Pain Relief

[superannie]

Hi all, I have been taking solpadol for the last three years for pain relief. I suffer with spondylothesis and degenerative arthritis in the spine. I went to see my GP and asked for something stronger as I am in constant pain. He has given me Tramadol/hydrochoride/paracetamol 37.5mg. One to be taken 3 times daily. I did tell him that I had a bad reaction to Tramadol a few years back but he said this is a low dose and  I should try it. I am not happy and wondered if anyone has used this before?

[Hidden]

Hi , I've taken Tramadol a few years ago but after taking it for a long time I had a bad reaction from it and had to come off it.  If I remember rightly it was very good for pain but made me constantly drowsy. I was on a high dose so I don't know whether that had any part to play.  Let me know how you get on.  Jan x

[superannie in reply to Hidden]

Hi I am going to see the other GP at the same surgery on Monday and see what he says. I will let you know the outcome. Thanks.

[southernbeau33]

That seems a very low dose of tramadol (to me) - are you going from 2 solphodol 4 times a day to this dose of tramadol? If so you might not find this is a strong enough dose, and if you've had a bad reaction to it in the past I would definitely get that second opinion first. That said, different drugs affect people in different ways, and tramadol has a slight antidepressant action which codeine doesn't. This can make a difference too as you still have the pain but don't care!xx

[Sheryl4659]

Hi superannie, I have taken Tramadol for over 23 years now, I currently take 200mg twice daily but it is the slow release version, I started on 50 mg 4 times a day but I used to get a big hit for about an hour or so then no relief at all, I was also going through a bad patch at the time so take anti depressents, the combination is a good one.

hope you get sorted its not good when you cant get meds right and sometimes the side effects of drugs can be worse than the initial problem.

sending you big hugs Sheryl x

[CreakyBea]

Hi! I take Solpadol and/or Co-Codomol for pain relief with pregablin.  I tried Tramadol and left me hallucinating and having nightmares...would not take it again...

Hope it suits you.

Regards

CreakyBea

[superannie in reply to CreakyBea]

Hi, am going to GP on Friday. Going to ask him for something else rather than the tramadol. I have booked with another GP at the same surgery. If I get no results from this visit I am thinking of changing to another surgery in the area. Cannot go on with this constant pain anymore. It is ruining my life. Thanks for all the replies. Ann xx

[linlow]

superannie how did your appointment go?  I hope you came away feeling it was a success.

Have you been offered anything other than painkillers?  Have you been to or discussed any pain management therapy?  Acupuncture? Physiotherapy? Cortisone injections? Cranial therapy? Diet?  I can vouch for all of those things working (they'll not realign your vertebrae but they have all helped me cope with pain, from arthritis and right through the spectrum, at various stages).

If you haven't, then go back.  You need more support than just painkillers.

[superannie in reply to linlow]

Hi, thanks for the info. I did not take the Tramadol as I was very wary of another bad reaction. The G.P. has put me on 10mg MST Continus, morphine. twice daily, every 12 hours. I have been told to top up with two paracetamol for breakthrough pain. I would have expected for the morphine to have relieved the pain on it's own. I see him again next Friday and he will increase the dose if necessary. I have been living with really bad pain for at least two of the last painful ten years. I wasn't eager to go down the morphine route. If they can help me in that I am better with mobility and can start going swimming and finding a yoga class. another thing I would like to try. Then I will be in a better place. Thanks for your reply. Ann.

[linlow in reply to superannie]

Fingers crossed that they do.

Personally, like you, I am wary of painkillers, I think that they often do more harm than good.  But there are times when there is no other option and if morphine puts you on the road to getting your life back then it is what you need at this moment.  If it doesn't then that is a different matter.

If you have the pain under control when you go back to see him, ask your GP for a referral to physio to look at a core stability regimen.  This will strengthen the muscles that deal with your spine giving it more support, which may help reduce some of the issues you have.

Swimming is a great way to exercise your joints, what with the water taking the load off and all that.  Have you looked at pilates or tai chi at all?  They are both excellent gentle regimen for increasing mobility without putting too much pressure on your body to perform.

I was progressively more and more crippled with arthritis for 9 years before finding, by pure accident, that cutting meat out reversed all the damage.  I had a friend, also with arthritis, who was wheelchair bound, she cured hers by 'going organic' and taking loads of supplements (minerals, vitamins and what have you).  None of which would make a blind bit of difference to your spondylolisthesis but I just thought I'd mention why I suggested diet.  Certain acid foods will increase pain, some alkaline ones will decrease it.

Best of luck

[superannie]

Hi, I have got to the stage where a wheelchair is on my list. Scary to say the least. I have just turned 60 and have had this condition for the last ten years. I have been to a physio but she more or less stated that I was wasting my time coming for follow up treatment as she didn't think I would see any improvement. I am very interested in Tai Chi especially now summer is on the way. This is why I need to be more mobile as I will have to go out of the area I live in to find a class. Hopefully in a park. Nothing going on around me. Thanks for your interest and I am  also going to look into my diet. Thank goodness for google. Just can't sit at the computer for too long! Catch 22 ! Ann

[linlow in reply to superannie]

Don't give up yet.  As I said, I had a friend who was in a wheelchair.  Her condition had deteriorated so far she was curled up in a foetal position and needed 24/7 care.  We ended up playing squash together after we had both sorted ourselves out.

When I turned vege I had got to the point where I struggled to lift my foot from the brake to the accelerator in the car - and crying your eyes out isn't really conducive to safe driving   That wasn't the reason I did it but the unexpected relief was the reason I stayed that way.  You might take a look at LCHF as an alternative.  It has helped a lot of people with their pain management.

Don't take your experience with one physio as the end of the road in that direction.  Core stability training is definitely an area that might help.  If there are no tai chi classes near you there are lots of videos on youtube and plenty on dvd too - if you feel you could manage without a trainer.

Have you tried epsom salts baths?  If you have the facilities it might be worth a go too.  On which point, have you had your vitamin and mineral levels checked?  It is  most likely that you will be within range but you need to know if you have any at too high a level.  'Within range' usually means that you have enough to get by on providing you don't have any problems.  If you have problems (which you do) 'within range' possibly isn't good enough.  They might be another route to go down.  Whatever the results, there are a number that can directly effect pain - look up 'vitamins & minerals for pain management'.

I got myself a laptop so I didn't have to spend long periods sat hunched over a desk   A friend resorted to a tablet so he could browse whilst lounging on his sofa in front of the telly!  Either might be a better option for you to avoid the sitting, though they can be bad habit forming.

Ahh!! I nearly forgot.  Have you heard of diaphragmatic breathing at all?  As babies deep breathing comes naturally but life stresses teach us bad habits and just about all of us end up just using the top portion of our lungs.  This restricts the amount of air (oxygen) available and promotes poor health.  Take a look at websites like this one selfication.com/how-to-brea... or on youtube youtube.com/watch?v=fKhgOle...(Not working as expected?) (other youtube videos are available).  They too can help with pain management.

Sorry if I am overwhelming you with ideas, I just have to get them out whilst they come to mind

[superannie]

Lots for me to have a look into. Thanks so much. I will keep you updated on my progress. xx

[linlow in reply to superannie]

yes, sorry about that.  Being at this distance it is difficult for me to know what to mention because I don't know what you might have tried so I hope it wasn't all too overwhelming.  After my last missive I thought of another one I should have mentioned but thought, by then, I had gone on long enough.

When you manage to get through that lot, if you have any energy left 😉, remind me to go into the multiplicitous benefits of kefir and its connection to pain relief.

Do let me know how you get on.  Apart from anything else sharing a pain and having a jolly good moan can sometimes help with tolerating it.