painkillers

[BossyB]

Hi everyone

I contacted my GP yesterday to ask for some strong painkillers to help me through my flares which seem to be 5 days out of 7 at the moment. As per my previous blog, i had massive flare in my ankle last week ending up at AnE..My GP did offer me codeine but it never touched the pain. So i had a teleconsult yesterday with another GP in my practice and she gave me Tramadol. Anyone using this as a painkiller, ive not taken any yet but hopefully they will help when i am flaring...

RA rocks!!!!!!!! yeh!!

[Philip]

Hi, Tramadol is a good painkiller but it doesn't work for everyone unfortunately, it is also something that you should take regularly to keep it in your system, it only works for me if the docs give me an injection lol , so typical. It can make people feel drowsy too but not everyone.

I hope the pains ease off very soon.

Philip

[watson3]

It is a strong pain killer, does however have side effect of nausea and headaches. There don't affect everyone, but they did effect me.

You can take them regularly as suggested on the instructions. As with all good pain killers, view should be taken regularly to maintain good pain control.

Good luck with them.

Carole

[anun]

Has anyone offered a steriod injection?, does not work straight away but when it kicks in it is good. I use it as a last resort measure and the Rheumy nurse can administer it for you.

[BossyB in reply to anun]

I had one two weeks ago and it has done nothing. Had them in the past and they were great but for some reason not this time.

[lisarob in reply to anun]

I have had injections, an infusion and injections straight into the joint, but unfortunately none of them have helped at all

[crinkle]

Hi everyone, I'm a new 'girl' (that's pushing it at my age!!) and this is my first ever blog!

I've had Seronegative RA for nearly 3 years and it's still not under control. I'm just waiting for NICE to appove my application for 'Biologic' drugs. So I've been trying all sorts of drugs with no luck and am now just on steroids and a low lose of methotrexate.

I also take Solpadol (Paracetamol and codeine) and I have also had good results with Gabapentin (Neurontin) for pain. I take both regularly as they are said to work better like that.

Anyway it might be worth considering Gabapentin for the future if you don't get on with the Tramadol, Debbie. I can't take NSAIDs as I have stomach problems too and so was prescribed the Gabapentin a year ago. I only take a low dose but can increase it if I need to.

Good luck Debbie.

Thanks for all the blogs, everyone - it's already made me feel less 'alone'.

Crinkle

[lisarob]

I take tramadol. When things are bad I take it with codine and paracetmol. I can make you itch, and makes me woolie headed. But it is worth a try

[earthwitch]

I didn't like the tramadol. Even just one tab made me feel really awful, though I get good pain relief from codeine, so I stick with that now. Everyone is different though.

Just be aware that until you get a bit used to that kind of pain relief, it can really knock you and make you feel quite drowsy at first, or impact on your ability to work. Definitely expect to "blob out" a bit the first time you take it. Usually after the first week or two the negative effects don't hit you anywhere near as much.

[Judi]

Hi, I've been on Tramadol for well over a year now and found it has helped whereas the codein based one did nothing. Also my chemist told me that paracetamol could also be taken at the same time as tramadol for greater effect.

I believe it can be prescribed in two types (1) those that you take twice a day - slow release or (2) those that you take 4 times a day (which is what I take).

The only problem I've had with tramadol has been (and please forgive me for seeming to lower the tone) constipation !! Got over this by eating 2 dried apricots and 2 dried prunes a day until it was sorted. (Punes and apricots were the cake making type). I didn't like the prunes but the apricots were ok.

I hope that the tramadol works for you

Judi

[caggy]

Hi Debs, Sorry only just read this one, but like everyone else on here, Tramadol really works for me too, but I only take it when all else fails and it sounds like all else has failed in your case. I had 2 steroid injections (the rear end sort) in 3 months and now only take paracetamol and occasionally ibuprofen, I've tried lots like Celebrex, Naproxen, Codiene but all these tend to put my BP up. but now I'm up to 20mg MTX the pain is easing anyway. Hope you find something that works for you soon, if not already.

Carol

[Sailaway]

My GP recently gave me Celebrex to try (it's an NSAID which isn't so hard on the stomach, but isn't suitable for everyone). It really works well for me alongside MTX and Cimzia, my mobility is better and I have less stiffness and pain generally.

NB: It's not suitable for everyone so if the GP doesn't want to prescribe it then it's for your safety, but it's worth asking about.

I found that paracetamol helps a little, codeine doesn't do enough to warrant the sleepiness etc, I can't take other NSAIDs & aspirin based painkillers, tramadol and diazepam are both horrible to take and don't do anything about the pain, they just make me fly! So Celebrex has been a great find.

I really hope you find something that suits you.