i need better pain killers

i've been taking muscle relaxants and tylenol for the pain from my back injury... and they just aren't cutting the pain... (my back muscles go into spasms... and this causes the pain)

anyone have any better 'drug' suggestions? before this... i never took anything... okay maybe 2 tylenol a year max... and that was it.

living on pain killers for months now sucks :(

i'm going to ask my chiro tomorrow about me buying something different... i wonder if advil or something would be better?

*whine fest over for now* :tricho:

ps yes i know you aren't doctors... just wondering if you have any suggestions for me is all...

Yeouch! :( I'm very sorry to hear that is still giving you so much trouble. Backs are nortoriously slow healers, I guess...but they DO heal!


If I were you, I would talk with my chiropractor about a variety of methods for pain management, and if he doesn't have any alternatives except drugs, look for someone that does. I'm not anti-drug...they certainly have their place in treatment, but there are other ways of dealing with pain that will help make you less dependant on them.

My mother-in-law has firbro-myalgia(sp?) and gets horrible pain in her shoulders and upper back. Massage therapy has done a world of good for her.

((And by the way...I'm not suggesting you change docs if he isn't into alternative methods of dealing with pain...just suggesting you supplement his treatments with other possibilities, if that is the case.))

i was using massage therapy as well... but we have no health insurance and the $95 a week in chiro appts plus another $45 per massage session is starving my kids :(

last night i had my hubby rub some chinese oils on my back and took some natural muscle relaxants and they worked... ahhhh i slept all night in comfort... nice change.

i think sometimes we get stuck in a box... you know what i mean? we forget to just breathe and look around us LOL and when i did (since i'm very into alternative medicines) i was reminded of all the alternatives i could try (as i have tried them over the last months but they weren't doing the trick) = i hope they continue doing the trick for many more nights :)

Percogesic is an over-the-counter med which is awesome for intense pain (physical, migraines etc) - At Wally World they sell it generically as Genasec. The connotations of the commercial name are fairly accurate as these things will pretty much knock you on your butt and leave you feeling a little cottony.

ah... I can't have that... since I have to do so much all day and drugs really effect me since I never take them. Of course, it's amazing how well my body is tolerating the stuff I've been taking so far... I suppose when your body really needs something it handles it better.

I got thinking about how people that like hot peppers get a rush of endorphins, our bodies natural way to deal with pain. So then I wondered could that work to dull other pain (other than a burning mouth lol). Went snooping on google and found a few sites...here's just one that mentions it...


http://www.inspiredliving.com/painre...elief-tips.htm

Quote from this page:

Cayenne contains capsaicin, which stimulates the brain to secrete endorphins that help block pain signals. A recent trial showed that cayenne helped reduce arthritis pain

If you can tolerate spicey foods it might not hurt to try. There's also information on this page about certain foods to eat and ones to avoid to help manage pain.

Interestingly enough they are also doing a lot of study with cannabis and the cannabis-like chemicals that naturally occur in our brains to help with a number of issues like constant pain, IBD, osteoporosis, bone density...the list is massive actually.

http://www.news-medical.net/?keyword=Endocannabinoid

Disclaimer: For the minors on this site, please don't take this as an endorsement of any activity considered illegal.

heehee well i'm not in THAT much pain that i would even consider using cannabis. but cayenne sounds good! off to read...

thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you...

i totally forgot about my liquid mag in the fridge... off to take some now!

you know... i KNOW all this... i just needed a wake up call... i'm soooooooooo glad you are all here to 'ring the bell'!!!

and i'm remembering my traumeel - (spell?) that stuff works great as well and i need to start taking it again.

thanks... i feel sooooooo supported by you all, and i reallllllllly needed that!

accupucture!

... or cannabis ;)

Have you tried hot or cold packs?

I'm also a firm believer in stretching and physical therapy. Any of your doctors should be able to give you some exercises to help you loosen and strengthen those muscles. I hate treating the symptoms, but never looking at the root cause. (since many of my doctors have a tendancy to do this)

I hope you are able to find some relief soon, since I know you have to be very uncomfortable. :hug:

Over the counter remedies:

Tiger balm, the x-tra strength stuff (dont get the red- it will stain the heck out of your clothes)

Doans.. its a common over the counter remedy to back aches


Other remedies:

Accupuncture

Physical therapy... if you get your back muscles strengthed, you will have less issues, most back injuries are caused by weak back muscles.. it sounds odd that the exercises given to you would work, but over time, they do.


I have serious back issues, and have had many types of treament including narcotic pain relievers. The tiger balm and doans is a good temp. relief..if it works for you... but long term the best thing you can do for yourself is get into phys. therapy to manage your muscles strength to help reduce occurances of re-injury and/or the severity of any re-injury. For me, it made a difference, however, sadly, I still have to take narcotic pain relievers here and there on bad days. The accupuncture helped alot for me, however, I could not afford to continue that since my insurance does not pay for it and the out- of-pocket killed us financially.

When I have serious knee pain (bad knees, if I was a horse, they would have put me down already =P), I sometimes will use melaleuca oil and extra strength Tiger Balm. Melaleuca or tea tree oil has a lot of healing properties (please don't trust me - Google around) which I would massage into owie muscles. I felt that it sunk in and helped the muscles heal a bit - and it and vitamin E oil are great for scars.

Tiger Balm is an icy-hot rub from China, all natural I think. I liked the Extra Strength because it was, well, extra strength. Gets pretty darn hot, but always felt great on my knees...

Acetomenifen (Tylenol) never did much for me. If I remember correctly, the drug is broken down in the stomach...or what it kidneys? Ibuprofen (Advil), on the other hand, works great for me (broken down in the liver). I usually get the Extra Strength Liqui-Caps, which I think are 200mg each(?) and seem to be absorbed faster because they are liquid.

For stupendous pain, I have a bottle of leftover Vicodin in the cabinet...but that stuff is SERIOUSLY addictive, so neither of use want to take it unless it's absolutely necessary: as in, I only took two after returning home from emergency gall bladder surgery. But I like knowing it's there just in case.

just got home from the chiro... he suggested advil rather than tylenol and i do have a lot of stretches i do... we went over them and removed the ones which are causing the muscles to spasm more... he also offered another suggestion. that i meditate laying on the floor with my feet up on the couch at a 90 degree angle... since i meditate an hour a night he thought this would be a good time to give me some relief (as night is my painful time - during the day i'm fine)

he said my back in doing great... but i'm still doing too much. less doing is what i need, which of course is hard with so many critters and kids and housework and and and... but i do need to get better.

he wants me to book a massage for friday so i called to make an appt. other than that... he wants me to take it easier.

and no cleaning the rattie cage today... so i told him to come over and smell it and say that again LOL so hubby will do it at 10 tonight when he gets home from work...

i've tried tiger balm... didn't work, but i'll definitely try it again as my back seems to go in cycles of what does and doesn't work. i've been working thru the issues which are coming up from my back AND hopefully, i'll get better soon.

thanks again everyone... mmwwwaaaahhh

Quote:

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

i've tried tiger balm... didn't work, but i'll definitely try it again as my back seems to go in cycles of what does and doesn't work. i've been working thru the issues which are coming up from my back AND hopefully, i'll get better soon.

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Make sure it's extra strength...the regular strength stuff isn't worth the bother...

k will do!

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

heehee well i'm not in THAT much pain that i would even consider using cannabis. but cayenne sounds good! off to read...

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Actually the studies aren't about using cannabis but about triggering or replicating the natural cannabis-like chemicals we all produce in our brains (some may actually use medicinal cannabis but the ones I was reading are more about the chemicals). Just fascinates me that some of what we need like these chemicals and endorphins, etc. are actually already in us. It's like we are genetically programmed with the answers, we just keep asking the wrong questions LOL.

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

It's like we are genetically programmed with the answers, we just keep asking the wrong questions LOL.

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i couldn't agree more!

Sorry to hear you are having so much trouble with your back. It sounds like you are doing all the right stuff.
I went through many different natural approaches to a few physical issues I've been dealing with lately, but sadly nothing worked and my osteopathic doctor now has me on a pain management program. It seems to be working but all the narcotics are unerving. They do help most of the time and most of the time I can stay away from the really strong drugs but during bad spells I have to take them. Those times Win just puts a movie in for me and watches over me.
Sorry to babble, but I was glad to hear a few natural remedies worked for you.
Hope you're feeling better real soon.
Rusty

Don't feel bad Rusty when my sciatic nerve goes out and nothing else will work but the heavy pain meds Mike has to do much the same with me. Unfortunately I tend to go..."oh I'm not in pain anymore!!!"....then try to do way too much or jump around all happy because it doesn't hurt anymore. Of course I only make the whole situation worse. :(

I have to watch all prescription drugs, especially pain meds, mood elevators or sleep meds, as I have a wierd over-reaction to every one of them.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Don't feel bad Rusty when my sciatic nerve goes out and nothing else will work but the heavy pain meds Mike has to do much the same with me. Unfortunately I tend to go..."oh I'm not in pain anymore!!!"....then try to do way too much or jump around all happy because it doesn't hurt anymore. Of course I only make the whole situation worse. :(

I have to watch all prescription drugs, especially pain meds, mood elevators or sleep meds, as I have a wierd over-reaction to every one of them.

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Yeah if I take my Kadian I always want to play with the animals. Luckily Winslow veers me toward the ferrets..lol
Rusty