Wellness

[NYwoman]

I had to take Aleve, then Celebrex, and Naprosen for years because I badly needed a hip replacement and had to fight 4-5 yrs to get it.   I was bone on bone.   I had no choice.   Now, I can no longer take such drugs (NSAIDs) because they almost disproyed my kidneys.    

Be grateful your doctor is sparing you problems you do not want.

I would advise you to lose weight, if you need to, do not smoke, eat an anti inflammatory diet (Perricone has a good book on that), and take HA (hyaluronic acid) supplements.    HA is naturally occuring in the ody but we produce less as we age.   It hydrates the joints and all organs.    Sam E is another good supplement.   

[violann]

I have found that FOR MYSELF, less is more. If I cut or break a pain relief pill in half, I get better results than if I were taking more.
I take turmeric capsules but I don't think they do much for my arthritis pain. Hylauronic acid seems to works some for me. Also, I bend the #+^' joint whether it hurts like blazes or not.
A painful joint always seems to me to feel better after I've exercised it.

[Buck-i-Nana]

I've tried turmeric and curcumin with little to no benefit.  I've tried the osteo-biflex and other similar joint products, again with little benefit and those pills are HUGE.  About 2 months ago, I saw a product in Sam's Club called Wellesse Joint Movement.  It's a liquid, no shellfish, glucosamine chondroitin with MSM and hyaluronic acid (all the ingredients my Dr said to look for).  It's working for me very well, especially for my hands and wrists and has allowed me to decrease the pain meds I'd been taking.  Doubt I'll ever been completely off pain meds, but this has provided significant relief for me and is easy to take and easily absorbed since it is a liquid.

[Luvitorleaveit1]

My knee has been killing me and I did start taking Aleve which I discovered during the winter when I was shoveling snow how much it helped with the aches and pains.  I noticed though that my ankles did swell but I'm not taking it that often.  I have a doctors appointment next week so I am going to ask him about the Aleve as well.

Thanks for the info I saw this post yesterday but couldn't  remember where it was so I'm glad I was able to locate it again.

[nunu4u]

I am another one who got off Tylenol by using turmeric.  Be sure to use one of the more bioavailable varieties.  I use the Meriva one (bought mine through Costco) but there are other varieties.  When you use this you aren't just helping the pain, you are dealilng with the inflammation which is the source.  Ginger tea helps too.

[twinkies]

If you are in pain then you have to use what works , Aleve relives inflammation and thats how it relieves pain , Tylenol does nothing for inflammation so thats why it does not work for arthritic pain , Tylenol also is very hardon the liver , Actually the aleve probably would be a better choice as long as you do not overdo it because it is actually suppressing inflammation so you would have to take less and it works for 12 hours ,I am an  R. N..   I am on a lot of meds as I have had severe rheumatoid arthritis ,mixed connectivetissuee disease and sjogrens and well as lupus , I have been on chemo and every med there is , I take milk thistle every day to protect my liver and have had no problems with my liver enzymes since then . , However years ago when I was on methotrexate for 9 years no one tlold me about milk thistle and so I was not taking it then , My liver enzymes were constantl y elevated , Since that time I have been on many arthritis meds , I am now on plaquenil ,mobic and remicade , I faithfully take milk thistle and have no problems with my liver , I know that when I was on that drug methotrexate those meds were hurting my liver but no one told me about milk thistle, I take milk thistle gel caps [, eazy. ]

cahy from ma. 

[LilacTree]

And taking ibuprofen 8 tabs a day for several years will give you high blood pressure.  I have RA and severe osteoporosis.  That happened to me.

I always had low blood pressure, then suddenly it went high.  I had been on ibuprofen, as I said, for years.  I was put on two different BP meds by two doctors and started having painful side effects from them.  So I went back to ibuprofen, but researched it thoroughly and discovered that it caused high blood pressure.  I stopped taking it and within a week my blood pressure went back down to low normal (117/68) which it had been all of my life.  Neither of those docs ever thought to take me off the ibuprofen.  No.  Just prescribe another dangerous med.  When I proved to them that not taking ibuprofen cured the HBP, they both just shrugged.

That was well over a year ago and I have not had one high BP reading since then.  Everything one takes causes serious side effects.  I now take no pain killers at all, and though some days I can't get out of bed, I'd rather have pain than liver failure and high BP.

As far as Aleve it is very rare for me to take it and when I do it's usually because of a headache.  And I never take more than one a week.  And sometimes my ankles do swell the day after, but I keep my legs raised and to me it's the lesser of all evils.

Of course it's up to you whether you do what a doctor tells you to do or not.  Research.  Make your own decision.

[Lipstickdiva]

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@corita wrote:

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@mysterylady wrote:

Yes, my doctor has told me the same thing. You are fortunate to be able to take Tylonol - I also can't take that. Any pain meds must be prescribed - last week was prescribed Tramadol before upcoming dental surgery.

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I was prescribed Tramadol after surgery and it did nothing for the pain!  Just seemed like basic Tylenol to me; my DD had the same response to the medication.

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My doctor gave me Tramadol for my back and it was a waste of my time even taking it.  It did absolutely nothing.  It didn't even take the edge off my pain.

I cannot take Advil for more than a couple days in a row or I start getting stomach issues.

[ID2]

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@StylishLady wrote:

I must be one of the few people that does not "have" a doctor. Maybe it's a good thing. I find Alleve to be the most helpful OTC medication for any pains I may have. 

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Why don't you "have" a doctor?? Not a very good life choice. JMO

[mousiegirl]

About twenty-three years ago, I began having severe pain in a hip which was dislocated when I was nine.  I had pain ever since the accident, but was able to cope, until it became unbearable.  I began taking Aleve, which kept me walking for three years, and was up to six a day, way too much, when I scheduled surgery.  After surgery, at some point in time, I read that Aleve can cause heart problems, and it can cause bleeding as it thins the blood, so I never take it any longer.

I use SportsGel for any aches and pains, and that works for me, but it would not have worked for my hip.