How often are you in pain?

[UnhealthyCopingStrategies]

And how often do you take painkillers?

I'm in pain daily, but today is the first time I've taken painkillers (this week), which got me wondering...

I'm.jn pain every day and take various pain medications every day.

A few times a week. Try to keep painkillers when I really need them which is a couple of times a month

My joints hurt almost every day, I don't take any pain relief for it as the pain low level annoying rather than anything else.

It depends what you mean by "in pain". I'd imagine I feel some kind of pain every day, even if it's just the odd achy muscle or a small cut on a finger getting some lemon juice in it or something equally prosaic. A couple of times a week I'll have a headache or some gut spasms that won't go away on their own or something. For some types of pain I'll take antispasmodics or triptans or something that isn't technically a painkiller.

So I suppose maybe once a fortnight I take some paracetamol (can't have ibuprofen), and more rarely than that, I'll add in some codeine.

All the time! It's probably best to ask 'when are you not in pain?'

I only take painkillers when it gets beyond what I can cope with

Constantly. I have tried really hard to manage without painkillers, but recently I have to take my permitted dose every day just to be able to function. It is depressing because I know it is only going to get worse.

In pain every day with either my dodgy knee or my dodgy back, but don't take painkillers for either.

Headaches - once a month or so i'll get one bad enough to take painkillers.

Sore throat - couple of times a year.

That's about it.

Funnily enough i was having this convo with my son in law (to be) the other day.

He's in the ''I take pain killers for the slightest thing, why wouldn't you!?' camp, and i'm in the ''i really avoid them for fear of them not working when i'm in real need'' camp.

I have heavy duty pain for about 4 days mid cycle for which I take cocodamol for. Outside of that I will pop a couple of paracetamol a week for a headache, earache, hangover etc.

I am doing a lot of weight training atm and have DOMS from time to time. I wouldn’t take painkillers for it, it just might prevent me from doing the exercise I want.

Hardly ever, and hardly ever take painkillers.

define pain? without giving my entire medical history, i suffer pain 24/7. somedays its managable and sometimes its not. i refuse to let the pain get the better of me, i do have some pretty hefty painkillers but i only use them when i really need them.

i have joint issues, a couple of hernited disc's in my back.. the list go's on, but i refuse to give up.

i have lost weight to help, i exercise to help.. sometimes i just cry

2 days a month for my period I’m in extreme pain and take prescribed painkillers. Yet they still won’t diagnose endo and keep fobbing me off.
the rest of the time, hardly ever. Only get a headache if I get heatstroke maybe once or twice a year.

I was told, as a child, that every human being experiences pain every day of their lives …

But I’m not sure I know the original source of this wisdom.

my consultant said this exact thing to me... the more you take them, the more your body gets used to them, and they when you really need them.. they are pointless

Very rarely. Take painkillers, maybe for a headache, no more than a couple of times a year. Some people on this thread take an awful lot!

Every day.
I have TN and a large dose of medication to prevent pain, but get breakthrough pain most days.

I also had a hip problem in my 40s and had an operation, and the issue is flaring up a bit again so I have hip pain daily.

I would say that I'm in discomfort all the time and it tips over into pain quite frequently. I try to stick to the pain ladder and only bring out the more hardcore meds when I really need them.

Constantly in pain day and night whether moving or resting. Wake up three times a night or sometimes zero sleep. No position is comfortable. Nothing helps. Sometimes worse but always bad. Been like this about 8 years. In my dreams I can still walk and run and ride but then I wake up and it is back to reality and barely able to walk even with mobility aids.
Prescribed variety of painkillers which don’t seem to work anymore after taking them for years.

Rarely, and I’m sorry to read so many are in pain often.
I’d take paracetamol maybe once every 3 months or so , can’t really remember when I last took some.

Why are you all in pain so much?

I think I've taken painkillers once or twice this year maybe. Once for my period and once for some strange nerve pain

Genuinely, do some women not need to take them for periods?

I’ve got a list of gynae conditions but just assumed it was standard to take all the drugs for at least a few days a month…

Pah. I have MS, Epilepsy, had a stroke and have something noone has every heard of.

I rarely take pain killers though.

I have osteoarthritis and no cartilage left in one of my ankle joints. On waitlist for surgery. In pain every day. Manage through the day, take one dose of painkillers at night if I can't get to sleep because of the pain.

Very rarely. Maybe once or twice a year

In pain most days (IBS) but I've only resorted to painkillers for that once. A hot water bottle works just as well. Also, I prefer to address the cause of the pain with anti spasmodics, acid inhibitors, etc.
For other sources of pain, eg headache, muscle pain, I take paracetamol as and when needed. I don't "do" pain very well. But fortunately I rarely get headaches etc. Over reliance on painkillers bothers me because I have family members who basically cut their lifespan short through overuse of over the counter drugs.