Osteoarthritis and pain

I have osteoarthitis of the spine and thumbs, nerve damage from treatment for cervical cancer and trochanteric bursitis and trigger finger, i take lansaporzole as i also have gerd so i can not take antiflammatories, but i do take Gabapentin, Fluxotine, Tramadol, Co-codmol, movcol, antiflamitary cream and i also have Fentyal morphine patches.

Hi Carol, Do you find that you have your pain under control? its my trochanteric bursitis and fracture of the greater trochanteric bone that causes me the  most problems.  You cant take anti inflammatories, I cant take gabapentin or tramadol. What anti inflame. cream do you use?

Hileena

Hello All,

I'm new to this group; I have Osteo Arthritis in both hips, both knees and ankles; also advanced Spondylitis and Raynaud Syndrome ..  I was Prescribed by GP.  Amitriptyline 10mg,  Not good for me; stopped taking them, also tried Gabapentin - not for me; experienced the dozy side effect.  Now taking Co'Codamol.

Would like to find something with out side effects (if that's possible) to aid my mobility.   Ibuprofen can help; but was told that continual use could do more harm than good to the bodies immune system.

I'm following this thread with interest and hopefulness..  

Sincere Regards to all.

Nytsom  

Hi Hileena

The anti flammantory cream is fenbid gel and no it does not work at all i need to get the doctor to give me something stronger in a cream, but you know what they are like, if i remember to take my pain killers they seem to help working all together, but if i forget one or take it late omg i really know so i am ocd about taking them at the right time i even write it all down so i remember to. I have been on the gabapentin since last december when i had my second lot of surgery for cancer, as they removed all my pelvic lymoh nodes and this operation has caused the nerve damage not my back, there is very little other pain relief they can give me apart from raising the dosage on my fentyal patch or giving me oramorph and at the moment i am a bit relucent to go down this road.

Ouch i am sure that is very painful indeed, not good about the gabapentin and tramadol, but i know amitripline can be used intead of gabapentin or pregabalin, i am not sure what you are taken.

Just a nightmare since i had the cancer treatment my body has started to fall to bits lol

Hi Nystom 

Sorry to hear about your problems, i can understand about the amitripyline not agreeing , but the dozy effect of gabapentin does wear of once you have been on it a while, did they not suggest pregablain, this is usual the alternative if you can not take the other two, as they block out the receptors in the brain for the pain. Co-codmol has a lot of side effects as well including feeling sleepy and the dozy effect, it is a pain killer containing paractamol and codeine, i have been on them since last december along with gabapentin, tramadol, lansaprozle, fluoxtine, and fentyal patches, all of these just about keep the pain in check about a 6 out of a 10 on the pain scale.

I hope you get things sorted so you can get some improvement in your pain hun.

Hi Carol

I've got a GP appointment tonight to see if I can get this pain sorted.

I cant take gabapentin,   amitripline  or tramadol.  Gabapentin is an anti convulsant {one of its uses} I'm already on some a.c. so cant take those, amitripline is contraindicated with those meds that I take and  tramadol.....well that just sends me loopy 

I'm on {apart from BP and other things} paracetamol full dose, naproxen full dose, and I was on codeine 5mg 2 at night...those are the pain ones.  I was put on MST {morphine} lowest dose.....like you I'm not happy going down that road and after a couple of months I came off it and went back on to the codeine thinking .....if its not doing any good why take it?  I had to see the GP about something else ...he was new and he looked at my notes and said why did you come off the MST? I said because it didn't seem to be doing any good to which he replied did your GP not suggest putting it up slightly?  Then he said .....we doctors are cowards and we put you on the lowest dose possible and if that doesn't work we put you on the next dose ...still keeping it as low as possible.....It was left at that. Then I was going away for 4 days and was really sore so came off the codeine and I had a few spare morphine left decided to try those over the holiday period. It doesn't seem to have worked.....{bit easier in the morning I suppose but not great} so I have an appointment to see the same GP to see what he thinks If he does suggest I keep trying them for a bit longer I had only a few spare so will need some more. Still not happy about it   but if it was to help I'm at the stage where I'll try anything.  One other thing. I have full access to my medical records and was looking at them and one of the things that GP has put on it about the appointment I had with him was "the next thing is we have to get her to get over her fear of morphine"!!!!!!!  Sorry for the ramble.

What about you.....have your seen the doc, or got an appointment.   Would you not give oromorph a try if you are really bad? I know ...look who's talking

Love,    Hileena

Hi Nystom,

I'm sorry to hear you are in such pain......I have OA in hips 2 replacements but second one I had problems with. Did you talk to your doc about coming off the meds or did you just come off them? I tend to think those are no good and come off myself which I know I shouldn't do.  I don't think there is such a thing as a pain killer without side effects its just which has the least.

They aren't pain killers in my opinion they are pain dullers  LOL  If you read my post above you'll see why I cant take a lot of those medicines either.  Go back to your GP and ask his advice on different ones. That's what I'm doing today.

Good luck.....by the way I have spondylitis, kypho scoliosis, osteoporosis, kyphos etc   I seem to collect them as I go along LOL

Love

Hileena

Hi

I had my GP appointment tonight.  I had taken myself off codeine before going away for a few days and went on some spare morphine I had. The lowest dose there is but I thought it might help.  GP said the dose wasn't enough and he doubled it {10mg} and wants to see me in a months time.  So here's hoping that might help me.  I haven't got the prescription yet so still on the lower dose. I've only got a couple left so don't want to double them and leave myself with none until I get my prescription.

Love

Hileena

Hi, Well wish me luck.  I start the higher dose of MST tonight.  Actually there are 12 hours between the 2 tablets so I was taking them 7am {when I got up} I was very sore and took it along with other meds. and then 7pm.  The GP said try taking them at 10pm at night....my first thought was I'll not have pain relief until 10am in the morning but he said give it a try...you can change it again. It might give you a better nights sleep.  Well...he was right. I had a much better nights sleep and didn't particularly need it at 7am 

I had a training course for volunteers  {arthritis care} starting at 10am and finishing at 3pm. I took it just before going in.  Its now 7.22pm. I'll take the higher dose at 10pm tonight.

We'll see how that goes.  Hope you are all as pain free as possible

Love

Hileena

Hi Hileena,

I saw my doctor last week, we can put my fentyal patches up if i want to and i can have oromorph, trouble is what happens if these need to go up again because the pain gets worse. It is a circle more pain so you up the pain relief and before you know you are on the maximium dosage, and then the pain gets even worse your quality of life detoriates even more. You become a burden on family and friends. I would rather cope how i am at the moment before i contemplate raising my pain relief, i have been taking tramadol in between the co-codmaol and apart from the buritis it is seems to be keeping it to a dull ache which i can handle. Trouble is i do this and feel so tired all the time and just want to sleep.

I think the stress of trying to sort out my madnatory reconsideration with dwp over my failed esa assessment is not helping either. So maybe when i am less stressed i may think whether to speak to the doctor again about my medication.

Hope you have got something sorted out for you now

Carol