To think there must be painkilling solutions out there

Bumping for my DM. She has a lot of pain and I'd love to find her some relief.

Suzanne999. That sounds dire. Mine were very practical - I was referred to them after x rays showed widespread OA. It does sound like there might be a variation in what a team has on offer. M

I highly recommend a tens machine, when my OA is bad I live with mine on. That and heat/cool packs can be the difference between being able to function and not.

Have you actually been tested for osteoarthritis (scans, x-rays, bloods to exclude inflammation) or has the GP just assumed that it is?

If it's actually inflammatory, there can be medications and if there is particular damage then of course there are things that can be done with the input of an interested professional hospital services.

I'm in exact same position as you OP.

I've had osteoarthritis in both knees for 20 odd years. I take Co-Dydramol. It doesn't leave me pain free, but it helps me get around better. I notice when I haven't took them.

I tried the Amitriptyline but they didn't make much difference and made my legs feel 'heavy' somehow, through the day.

I also tried CBD oil. No effect at all.

Hope you get sorted. I know how horrible it is. 😕

If you have a pain management service in your area check what they will do first. After sitting for 2 painful hours being assessed I was promised hydrotherapy, told this would really help me. But first I had to attend “seminars” and was handed a list and told to sign up online. I think I had to attend a minimum of six. They were dire —- a man who muttered from his script, wouldn’t raise his voice, wouldn’t answer questions. 2 women who took turns to read from scripts, grinning at each other as I suppose they were so pleased they could read out loud. A man who was quite interesting to listen to but kept putting quotes unrelated to what he was saying on the large screen. Many had no reference so couldn’t even look up who they were from. The message overall seemed to be most pain is in your mind, you can get rid of it yourself by doing Tai Chi. That’s at least 18 hours of my life I’ll not get back.
The hydrotherapy never materialised.
Sorry to be pessimistic but it was a miserable experience.
Read up online about supplements, use heat or ice, whichever works for you. Pain patches ( I use Salonpas) I’ve used CBD oil but didn’t like it. Try YouTube for hypnotherapy to help with pain. Tens machine?
I’ve found I have to try several small things together to relieve pain —- today’s a bad day so I’ve taken Cocodamol ( OTC dose) a hot water bottle on my back and later I’ll try a hot bath with Epsom salts. There’s no one thing that stops the pain but if each little thing cuts 5 -10% I can feel less wrecked.

I have OA in my back the bottom 4 dics in my spine have collapsed and weigh on to my sciatic nerve causing horrible pain,asking my GP for a MRI scan is hopeless as she says there is nothing to be done so I exist on Zapain during the day and Amitriptyline x 2 10mgs a night to relax the back during the night so I can at least get some sleep.
I have just bought a Tens machine and hope it will give some relief.

There are a lot of suggestions on the nhs page for osteoarthritis www.nhs.uk/conditions/osteoarthritis/treatment/

My yd has JIA/RA and finds a lot of the things mentioned help. She uses heat packs and a plug in heat mat, a TENS machine, and finds rub in ibuprofen like Voltarol gel helps as well as Tiger balm.
Her medications probably wouldn't help you but she takes Gabapentin, and a JAKinhibitor for her condition, along with some other medications. She used to take Codeine and occasionally takes ibuprofen pills or paracetamol.

DH has recently started to suffer with knee pain due to OA. Co-codamol seemed to work best for him, having tried a few different meds. He is now relatively pain free, having put himself on a diet and losing a couple of stones, but still can't walk well. Hope you manage to find something that works for you. Constant pain is very debilitating

Watching with interest as have OA in my knees. I can’t take ibuprofen as it makes me anaemic (something to do with my underactive thyroid according to GP). So paracetamol is the only thing but it doesn’t work that well. I tried a hot water bottle but it seemed to make the pain worse.

Do you take magenesuim supplements? I use the magnesium spray on my fingers (early arthritis) and it works amazingly well.

Can you ask for a referral to your community pain management service. Mine have sorted out nerve blocks, Pilates and better painkillers.

Hot not bit.

DH is the same. GP apparently can't do anything to help. Will try your suggestion of a bit water bottle though. Hope someone else can help you.