Wellness

[Luvsmyfam]

I went to the walkin  ortho clinic today for horrible knee and leg pain.xray showed severe arthritis. Instead of a cortisone shot,she gave me a 6pk of oral steriods.after reading reviews of this medicine,I am terrified to take this.i am at my wits end.i asked for some tramadol for pain as well,but Dr said no.and no,I am not a drug seeker,just want relief.have any of you taken this before?I am really desperate for some answers.

Thank you

[DrakesMomma]

@Luvsmyfam - I've taken several courses of steriods this year for issues with my back.  The idea with steriods for pain is it will reduce the swelling and that in turn will reduce the pain.  Steriods turn me bright red, like the color of Santa's suit.  Other than that I have no problem taking them.  Hope you feel better soon.  

[Love my grandkids]

Steroids are nothing to fear. They are extremely helpful in reducing swelling which eases pain. I've taken steroids a few times in my life with no ill effects, but might have a slight increase in appetite.

[Laura14]

@Luvsmyfam Best person is the pharmacist who can recommend a substitution or clear up your concerns. Just give he or she a quick call and you'll get your best answers.

Tramadol is a controlled substance which is probably why your doctor is hesitant and lots of people don't tolerate it well. If you do, a pharmacist may be able to give your doctor's office a quick call and, if appropriate, try and get you a substitution to it. 

[Luvsmyfam]

@DrakesMomma thank-you so much for responding.can I ask you this?did you have a hard time sleeping with this medicine?I want relief so bad,IL do just about anything

[Growing]

The cortizone shots in the knee are not always the answer and if you research this, you'll see that the research shows failure of cure and maybe even further reduction of cartilage. Now I have had a shot in various joints, one shot and then I stop. If you need oral steriods, then you need oral steriods. My guess is they didn't have anyone who could do a knee injection or the doctor felt you needed all throughout the body reduction of inflamation.

The newer HA injections, hyalauronic acid, are also not researched to actually work but I had three in my terrible knee over a course of two years and now I rarely have pain unless I walk alot. 

Now as to the tramadol, good luck on getting that in the USA and it would only be a short term solution anyway. It won't fix your knee. If you are older, it could make you get dizzy and fall. I have a lot of arthritis and a lot of pain. I take a lot of supplements to help with my arthritis, some told to me by my doctors. I really like a good turmeric or curcumin supplement 500 mg 2X a day. It helps me tremendously but you have to buy and take a high quality brand, not the drugstore brand. I also take SAMe for joint pain and mood. I am now taking Glucosomine and Chondroitin on doctor's orders. I am no longer allowed to take NSAIDS as they gave me severe gastritis. So I make due with Salonpas patches and lidocaine patches. Tylenol doesn't do much for me. Ice your knee. Get soothing knee covers that are for arthritis, I find mine on Amazon. I have ones that are knitted like a sock and warm up the joint and ones that are almost like a brace but not a brace, I get them larger than needed for comfort. I also like anything with the copper in it, like Tommy Copper brand best but it runs small so order larger. Get the knee sleeve, I find it soothing but too small and its too tight on me. Make sure your shoes are very cushioned and not old and worn out. I even sleep in cotton leggings to keep my knees and ankles and feet warm to reduce pain. 

Lastly there are FARinfared socks, gloves, knee sleeves if you google this term. They warm the joint. They are wonderful. Well worth the price. 

I wish you the best. 

[Love my grandkids]

@Laura14 I was only ever given tramadol in the hospital. No surprise the doc wouldn't give it to her.

[Luvsmyfam]

@Love my grandkids yes,I was warned about increased appetite. That part I can handle..?.. I think.its the other side effects that word me.it was almost impossible to work today with this extreme pain.always something going on with me

[Kachina624]

Ive had many cortisone injections in knees, back and ankle but never heard of pills.  Cortisone is a steroid and should be prescribed with care but, if taken as directed, you should be fine.   It's dangerous if over-prescribed and doctors are careful about that. 

You sound like you might be a candidate for knee replacement surgery.  Don't you work as a waitress?  That must be rough with knee pain.   So sorry you're in pain.

I've heard of Prednisone, which is also a steroid, causing an appetite increase, but never cortisone.  I certainly never experienced that. 

[DrakesMomma]

@Luvsmyfam  -  After a couples days when the medicine started working and calmed down the pain, no.  

Did your doc suggest heat or ice for you?  With arthritis in my back my ortho suggested ice.  I thought he was nuts but I did as told and it helped.  No one was more surprised at that than me.