'A Patient Voice' Community

I don't know if this is how a "reply" is used. I have wondered if taking ibuprofen will help pain. Lortab has tylenol in it, which is a pain reliever and kinda hard on your liver if you take it alot. Ibuprofen helps pain too, and is an anti-inflamatory. Over use of your body probably causes some swelling in joints or wherever. So reducing swelling might reduce pain??? What do you think? I am not a chronic pain sufferer, my husband it.

Ibuprofen is an NSAID (non-steroidal anti inflammatory drug) that can reduce swelling and pain for many people. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) can relieve swelling but not inflammation. Yes, usually reducing swelling can reduce pain as well.

When you have any questions regarding medication, it is always best to talk to your doctor and/or pharmacist. They will know about interactions OTC medications may have with prescription drugs a patient is taking.

hello, TM --

i am not a medical person, and i'm sure that you already know this, but -- just in case -- no matter what your husband takes for pain, he shouldn't mix NSAIDs of two different kinds at once. in other words, lortab/tylenol or ibuprofen or naproxen, but not at the same time.

plus, i don't think tylenol is an anti-inflammatory, but i know that the other two are.

please keep us posted on how you and your husband are doing.

-- susie margaret

I have severe spinal stenosis with alot of nerve damage. I also have a dx of osteoarthritis and ddd, with 3 of my discs completely missing. I am not a candidate for back surgery, d/t a hx of fx in my spine and both feet. I also have a separated a/c joint and 2 rotator cuff tears. I have alot of numbness and tingling if I sit.

I am on lyrica and feldene. I take tramadol and tylenol for breakthrough pain. Is there any cheaper medication that I could use, rather than lyrica? Is there any other medical regimen that you would recommend? I am in so much pain, all the time. I appreciate your time and help~tylrmyd777

I have multiple degenerative spinal problems very similar to yours. I also am in a great deal of pain daily. The only medication I can take is a muscle relaxer (methocarbamol) and enteric coated aspirin. All other medication cause severe hives or do not work for me.

Gabapentin (generic Neurontin) is less expensive then Lyrica, from what I understand, and is used for the same purpose. You will need to discuss your medications with your doctor. Perhaps you could see a pain management specialist that could offer you a treatment plan to get you some relief.

Ibuprofen can be rough on your kidneys, it can also cause gastro-intestinal bleeding. I am on both sides of the fence, I work in healthcare and I'm a patient, sometimes you feel as if you are between a rock and a hard place. The best answer is open honest communication with the care team.

Lyrica is said to work wonders, gabapentin has been shown to be effective too. It's really affordable

I was diagnosed with FMS/CFIDS 15 yrs ago, plus have perm Illeostomy, osteoarthritis of spine, had 38 surgeries, my medical will prescribe anything, but Ibuprophen for pain. Anyway, I just started on Gabapentin last month and it is amazing for me. Just 3 days after starting, I slept better and do not feel like a walking bruise. I can poke my legs and rub my arms and it does not hurt between my skin and bones. I have Indian Health and medicine is limited. So if they can give me this and it works, I won't worry about trying Lyrica. Oh also I was severely low on Vit D and got that too and doctor said that also can cause widespread pain and symptoms. I feel this is progress for me!

I just noticed NOT is missing in what I just wrote---my medical will not give anything for pain, but Ibuprophen only.

Basically what is being said in the medical community is that Tylenol (Acetaminophen) is harder on the kidneys even though all of these meds end up going through the liver.
Advil (Ibuprofen) is harder on the liver than Tylenol.
I agree you can't take both to counter act this problem but you must be careful. If he is prescribed Lortab with Acetaminophen, he should never take Tylenol and if other pains from a headache, etc, then take Advil as it would be dangerous to take the Tylenol.
Some doctors even prefer Naproxen aka Aleve as you can take less pills. I would take the doctor's advice on this.

Pain and swelling such ugly words...I have combated it for many years, as have so many others. IF you can, do not deal with Lortabs, I was on that merry-go-round for too many years. It does hurt and can destroy your liver for sure and who knows what else, I was lucky to get out in time ( I just hope side effects do not linger or crop up later on)...For me I am sorry any doctor ever put me on the Lortabs!

However, what is causing the pain? Start with that and work to a pain pill, until you do try over the count Aleve (liquid gels work faster) may be better for you and your body.
You must tackle the Anti-inflammatory that is attacking your body and increasing your threshold on pain. From there once, you are on a good Anti-inflammatory medication; there are many we use Sulidac twice a day. For pain they placed me on Oxycodone HCl, I am sure to hear flack from many readers, but it has been a lifesaver and aided me in functioning normally again. With Chronic Arthritis (I have to have four forms of it cannot be normal with one, lol) I have Psoriatic Arthritis, and having lost my job and all insurance's (due to lack of money) I had to drop many medications I used to be on.
The family doctor has been trying to assist me for a year to change what my RA Doctor wants me to be medicated with. She put me on Prednisone because my fingers began to deform again and my inflammation was getting out of control (so to take it 2-3 times a day for a week, then drop to one a day), it has been close to a year since I have seen him or Enbrel for my RA/Psoriatic condition. Let me tell you I feel like I could do cartwheels and other useful things I have not been able to do for quite some time. Sure, the other medicines did their magic also, but when you cannot afford it, you have to have other options and avenues available to you.

Hi, I am happy to see someone post a list of options for R/X refills.
With AzstraZeneca is envoles paperwork,but is worth it.
I have 3 friends sign w/ AZ, and it helped them in so many ways.

Everything listed above are all excellent resocres..............

hello, all --

in addition to byroney's excellent suggestions, here are some additional resources for finding programs for assistance with prescription costs (NOTE -- i tried to weed these out, but there may still be some that duplicate the entries on byroney's list) --

-- ask your prescribing dr or your family dr for samples;

-- ask a pharmacist if s/he knows of local/state/national programs for getting free/low-cost meds;

-- ask a pharmacist if any of the meds you are taking have generic equivalents, which are much less expensive than brand-name ones; many discount stores (target, wal-mart, etc.) dispense generic meds at $4/month;

-- look at the labels on your current meds, get the manufacturer's name for each, then apply to each manufacturer's patient assistance program;

-- check out the listings from these websites -- http://www.rxoutreach.com , http://www.gskforyou.com/10_programs.htm , and http://www.211.org ;

-- check out the website for the national conference of state legislatures, which lists prescription assistance programs by state (subsidy programs, table 1, and discount programs, table 2, each can be reached by a link within the text); the page with the listings requires a little maneuvering but is well worth the effort -- http://www.ncsl.org/IssuesResearch/Health/StatePharmaceuticalAssistanceProgramsNCSL200/tabid/14334/Default.aspx#Discount ;

-- check out these websites to determine your eligibility for govt assistance programs -- https://www.benefitscheckup.org/index.cfm?partner_id=0 , and http://www.govbenefits.gov/govbenefits_en.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=gbcc_page_home&_nfls=false ;

-- call your city, county, or state dept of health and dept of family services (or something that sounds equivalent), and ask if there are state or local programs for prescription assistance;

-- go to the website for your state government, e.g., http://www.your_state.gov , and click on every social services link you can find; and

-- ask around at food banks, shelters, united way and other charitable organizations, the YMCA/YWCA, and similar places about local programs thru churches, fraternal organizations, etc.

i hope these help.

-- susie margaret

Dear Susie Margaret,

Thanks for these great resources! There are many programs out there, but sometimes it takes some detective work to find them. Hopefully the links will help cut some of the legwork.

My best,

Byroney