Arthritis and pain meds?

Question

(I'm trying this catagory for more responses)

I've been dealing with Arthritis pain ever since I was a child. This winter has been really getting to me. Advil doesn't help anymore and I'm in constant pain in my back, hips and hands. I have tried everything over the counter and many tips on coping with arthritis pain. But nothing is relieving the pain this winter.

Tomorrow I am going to the doctors. I want to see if there is medication for my condition that is affective and a non-narcotic. Also I want to try something that doesn’t take WEEKS to start taking effect.

I've been doing research and the medication I came across is called Tramadol. Does this work for people with moderate to severe arthritis? Have you ever taken this medication?

I hate taking medications and I'm concerned about side affects and allergic reactions. I DO NOT want to take narcotics!

Is it okay to tell the doctor about researching different medications and asking to try Tramadol?

Answer 1

My bona fides here include getting rheumatoid arthritis when I was nine and working in the pharmaceutical world for 20 years.



1. It is great that you are going to the doctor. Is it a family doctor, and internist, or a rheumatologist? A family doctor can help a lot, and there are plenty of prescription meds that are non-centrally acting (like Tramadol) that you can and perhaps should try first. An interinst should be even better trained to deal with arthritis, and a rheumatologist is a super-specialist who treats arthritis day in and day out.



2. Tylenol helps with pain, whereas the NSAIDS (Motrin, aspirin, Aleve, and prescription drugs like Celebrex) help with both pain and inflammation (swelling). Inflammation causes a lot of the pain and joint damage, so you should definitely take an NSAID. You can take Tylenol in addition to the NSAID for more pain relief.



3. It is always fine to ask a doctor what they think about a drug and whether it is right for you. It is not a good idea to say "I heard about X and I want to try it." Studies have shown that doctors usually write prescriptions for what their patients request, whether or not that would have been their first choice. However, doctors are creatures of habit and often do not think about what meds are best for a given patient; they go with their old standby. Thus, asking about choices and options will generally get you the best treatment - just don't insist on trying something that the doctor does not think is good for you.



4. Thjere are so many great drugs for arthritis these days that is is unlikely that you have to suffer. When I was a kid they wanted you to be in pain because the side effects of "effective" doses of the drugs was thought to be bad. Today's physicians have a totally different mindset and there are literally dozens of drugs that have been approved in the last 20 years that are safer and better than the old ones. Accept nothing less than relief, and find a doctor who will be your partner.



Good luck!

Answer 2

This is a hard one. I work for a chiropractor and we deal with this problem daily. First, look at your nutrition. Do you eat sweets? Cut down on that. For some, the night shade foods are a big problem. (Tomato, potato, all peppers, eggplant) Tomatoes and potato starch are in so many foods it is insane. All processed foods should be off limits. Caffeine, chocolate, milk, cheese, and all milk products should be eliminated. Do you drink lots of filtered water? At least have of your body weight in ounces should be drunk daily. Have you had lots of antibiotics during your lifetime? This alone can set you up for a life time of ill health if not corrected. Get to a Holistic nutritionist, or see a chiropractor that can help you with your nutrition, in the meantime, you are right about side affects of medications. We treat many people with diseases that are drug related, Lupus, RA, Migraines, the list goes on. Try eating more raw foods, mostly vegetables and fresh fruit. Grains sometimes can cause a problem too. Do some research. There is a website that I get free newsletters from, it is Mercola.com. Or just type in Mercola, he has great information. Best of all, he is an MD. has been the route of the medical field with a past as a prescription pushing Dr. who learned some hard lessons about it and has some really wonderful insights about how one should eat for their type. Please give it a try, I hate seeing anyone in pain!

Answer 3

It's always OK to tell your doctor you need better pain relief. Tramadol, I believe, is another name for Ultram. Ultram is a non-narcotic drug that fools the brain into thinking it is a narcotic for about 4 hours. You can't get high from it, or addicted, and it is effective and cheap.

Experimentally, doctors are injecting capsacin directly into joints. I've heard this is providing great relief to arthritis sufferers. See if you can get on a clinical trial somwhere. There are clinical trials all over the country, and most of them pay you to take part in them. Good luck!

For my own joint pain I find a couple of beers helps. The problem with this is that alcohol is addicting, but a couple of beers a day is a very low amount and is probably safe for most people.

Answer 4

Imagine for a moment your arthritis completely vanishing right now.



If, in a moment, your pain and stiffness melted away. And your joints all of a sudden functioned like a well-oiled machine.



Like a magic wand was waived, you'd be able to jump up from your chair and run around the room like a kid.



And imagine that you'd never have to suffer as much as a pinch of arthritis stiffness or pain ever again.



I know this sounds impossible right now, but bear with me, because sometimes miracles happen.



It was a gift from a woman on the other side of the world. From the kindness of her heart, she took pity on my suffering and taught me how to completely reverse my arthritis.



Today, I want to do the same for you!

Answer 5

I am 20 and have had rheumatoid arthritis for some time now. I am currently on meloxicam (an NSAID) and a med called plaquenil, which is really an anti-malarial medication, but stops your body from attacking itself. There are many medication options that are non narcotic. The combination I am on works well for me, but everyone is different. The doctor will know what is best for you just voice your concerns and they can pick the right one for you. There may even be some other medication that you havent found in your research. good luck.

Answer 6

I've been on tramadol for the last 4 years for my osteoarthritis and spondylolisthesis of the lumbar region, it's basically a big pain in the ***. I take 300 mg per day, working on getting down to minimal usage.



Ask about the tramadol, it can't hurt, just be ready to watch your driving for the first few days to get used to the drug, never overmedicate and keep your doctor informed.



Also, if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure, you might not want to try tramadol. Hope you have more good days than bad, that's all any of us can work toward.

Answer 7

Aspirin is hardly used today but it is Most effective for Arthritis because it reduces swelling, which is a large part of the symptoms of arthritis. It takes effect in 15 minutes, no narcotics, been used for 100 years and it's CHEAP. Your Dr may not want you to take it but please ask him if you can try it. I hope he finds you something that helps. (but aspirin will !)

Answer 8

Recent research supports that 50mg of Tramadol with 500mg of Tylenol has the pain releiving properties of 10 mg of morphine without the narcotic side effects.

Just remember that drugs like Tramadol, anti-inflamatories, do have a habit of irritating the stomach.

Answer 9

I take Enbril weekly injections. Along with Methotrexate. In the beginning, I was also taking prednisone.



Alleve also worked well for me prior to getting these prescriptions.



I feel great now, however it did not work overnight. You need to see a rheumatologist.



Good luck!

Answer 10

pills aside I've found that a lydocane patch really works well and only takes a few minutes to start working works for about 12 hours.

Answer 11

One of my cousins had this problem too. She had suffered a lot. After that she had to take a replacement surgery. I came to now a lot about this from a source. For more information- http://hipandkneereplacementcenter.com/

Answer 12

Yes, it's definitely OK. You are in charge of your health! Be careful of trusting something on the web as being true. I'd trust your doc first.

Answer 13

Can I suggest Heat...seem that now that winter is here, you need to buy yourself a whirlpool or hot tub....does wonders for me...I'm also diabetic. And loosing circulation is another problem for me.

Answer 14

Try Noni Juice you can get this from a health food store or go to www.tahitiannoni.com to find out how do ship it to yourself.

Answer 15

Someone suggest Nabumetol to me today