To think there must be painkilling solutions out there

[Acrackineverything]

For osteoarthritis? Went to GP recently and mentioned that my arthritis pain had got worse. My mum had it and was crippled with pain. His reply was that things haven't really changed. Suggested paracetamol, which doesn't actually work for me, and prescribed Vimovo which takes the edge off but takes hours to kick in. The best solution for me is actually a hot water bottle held on whichever part hurts the most. But has anyone out there got any suggestions? I can put up with a certain amount of pain but I'm starting like I'm 90 instead of 60(ish)!

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.

Hot not bit.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

Thanks all, lots of suggestions here which I'm going to try. I'd love to but can't do Pilates as my wrists and knees are so painful and weak. I try to get out and walk every day but lately my feet have started to hurt and when I get home I'm wiped out with exhaustion. Getting older sucks!

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'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. 😕

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 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.

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

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

I completely understand, I've just had my first hip replacement at 45 due to end stage osteoarthritis in both hips. After being fobbed off several times, I eventually got a GP who prescribed tramadol and then oramorph along with cocodamol as it got worse. He referred me to orthopaedics and I had my hip replaced 2 months after the referral. My other one is absolute agony now, so I'm having to keep going with those painkillers until I get it replaced too. It's even worse since I had the first one done. Hot water bottles really help me too, as does sitting on a little electric blanket. Other than that I don't get much relief. I hope you find something that works, osteoarthritis is just awful.

So many of us in dire pain! I suppose OA isn't perceived as a "sexy" ailment so not much interest from the medical profession. Have mentioned my pain to many doctors over the years, no referrals but they diagnose me by looking at my (wonky) fingers.

I know myself that its what I have, I understand that there's no cure, but the pain is as PP said very debilitating, in my head I'm a young 62 yr old but I find it very upsetting not to be able to play with my little grandchild because my body lets me down.

Plus, inactivity means I've gained some weight; I need to exercise more to keep the weight down but I can't exercise more as its hard/painful/exhausting/etc. I'm going to look into getting a tens machine, and some magnesium.

Thanks for all the helpful replies, strength to all OA sufferers!

Just a thought, would swimming help @Acrackineverything ? My local pool offers in pool exercise classes which might be worth a try. They might have something suitable for your condition.

I’m 48 and have painful osteoarthritis in my hands, neck and knees. I’m actually struggling to do my job my hands are so bad at the minute.

The Dr prescribed Amitriptyline, I couldn’t actually tolerate it -made me feel like a zombie-but two other Drs have offered it me since so it must be a common treatment.

I do take naproxen when it’s really bad. 500mg twice a day. When it’s a really, really bad flare up 750mg. Other than that, Zapain for times when it’s keeping me awake at night.

I've had rheumatoid for 16+ years and nothing works. The only stuff that does stops you from living a functioning life. It's sad, but true. I do get some relief from edibles. Realistically you have to learn to cope with the pain. It can be very lonely.

I have an armchair that massages and heats. Also use hot and cold packs. Live on cocodamol and nefopam. Amytryptaline at night

Google Chair Yoga. Very gentle movements and no floor work.

@Suzanne999 I also went on a pain management course. It was a whole day, once a week for seven weeks. That was seven days’ annual leave I had to take……to be pretty much told that if I thought happy thoughts I wouldn’t notice the pain. That would be the same pain that 8 Tramadol a day didn’t make the slightest difference to (I stopped taking it cold Turkey and didn’t notice anything). Mind you, Oramorph never works on me either. Seven days of annual leave. Can you tell I’m still bitter?

@*Ghastlyghoul my teenage son has Chronic pain and Chronic Fatigue, can you say more about the nerve blockers please?

OP my son uses a heat pad. I've also heard tenns machines can help

My DM uses a tens machine and swears by devil's claw gel. She also takes Turmeric tablets which seems to help. When really bad, it's her knees, she has a steroid injection. I have it in my neck and found acupuncture helpful