[Rhapsody]

Stronger PAIN Pill Needed -

I was wondering if any one knew of the strongest pain pill I could take during the day for my RA that would lessen or take away the pain with out having to put Me to sleep? - I would also welcome the name of a pain pill that would work and help me to sleep at night.

..... One for Day Time (and) One for Night Time.

I am getting my list ready for my next doctor visit in two weeks.... I want to go in knowing what I am asking for / needing, for I tired of playing games to ease my pain and over all quality of life.

LoVe,
Rhapsody -

[Rhapsody]

<font color="red"> Any One - Any Ideals or Suggestions? </font>

(((Rhapsody)))

I don't know what you use now or what you have used in the past so if I mention something you've already tried, forgive me.

I found Neurontin to be the best med for sleep ever. It produces a very natural falling asleep and I slept all night. I woke up with absolutely no hangover effect, just very rested and refreshed. It's actually an anti-seizure med but it is used for post-op pain, neuropathies, and anxiety. Here's a link to some info on that: http://www.webmd.com/pain-management...in-Medications

Good luck, and good for you for researching prior to your doctor's visit!

[withit]

Have you heard of vicodin?

[Rhapsody]

YES - I have............................. does it make you sleepy while reducing the pain (or not)?

[withit]

The first time I took it I was at work, third day at a new part-time job, standing on my feet. I felt the initial 'high', the rush of 'feel-good' something, and then I felt a bit wobbly, kind of disoriented...I wanted to just go home and fall into bed. Then I was told that I may have taken too much too soon. So the next time I was in a lot of pain (I reserve it for when the pain is level 9-10) I took only a half a pill, followed by the other half about 30-60 minutes later. I don't remember being especially more tired after taking it. I don't take it often, so it's hard for me to tell you. (I've learned what kinds of activities increase my pain level, and so I try to avoid those activities. )
You may find more info on healingwell.com

[Juliana]

I took Vicodin once. It took the edge off my pain (I had a herniated cervical disc pinching a nerve). It made me very, very sleepy. That was a good thing at the time because I had been in too much pain to sleep. It actually let me get 6 hours of solid sleep. I only took it once because I was on vacation and a friend gave it to me. I couldn't take it home with me. ;-)

Depending on how severe your pain is, Toradol might be an option for the daytime. It didn't work for me when I was in mind-numbing pain during the first few months after I herniated the disk. I took it for a while when I started to get better, though, and for moderate pain (worse than a headache but not bad enough to make you cry or wail) it was effective without making me sleepy. I didn't feel sedated at all on Toradol. If I remember correctly, it's not recommended for long-term use, though.

My doctor prescribed Dilaudid for my pinched nerve pain. I read about its effects and that it's 5x more addictive than morphine, though, so I decided not to take it. I threw it away without taking even one pill. I wanted the pain to go away, but I didn't want to be high as a kite and risk a powerful addiction. So, I just suffered through the pain for 3 months. I don't think that's a good option for day OR night.

The only other pain killer I've tried is Tylenol 3 (with codeine). I know it makes some people sleepy, but it doesn't have that effect on me. Unfortunately, it doesn't affect my pain much either. For me, it seemed less effective than Advil. I know some people who have found it helpful, though.

I find that Klonopin, which I take for anxiety, actually takes the edge off moderate pain for me. It doesn't totally kill the pain, but it makes it more tolerable. I don't know if it's ever prescribed for pain, but it has that positive effect for me. I only take 0.5 mg in the day, so it only makes me slightly drowsy. I'm still alert enough to focus on my work and get things done. 1mg will make me sleepy and get a good night's sleep.

I hope you find something that works for you. Keep us posted. Good luck!

[(JD)]

Toradol is an anti-inflamatory. When I have certain disk/back pain... that has increased with time because the sacrum is out of place, the toradol helps by reducing the swelling and thus allowing the bones and nerves to return to their respective places.

Did you come up with anything yet Rhapsody?

[Juliana]

Thanks for clearing that up Sky. Nice to meet you! The Toradol must have been prescribed to reduce the swelling around my disk. It must have been the reduced swelling giving me some relief.

[(JD)]

You are welcomed! When I go to the ER in such pain, I ask for toradol shot and it's helping within the hour! The ER doc is always thankful, because they hate patients that ask for a pain shot and so relieved when I say I have my own pain meds, they act like they would give me anything else I asked for! LOL They are also always amazed that I don't stay the usual 4-5 hours, but leave because the shot helps so much. Now if I just won't put off asking for it in the future! grrr

TC!

[Leslie]

I have been trying different pain killers to see what I can take while I work and drive. Some pain killers like percocet, vicaden stay in your system for a long time and if you have an accident you can be charged with a DUI here in Arizona and your licence would be taken away. So I can't take those kinds of drugs when I am thinking of working. Most of those types of drugs stay in your urine for about a week. When I am ready to take a job that requires a drug test, I always keep this in mind. Alieve can sometimes help arthritis when you can't take harder drugs.

Leslie

[(JD)]

Yes, that I still drive is why I don't take a higher dosage of my pain med. FL is the same way.

Leslie, can't you carry a doctor's paper and have it on file, regarding the drug testing? I guess there are some jobs though where you can't work them if taking certain meds, period.

[Juliana]

</font><blockquote><div id="quote"><font class="small">Quote:</font>
_Sky said:
You are welcomed! When I go to the ER in such pain, I ask for toradol shot and it's helping within the hour! The ER doc is always thankful, because they hate patients that ask for a pain shot and so relieved when I say I have my own pain meds, they act like they would give me anything else I asked for! LOL They are also always amazed that I don't stay the usual 4-5 hours, but leave because the shot helps so much. Now if I just won't put off asking for it in the future! grrr

TC!

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">

Yup. Don't put off asking for it if it works! I ended up getting a corticosteroid shot for my disc/pinched nerve pain and I wish I had done it sooner. It broke the cycle of pain and gave me three weeks of pain relief. From that point on, the pain didn't come back as severely. At this point, I'm ALMOST pain-free. Is your pain a chronic condition or will it get better?

[Pughead]

I had a prescription for Toradol after my shoulder surgery and it wasn't for me. I had all sorts of bad side effects with it.

Vicodin effects vary greatly from person to person. Some people get sleepy, some get a little buzz from it, some feel sick, and for some there's really no side effects at all. Lucky for me I'm the latter. The only thing with Vicodin is that it is full of acetaminophen (same as Tylenol), so you have to watch how much you take. Taking more than the maximum dose can be hard on the liver. The "feel good" part of vicodin comes from a substance derived from opiates. Because of that, there is a risk of addiction. Brett Favre, QB for the Green Bay Packers was addicted to vicodin for a long time, until he overdosed and it nearly killed him.

[psisci]

narcotics are totally undetectable after about 10-30 hrs depending on the person and the drug. Stuff like codeine is out real quick. You should not be driving around on this stuff if you canhelp it though....