Folks any good suggestions for over the counter pain killers - my left leg can get very sore if i overdo it - leaves me in agony & can’t walk on it but comes round again after a couple of days rest - not keen on co-codamal to slow up my bowels - thanks
If the pain is the sort that responds to co-codamol, I’m not sure there’s much for it but to counter the gut-slowing effects of all opioid drugs like codeine, take meds to liven things up on the gut motility front and persevere. I’m assuming that the (non-constipating) usual combination of paracetamol and ibuprofen (my OTC mainstay) aren’t up to the task? What does your GP suggest?
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We’re all different, but like you, I still get by with 2x 500mg Paracetamol and 1x300mg Ibuprofen ad hoc, to alleviate leg numbness and leg / hip / lower back rigidity when required. Take them an hour or so before going out, it gives me better movement and less pain. Also routinely take 3 x 10mg baclofen for stiffness / rigidity.
Have tried stronger stuff such as amitriptyline, nortriptyline, duloxetine but react badly - they turn me into a zombie. They are drugs developed as anti-depressants so that’s perhaps why.
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Yes - that’s what I’m going to do - pharmacist suggested Ibruprofen & she has MS as well - so I’m going to take tablets if I know I’m going to be on my feet - thanks
Thanks Alison - pharmacist suggested ibuprofen & she has MS - so I need to take tablets if I know I’m going to be on my feet - we’ll see how that goes
I try to distinguish the two types of pain I get in my back / hips / legs.
The soreness in back & hips I attribute to MSK (musculo-skeletal) inflammation of too much walking & standing / transferring. Moving about basically! For that, Ibuprofen is best.
For the deep, dead-leg numbness (mine is in the thighs & glutes), I take Paracetamol for the neuropathic pain.
As said above, my “recipe” is 2x 500mg paracetamol + 1x 200mg ibuprofen. When it was explained to me how Paracetamol works, it was clear that no dosage below 1000mg would be effective. Usually one dose of my recipe is enough in a day but on particularly tough days, can take another couple of paracetamols later on. Can also double up the Ibuprofen to 400mg too.
The good thing about paracetamol and ibuprofen is they are incidental meds: take them, it has an effect, then it wears off. If the pain comes back, then you are immediately back in contact with your “baseline”. Other, heavier meds require a level to be maintained in the body, so firstly there are more likely to be side-effects and secondly, it becomes harder to gauge the effect of not taking them.
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