Aching hands an pain

[eggbox1970]

Hi what's the best pain killer to stop all the aches and pains in my hands it's doing my head in ...........tried oramorph......gabopentin.........amytripoline .......etc nothing shifts it or calms it down

[LucyJean]

Hello there, sorry to hear you are in pain. The answer to your question is...it depends! It depends on lots of factors. Firstly, what is causing the pain. So for example, if your hands are painful because of swelling then the most effective thing is anti-inflammatories (tablets, gels, creams). This also includes things like steroids. If the inflammation is caused by the disease process, as in scleroderma (or RA, or any of the inflammatory arthropathies) then ideally you would want an immunosuppressant drug to control your over active immune system, which is why they are called Disease Modifying Antirheumatic drugs. For general pain relief, paracetamol taken regularly (rather than as and when) over a period of time is very helpful, and if it is combined with codeine (as it often is in some preparation like co-dydramol) then it can enhance the effects of the codeine. Codeine preparations would then be the next step up the analgesic ladder, but from what you have written you have been on strong opioids with little effect. You have also used drugs prescribed for neuropathic pain, such as gabapentin and amitriptyline without effect so that would indicate that this is not the appropriate type for you. Pain is a hard symptom to control, and if it has been going on for a very long time it is easy for the nervous system to become super sensitive and hard wired to produce pain. Don't suffer in silence speak to your Consultant/specialist nurse/GP about what is happening.

Have you had any up to date X-rays?

Have you had your bloods done to see what your inflammatory markers are?

Hope that helps a bit

All my best

Lucy x

[eggbox1970 in reply to LucyJean]

Carpool tunnel in both hands and not diagnosed with raynauds but the docs say I have ....i will try an get doc to subscribe me with some antiflam cream see if that works it's through the night the pin is t it's worst so it wakes me up .I am due a steroid injection soon so should help fingers x