with nothing until your appointment. At least if you're seen they'll see it's apparent the doubling up of steroids isn't compensating for the lack of naproxen.
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