How do painkillers work; what is the best way to take them?

[KatyMac]

Specifically paracetamol, co-codamol (not at the same time) & diclofenac

Currently I take (Paracetamol or Co-codamol) them when I am in pain; but something the GP said makes me wonder if taking them before I get to that point might be better.

He also intimated that I should take the diclofenac whether or not I have any pain at the time

Does anyone know what I am supposed to be doing; getting understandable info out of my GP is like puling teeth (which may well be my problem as I don't think I am necessarily a 'good' patient)

If you can't speak to your GP, a pharmicist should be able to help you too - they are often (IME) more willing to spend the time explaining than GPs, and are very knowledgeble about the way meds interact and how to take them - often moreso than a GP, because meds are their specialty.

thats true, you can ask for a med review.

Katy - as you know I ahve Fibromyalgia (your symptoms sound similar to mine actually) and while I was at a pain clinic was told that every one has a level of pain, in normal apin free people it's , say 67%, but in people with long term chronic pain its maybe only 46%. They said that if i take the paracetamol at the full maximum dose allowed in 24 hours, every day , then my low pain levels would rise slightly - not to the smae levels as a healthy person but slightly higher so I was better able to cope. So I do that, I take 2 for example when i get up (assuming I've had a good night). Then if it's really really bad I take co-codamol, if not I take 2 more paracetamol 4/5 hours later.
Does that make sense?

Not very good at explaing myself

So is 1 co-codamol better then 2 paracetamol, or is the paracetamol better?

My brother is busy lecturing me from Sweden , he thinks I should take asprin

I think I will get better help once I have the blood tests back - I'm guessing that will be a week on Wed (at least)

1 co-codamol hasthe same amount of paracetamol as 1 paracetamol. It depends if you need the codeine too. 2 co-codamol has the same paracetamol as 2 paracetamol, but either 5mg or 30 mg codeine per tablet too.

I only take my co-codamol (30/500mg) at night because they make me so drowsy and only if the paracetamol hasn't helped.

you could take 1 paracetamol and 1 co-codamol together as the leve of paracetamol is the same in each one. if that makes sense

The paracetamol doesn't do much at all

The co-codamol is the higher dose

I'm guessing 3 diclfenac & 3 co-codamol is an OK balance until I get 'better' advise. & I hope it's better than 8 paracetamol

I must get some lower dose co-codamol & see how they work

It's not good to take aspirin together with diclofenac or any other anti-inflammatories for that matter. Aspirin also has anti-inflammatory, pain relieving and anticoagulant (blood thinning) properties and I was always told (by GP and 3 A&E Dr's) NEVER to take more than one anti-inflammatory at a time in any one dose.

Co-codamol has either 8 or 30mg of codeine and 500mg of paracetamol and you should NOT take more than 100mg paracetamol in any one dose. Always wait 4-6hrs before taking another dose. If, you are still in pain 2-3hrs after taking 2 paracetamol OR co-codamol tablets, you should really see your GP about your pain.

Please do not take more than 2 tablets of any painkiller. You could end up with delayed liver damage even, if you feel well

No don' take 3 co-codamol.

Sorry in 24 hrs

Phew, that's OK to take 3 in 24hrs and you can take a max of 8 in 24hrs. Again, you should only take a maximum of 2 per dose and wait at least 4hrs before taking any more.

If you mistakenly take more than recommended, please drink plenty of water, call NHS Direct/your GP and explain what you've done. They can advise you on what to do/where to go from there.

BTW, I meant not to take more than 1000mg (not 100mg) per dose and wait at least 4hrs before taking any more.

I hope you can get to speak to your GP soon and get all this sorted.

I'm taking Diclofenac:
7am
3pm
11pm

& 1 co-codamol
at about
10am
5pm
9pm

But I am wondering if I should take a co-codamol at 7 when I wake as I am so sore & stiff then

So you're taking 3 diclofenac and 3 co-codamol in 24hrs.

You could take 2 co-codamol together with the diclofenac at 7am, another 2 at 11pm before you go to bed, then 1 co-codamol whenever you take the other diclofenac.

You may be a bit spaced out for a wee while but don't worry, that should pass. It should also give you a bit more freedom from your pain.

why dont you see your doctor to sort this out for you hun he may even give you something stronger if you are in so much pain .

I'm getting there; I checked they won't discuss any changes until they have the blood tests

Or 1 co-codamol and 1 paracetamol at the times you take the painkillers

I know it's hard being in so much pain and there very little worse than not being able to do things which seem easy for others.

Your GP has taken blood, to be tested, with certain conditions in mind and may be assuming that other types of pain relief (other than the ones you're on ATM) may be too much of a risk to give prior to the results. Saying that, it's better to have a slightly over-cautious GP because at least you know you're relatively safe.

Will the diclofenac affect the blood tests (they are on Thursday) & I'd rather do with out for a day or two than mask any conditions

I would assume that, since you've been prescribed diclofenac and the other pain relief, your GP feels that those are absolutely safe to take anytime including before, during and after taking bloods.

I think your GP is waiting for your results to come back so he has a better picture of what meds you MAY need and what better pain relief you can be given alongside the meds IYSWIM.

If the diclofenac was going to alter the results of the bloods, your GP would have prescribed something else instead.

Will be back in a wee while. Got to put the kids to bed.

Back again Katy. How the pain today? I hope you're not in much pain at all.

It's mixed; the co-codamol & diclofenac together made little noticeable difference this morning & I still needed one mid-morning so I have ended up with an extra dose with little benefit

But I am learning

Thanks for asking

I spoke to my brother who keeps reminding me of great aunts who are bent double & to get proper help right now (obviously the medical system in Sweden is different)

Sorry to hear it's not made much difference, but I was thinking if you could distract yourself with something you would get engrossed in, you might not notice the pain as much - a kind-of diversional thing OR I could tell you some really bad jokes tomorrow .

Sorry to post and leave, but I'm literally falling asleep ATM. Take care of yourself and please try to get a good night's sleep.

if you are taking diclofenac you should be given a stomach protector like omeprazole or lansoprazole to prevent ulcers.
Gabapentin and amitriptyline are also good for fibromyalgia.

My doc always advised not to take diclofenac just before going to bed because if it sits in the oesophagus if you lie down it can cause more irritation.

co-codamol can be taken 4 times a day so see if doc will let you take 2 four times a day.