posted
I hate using drugs as a general rule, but there's always that one special time of recurring-interval when that lovely little ibuprofen just makes life 800% easier.
I keep trying to not use it, but every single time I chicken out and give in.
Posts: 8504 | Registered: Aug 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
Novocaine. Without it, dentistry would be intolerable.
But I also admit being partial to the Ultram. And the Excedrin. Both of these have allowed me to go to work and carry on as usual, where otherwise I'd be miserable at home.
Posts: 10397 | Registered: Jun 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
Until I found my self needing a lifetime coumadin fix, Asprin was THE wonder drug. Those Germans really knew their pain. EDIT. Oh, the Aztecs were in there too, with Chocoloqule.
Posts: 1167 | Registered: Oct 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
Excedrin. Headache reliever and energy enhancer in one. I'm just trying not to fall into the trap of taking one every morning. (But when you have a headache every morning, what're you gonna do?)
Posts: 1522 | Registered: Nov 2005
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by JennaDean: Excedrin. Headache reliever and energy enhancer in one. I'm just trying not to fall into the trap of taking one every morning. (But when you have a headache every morning, what're you gonna do?)
Phew.....See its THIS state that I am convinced I would reach if I ever started taking aspirin or pain killers/supressors of any kind for a head ache or even a head cold. I just have this nagging idea that if I take the medication my body will think it worked too hard to deal with the cold/head ache and will scale down its response to my sickness, not taking into account the medication I was taking.
Headaches/Fevers would get worse and I would take more medication as it gets intolerable.
You could argue that if that logic was correct shouldn't my body increase its efforts if a headache was worse then the one before, but if the headache was worse wouldn't I take more medication rather then less?
Its probably completely unfounded, but its an idea that is rooted in my mind, and my grandmother being a hypochondriac has not helped me dispel it.
Posts: 14316 | Registered: Jul 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
Ibuprofen is great for migraines so as you can imagine I eat more than is healthy of that...
But I take Aleve when it comes to general body aches or fever. I don't have to take it often and it works wonders.
Posts: 7085 | Registered: Apr 2001
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by Annie: I hate using drugs as a general rule, but there's always that one special time of recurring-interval when that lovely little ibuprofen just makes life 800% easier.
I use to love Ibuprofen, until Naproxen (Aleve) became over the counter. Ibuprofen is good, but Naproxen lasts all day on those days of the month when I just couldn't function otherwise.
Posts: 12591 | Registered: Jan 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
Thanks, Annie. You're right, its not some science fiction name. I'm an old high desert denizen.
Posts: 1167 | Registered: Oct 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
The best drugs I ever had was liquid Demerol. When I was 15 I had to have my jaw reconstructed and was wired shut for 8 weeks. I spent a good deal of the first few weeks very, very gone on Demerol. Good stuff! Good diet plan too! I lost 50 pounds! Then they unwired my mouth. That didn't last long!
Posts: 601 | Registered: Sep 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
Centaurea Maculosa would only make a good name if it was a colony ship that managed to ruin the ecosystem on what ever planet in colonized.
I would prefer Calypso Bulbosa or Fritillaria Pudica because to me they are signify both magic and hope.
Posts: 12591 | Registered: Jan 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
Naproxin has made me a bit nervous ever since my mom found out that it may have contributed to her ulcerated colon. She had been taking pretty regularly for arthritis, though, so that may have affected things.
Posts: 4077 | Registered: Jun 2003
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by JennaDean: Excedrin. Headache reliever and energy enhancer in one. I'm just trying not to fall into the trap of taking one every morning. (But when you have a headache every morning, what're you gonna do?)
See a doctor.
Seriously. Daily headaches are definitely not a good thing, and could be a sign of something serious.
Most likely they're not, and you should be discussing with your doctor alternatives to that daily Excedrin. Starting, perhaps, with methods of weaning yourself off the caffeine you're probably addicted to. (And caffeine withdrawal can cause headaches -- quite possibly the reason for the vicious cycle you've got going.)
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by Megan: Naproxin has made me a bit nervous ever since my mom found out that it may have contributed to her ulcerated colon. She had been taking pretty regularly for arthritis, though, so that may have affected things.
Naproxin does carry a significant risk for ulcers, but so does ibuprofin. That risk is a serious concern for people who are taking it daily for arthritis. Its much less of a concern if you take it once a month because your a woman.
Posts: 12591 | Registered: Jan 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
There is also a relatively common form of daily headache that is transformed from intermittant migraine. If you have a migraine history and currently have daily headaches, some of the migraine prophylaxis therapy (such as beta-blockers) might be appropriate and helpful.
Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by The Rabbit: Naproxin does carry a significant risk for ulcers, but so does ibuprofin.
The risk is definitely there for Ibuprofen, but I thought it was even moreso for the second generation ([not] the COX-II inhibitors) ones, like Naproxen. I will go look.
--- Correction: I was thinking of Flurbiprofen (Ansaid), not Naproxen.
Carry on!
---
Edited again to add: If you are taking any of these on a regular basis, you should be considered for simultaneous protective therapy such as omeprazole, lansoprazole, misoprostol, or other medications. These decrease the effect of stomach acid through one mechanism or another, and there are ongoing studies with preliminary data out.
posted
I know that intellectually, Rabbit...but I'm still nervous about it.
I, um, don't actually take monthly pain relievers because I don't have the problem that would require them. On the rare occasion that I do have a headache, I tend to take tylenol.
Edit: When they found the ulcer, my mom told me about it by calling me post colonoscopy and saying, "Guess what: I got a tattoo! ...on my colon."
Apparently, they tattoo the ulcer to make sure it doesn't get any larger.
Posts: 4077 | Registered: Jun 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Any idea what side effects are there if you take acetaminophen at the same time as ibuprofen for a short period of time?
Posts: 7593 | Registered: Sep 2006
| IP: Logged |
posted
I wish there were pain killers that worked well for me. Ibuprofen is good for mild stuff like headaches or mild migraines, but that's about it. When the migraines are bad, or the cramps are bad, nothing touches it. But I guess it doesn't help that I get projectile vomiting, so the painkillers don't have time to get into my system to make an attempt at working.
*sigh* This is normal for me. Painkillers work for six months or so, then it's time to find a new one.
Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by Mucus: Any idea what side effects are there if you take acetaminophen at the same time as ibuprofen for a short period of time?
There is no problem with doing this, so far as I am aware. Not only do they work via separate mechanisms, but one is detoxed by the liver and the other eliminated via the kidney.
The only exception is that taking multiple medications can make medication error more likely, just because the scheduling becomes more complicated.
Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by quidscribis: But I guess it doesn't help that I get projectile vomiting, so the painkillers don't have time to get into my system to make an attempt at working.
Had you considered using rectal formulations?
Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
Tylenol-3. With an ultra-strenth tylenol on the side when I get a migraine, or an aleve on the side for monthy issues. I wish I could buy naproxen OTC here, but it's still prescription-only (the aleve was a gift from an American friend a while back).
I've tried preventative stuff for the migraines, and it doesn't work well. I also tried prescription "migraine" painkillers, but those actually made the pain worse. This all combines with a huge natural tolerance for painkillers/drugs of (almost) all sorts. The dentist terrifies me because the topical freezing doesn't do anything. I have a bad history with ativan/lorazepam, whatever they tried to use for my wisdom teeth, alcohol, and a bunch more. I have to be careful to consciously monitor my intake, because even if it doesn't have any noticable effects, I'm sure it has effects I don't notice.
Posts: 2849 | Registered: Feb 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
(Just as an aside, there are many different types of medications used for migraine prevention. I know you probably already know this, Eaque Legit, but I thought it would be helpful to have out there in case someone had only tried one or two and given up.)
Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
It doesn't help that they're really unpredictable. I don't have any of the traditional triggers. There's things that bring a slightly higher probability, like it being the morning or the evening (8-10pm or so), lack of sleep, lack of food, wintertime... But nothing concrete or specific. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it don't.
It makes my life really interesting when I have to be somewhere in the morning. I can't count the number of classes or meetings or what-have-you that I've missed because I wake up and want to die. When I get all melancholy, I start wondering if I'll ever manage a "normal" job. In less melancholy (self-pitying) moods, I'm more optimistic.
Posts: 2849 | Registered: Feb 2002
| IP: Logged |
quote:Had you considered using rectal formulations?
I have a hard time imagining those working considering the *cough* loose motion, as Sri Lankans call it. Or does it get in fast enough?
It's something I'll definitely think on, that's for sure, but I'd also have to find painkillers that work for that nasty nasty stabbing burning piercing agonizing pain.
Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Bringing the conversation full circle, my mnemonic device for Euphorbia esula was related to drugs.
Posts: 8504 | Registered: Aug 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
What would a doctor recommend for someone who is allergic to ibuprofen (besides Tylenol)? I sprained my wrist a few weeks ago and I would've loved to have taken some ibuprofen. I also have occasional back pain (nothing out of the ordinary). I remember how well it worked. Especially with headaches. One day I took it and got a nasty itchy rash from head to the bottoms of my feet. Wheezing wasn't fun either.
Speaking of wiring one's jaw shut. Do they still do that for weight loss?
Posts: 2064 | Registered: Dec 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
I am in love with Ultram. Alas! It is a forbidden love, as I cannot take it while breastfeeding.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by ClaudiaTherese: ... is definitely Ibuprofen.
Gives me hives. First time I took it was after throwing out my back the night before a 14 hour flight from Chicago to Israel. I took it right before I got on the plane and had the fun experience of enormous hives and a back brace for 14 hours.
Posts: 12266 | Registered: Jul 2005
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by JennaDean: Excedrin. Headache reliever and energy enhancer in one. I'm just trying not to fall into the trap of taking one every morning. (But when you have a headache every morning, what're you gonna do?)
JennaDean, acetaminophin (Tylenol) gives me a headache the next day. It's apparently not that uncommon a side effect. I wonder if this could be why you get a headache every morning? Excedrin has caffeine (which also can cause a withdrawal headache), acetaminophin, and aspirin.
CT, I have to take some sort of anti-inflammatory now to be able to move. I took Vioxx until it was pulled off the market, then Celebrex and then Mobic until they each in turn started giving me swelling in the hands and feet, and cardiovascular symptoms (angina) (oh, and high blood pressure). So I stopped all that but still must have an anti-inflammatory. I take regular Alka-Seltzer, about 2 tablets a day (630 mg of aspirin, I think) but my doctor doesn't like me doing that because I have had anemia lately and he thinks it's some form of g.i. bleeding (though we have no evidence for that other than the anemia).
I can't take Aleve cause it gives me horrible abdominal pains (the kind where you are doubled over and can't move).
posted
Naproxen also wreaks havoc with my digestive system (I'm already taking prevacid). However, I have to take it with my shoulder. It helps, but every few days, my abdominal cavity mandates that I stop for a couple days.
*scowl*
My pcp nixed ultram because it has the potential to interact negatively with my psych meds.
*double scowl*
So I'm open to suggestions as well!
Though, I became a fan of a six day course of predisone when it killed my headache problems. I wouldn't want to repeat it, but it really fixed the problem. Posts: 14745 | Registered: Dec 1999
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by JennaDean: Excedrin. Headache reliever and energy enhancer in one. I'm just trying not to fall into the trap of taking one every morning. (But when you have a headache every morning, what're you gonna do?)
See a doctor.
Seriously. Daily headaches are definitely not a good thing, and could be a sign of something serious.
Most likely they're not, and you should be discussing with your doctor alternatives to that daily Excedrin. Starting, perhaps, with methods of weaning yourself off the caffeine you're probably addicted to. (And caffeine withdrawal can cause headaches -- quite possibly the reason for the vicious cycle you've got going.)
This is so funny, because in every other aspect of my life I avoid caffeine. No coffee, no Coke, not even Barq's root beer. But yeah, I'm starting to wonder why these headaches won't go away (3 weeks now, every day) and if I'm actually making them worse by taking caffeine every day. Not a lot, usually just one or two Excedrin over the course of the day - but wouldn't that be ironic? Headaches from caffeine addiction which I get SOLELY from the headache medicine?
Posts: 1522 | Registered: Nov 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
When I'm sick (now) nothing works but nyquil, but it has the unfortunate side effect of making me hallucinate.
Posts: 883 | Registered: Aug 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
Right now, Mucinex is my drug of choice. I can feel that chest congestion has been trying to get worse for the past week or so. I've kept it at bay so far, but I woke up tonight with breathing issues. Work faster, Mucinex! I need my sleep!
Mucinex and Zyrtec, in case the problem is something in my house instead of something in my lungs.
quote:Originally posted by ClaudiaTherese: There is no problem with doing this, so far as I am aware. Not only do they work via separate mechanisms, but one is detoxed by the liver and the other eliminated via the kidney.
Thanks, thats one little worry off my plate Posts: 7593 | Registered: Sep 2006
| IP: Logged |
posted
I want a new drug One that won't make me sick; One that won't make me crash my car; Or make me feel three feet thick.
Posts: 4753 | Registered: May 2002
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by Tatiana: What can I take?
I don't know. I expect you and your healthcare professionals have explored all the options and are still at a loss -- and in that case, it would be extreme hubris for me to pretend to have answers to fix the problem.
There is a subgroup of patients who seem to have difficulty in finding treatment for problems of many various sorts. They are usually women -- which makes me wonder if there is an autoimmune component, because we know many of those disorders tend to track along with sex -- and they find that their bodies are hyper-responsive to medications of widely different kinds, that they have unexpected and unexplained reactions and side effects, and they may be prone to systemic and hard-to-prove complaints which are, nonetheless, quite real (and such complaints tend to be characteristic of autoimmune disorders as well, such as pain and fatigue, which again makes me wonder about an autoimmune component).
I don't know if you fall into that group, but if you do, I expect you've found that physicians and other healthcare professionals have been markedly unhelpful in alleviating your distress. You may have had to argue with people to establish that yes, there is something wrong, even if it doesn't fit into one of their neat little categories. You may have felt embarrassed and ashamed because you were suspected of faking it or making it up. Or not -- perhaps that just characterizes those who've had the worst experiences.
I think this subgroup is often a funnel toward a diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome, and/or chronic pain syndrome, and/or depression. How much of that is just a fancy way of saying we don't know what is going on vs. how much is just naming the symptoms (i.e., unremitting pain and fatigue might -- unsurprisingly! -- eventually lead to depression) is something I don't know. I do know that there are some more objective measures that seem to be coming out from the research, such as characteristically disorded brain-wave patterns during sleep. At least that makes some steps toward establishing this as a matter which isn't just "making it up" or "faking it," which is a claim that dogs some people for a long time.
So I guess this is a long way of saying what I said in the beginning: namely, that I trust you and your healthcare providers have been creative and smart and careful in trying to piece through this, and that it is doubtlessly a very real and present problem, and I strongly suspect any pretense on my part that I could do better would be a matter of false pride.
But I can and do wish all the best for you, and I will send you all the very best vibes I have. I wish there was more I could do! I really do fear that level of arrogance in myself, though.
Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
Thanks, CT. I just want some new ideas. The doctors haven't been terribly helpful, but I've been able to deal with it fairly well since I discovered that anti-inflammatories fix it. It's just that now I'm running out of anti-inflammatories to take. Aspirin is still working okay, but if I lose it, i'm in trouble.
My C-reactive protein was 5 something one time, then 14.9 the next, so that's another piece of the puzzle.
This all started with a bad virus I got in the summer of 2000, so lately I'm thinking I should try some broad spectrum anti-viral strategies. Are there any of those that you know? Dr. Joey pointed me once to Olive Leaf Extract, but I don't know how that panned out. Any ideas?
Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
Work faster, Mucinex! I need my sleep!
