I have been diagnosed with a trapped nerve in my back what anti inflammatory can i take whilst waitng for tretment currently taking nothing

[jennyspringer]

[Hidden]

Has your GP not given you anything? What one person takes is not possibly the treatment for you as anti inflammatory meds irritate the stomach lining and you may have to take another med like I do to protect the stomach. Go to your GP if you need something, good luck and hope you feel better soon.

[jennyspringer in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for that but all he has advised me is paracetamol, unfortunately I think he is one of the many GPs who does not understand PBC, I am very careful and am reluctant to take stuff, however he has referred me to the hospital that was 5 weeks ago and still no contact. He has said he would chase it up but i am suffering at he moment and was hoping someone would say that they had taken an over the counter medication ( with no problems)

[mumofthree]

When I was first diagnosed I was given paracetamol but as it was not strong enough I was prescribed Ibuprofen by the GP to take in between when the pain was really bad. Unfortunately your body gets used to the drugs over time and they have to be changed. I was then given co-codamol which are stronger to replace the paracetamol, that combination worked for a while - then back to paracetamol with Tramadol as the top up - then back to co-codamol with Naproxen in between plus omeprazole which helps with the heartburn I was suffering at night time and also to protect the stomach because of the Naproxen - I try to avoid the Naproxen if at all possible as that can cause other problems - So now try and stick to the co-codamol (can make you constipated) and use gel pain rubs like Ibuleve/Voltarol to rub on the painful areas and wrap it with heat like a wheatbag as it folds around or a hot water bottle if you havent got a wheat bag.

Hope that helps. Good luck

[Oidra]

2 years ago a spur of bone growing from my back bone hit the sciatic nerve. I know the date (August)and place it happened it was so intense and the pain was unbearable.It took until the following year, (April) to have an op to remove the bone. . So I understand your frustration of waiting for appointments that never come, hospital systems do not seem to take into account the pain people are in and how desperate they are to see someone who can do something for them.

Now this is the part you wont want to hear. My hospital consultant would not let me take anything but paracetamol no matter how hard I pleaded. A friend who had a similar thing to you was given all sorts of pain relief and even after his op is still on strong stuff.But I did get through it, the op was a great success and my PBC is stable.

I do hope you get an appointment soon and get things sorted out.

[Val02]

Paracetamol is fine with PBC unless you are at an advanced stage. Anti-inflammatories can be a problem because of the irration to the GI tract, and on a personal level I had a reaction to them. Co-codemol can be quite effective but causes constipation and maybe headaches. That leaves tramadol which I take in combination with paracetamol which certainly give some relief from pain but I find if I take more than one a day it makes me feel sick.

Otherwise you could talk to your GP about whether physio would help but you will probably have to go privately if you are in the UK as waiting lists for physio can be long....

[Hidden]

I have tramadol for when the pain gets really bad but I try not to take it, my gastro consultant also told me to take ibro and not paracetamol, so we all get told conflicting things by the look of it.

[Magnolia]

My Pain Clinic dr. keeps telling me not to be taking ant-inflammatories, for my creatine level is too high ( kidney function ). I take tramadol for pain, and don't know what I would do without it, for my legs would hurt too badly to sleep.

Magnolia

[jennyspringer]

mumofthree; Oidra; Val02; lindaclark; Magnolia.

Thank you all so much for taking the time to reply I am rapidly learning there is a lot of conflicting advice out there particulalrly from the GP's After a very painful nih=ght I managed to speak to the PBC consultant who suggested I try ibuprofen for a week and see how I get on. I have also booked some private physio, for Monday. Again thank you all for taking time and I wish you all well for the future.

[Missboro]

Ive surrered with a trapped nerve in my back (sciatica) since august 1990, i tried various painkillers and anti-inflammotories and none of them worked for me. About 5yrs ago i went to see a rheumatologist who told me i had chronic pain in my back as the pain was so bad. He gave me tramadol but that used to make me feel sickly most of the time. Eventually i got prescriped Zapain which now works better for me.

[jennyspringer in reply to Missboro]

Thanks for that, i have taken ibuprofen now for almost 2 days and although the pain has not totally gone i am tollerating it better, touch wood no adverse effects at the moment. Have you ever been to a chiropractic or osteopath both have beenn suggested to me.

[Missboro in reply to jennyspringer]

I haven't been to any of those. I think it was about 1993 i had physio and i had a few sessions of traction but that made the pain worse. At that time i seen a consultant who told me i would never get rid of the trapped nerve so i have learned to live with it.

[Magnolia]

In 1996 I lost the best paying job, I had ever had, to tendionitis in my elbows. I was given anti-inflammatories, and cortisone injections. Finally there became blood in my urine. So I had to stop the med. Later in 1998 I lost another job from degenerative disk disease. I was put on anti-inflammatories again, and again there was blood in the urine

.Later it was found that I had erosions in the esophagus and blood in the stool. So now I never even take an asprin, only acetaminophen or tramadol. My pain clinic dr.does do some steriod epidural shots into my back at times.

Recently I found I can't use the med antivert for vertigo either, for it feels as if it is burning a hole in my stomach. I read the contraindications and it said it should not be given to people who have ulcers, although I never have been told I have one.

Most narcotics make me sick or itch also.

Magnolia

[jennyspringer in reply to Magnolia]

Thanks for this, you really are suffering, I am reluctant to take anything not that i have had any side effects I am just so frightened, I have had ulcer and also Hietus hernia so have not taken aspirin for about 10 years, but have been desperate this last week and have had to get help.

Take care and thaanks again