Can anybody recommened effective Analgesia?

[NinaB]

My Mum is suffering severe pain in her hands and shoulders re RA. She is taking Tramadol which is very sedating and Paracetamol.

Last week she had an anti-inflammatory jab with nil effect.

[Beth58]

Hi NinaB, what a wonderful thoughtful daughter.

Sometimes the steroid jabs can take a few days to work. Sadly for some people they don't work at all.

Once she gets used to taking Tramadol the sedative effects won't be so bad, I've taken them daily for a long time now, although as I get a nights sleep (thanks to Amytriptyline and a glass of red wine), I can cope better with the pain during the day.

My GP gave me Nefopam to take with Tramadol but this is only for severe pain, sadly it turns me into a zombie. I've also found taking painkillers then soaking in a hot bath also helps ease the pain in my hips, spine and shoulders. although some people prefer cold packs it's a case of finding which works for you. Also, what a lot of people don't realise that exercise is a must to maintain mobility in the joint and keep the muscles strong otherwise they weaken very quickly.

Good luck, I hope you mum finds something which helps.

Beth x

[NinaB in reply to Beth58]

Thank You x

[helixhelix]

Hi there,

I've found that a combination of stretching, warm wheat packs and my pain medicine of the moment is the best for me. When pain is bad I do find that I need to take the painkillers at regular intervals so that they take full effect and keep painunder control. A lot of the pain management guidance advises that you take them at fixed intervals (rather than as & when you think you need it) so pain never has chance to get out of hand. And I usually take a mix of painkillers & anti-inflammatories - everyone's different but co-codamol & diclofenac works ok for me a lot of the time. There are lots of options so do make sure your mum talks this through with her doc to find the best for her. And goes back & asks again if it doesn't work. She can also ask to be referred to a pain management clinic as many areas now have these. Good luck.

[NinaB in reply to helixhelix]

Thank You x

[Hidden]

I imagine it is awful to watch as you will totally helpless. As said above the painkillers sometimes do work better if you take them regularly (I.e. diclofenac) however equally you want to know if there is anything else.

I find a really hot bath helps me, even if I do need some help getting in and out.

With the steroid injection (not sure if this is what the anti-inflammatory is) it can take a few days and for me the effects are fairly short lived (a few weeks), one thing taught me on my last injection - if it is into a joint, try to keep the joint as immobile as possible for 24-48 hours, otherwise the movement of the joint squeezes the steroids out. The first nurse who gave me injection never told me this and so as a result had no effect at all - I spent the next week bending as much as possible to see if it still hurt!

I don't find paracetamol hugely effective, but everyone is different. You can get with codeine (co-codamol) on prescription but don't think this can be taken long term.

If you have a good sports therapist near you, a massage can help, although does not get rid of the pain does relax the body a bit which can help, even just to get a good nights sleep.

Just having your support will be a massive help, although not an analgesic it helps a lot not to have additional stress. Hope it gets better soon x

[NinaB in reply to Hidden]

Thank You x

[Hidden]

Sorry just remembered I have just recently bought a paraffin wax bath for my hands, although you can't soak them in it, the heat does work wonders. They're about £20-25 on Amazon x

[Hidden]

I think the anti inflammatory jab that you describe was probably a steroid injection. this is quite different to anti inflammatory tablets though steroids do deal with inflammation.

Your mum would probably benefit as others have suggested from co-codamol which lies between in tramadol and paracetamol in effectiveness but less sedating than tramadol and a good anti inflammatory pain killer such as naproxen, diclofenac or arcoxia, her Gp should be able to help with this as he would know her full medical history.

Pain relief is quite a personal thing and some drugs dont suit certain people, medical history is important when choosing the most suitable ant inflammatory

[NinaB in reply to Hidden]

Thank You x

Mum is seeing the Rheumatology Nurse today so fingers crossed.