Has anyone just STOPPED medical pain releif for chronic pain, and/or replaced it with natural pain relief?

[PavlovtheCat]

In particular back pain joint pain, arthritis etc other inflammatory or degenerative conditions (not for medical conditions or illness that will worsen/eccelerate the ill or condition without medicine) that cause chronic pain where long term (often high doses of) painkillers are needed?

I am reading about long term use of NSAIDs increasing joint degeneration, increased tolerance/reduced effects of long term us of codiene/tramadol etc, not to mention the side effects of using and then coming off them after long term use. Steroid injections can increase joint degeneration too it seems. And generally having artificial chemicals in your body For significant periods seems unhealthy in itself!

I have been reading about use of glucosamine,omega 3, ginger, turmeric, oils in evening primrose oil, and other stuff to reduce inflammation. And exercise, mindfulness, meditation to cope with pain, myo fascia, release and other massage for releasing toxin buildup in muscles.

Has anyone swapped conventional painkillers for natural remedies?, either now or ever? What do you use/what did you try?

Or, Did you find you had to take some cnvential pain releif but could reduce significantly?

I will be lurking for ideas on this thread for dh. He has at least two compressed discs (L4/5) and some arthritis but is only 31.

He has undergone lumbar facet joint injections and rhizolysis but had no long term relief with either. He cannot take tramadol or any anti inflammatories. Gabapentin and amitriptyline did not help either.

the only thing that worked for him (but only temporarily) was cocodomol and dihydrocodeine. However, he was having to take more and more to get through the day :( he realised this couldn't continue and started to cut back but found himself in a permanent withdrawal state. At the start of the summer he took the decision to go cold turkey. After a couple of weeks of hell he is now drug free.

the change in him has been remarkable, he is becoming himself again and so far managing the pain without the pain killers. He uses heat and cold patches and exercise learnt in rehab. The next thing I want to help him with is his diet as I'm sure this may help, so reading here about the wheat and dairy is interesting :)

I will ask him later about the other supplements he was told about and any good books etc he has come across re pain management and post back with any other good info he has.

You are more than welcome to lurk! And share. If this thread can generate some natural oain relief solutions, because people don't want to, or cannot for some reason rely on conventional medicine alone or at all, then that would be even better than just me benefitting. There must be lots of thing to try.

My DH was diagnosed RA 6 months ago. It's been a real blow to his pschye. The steriods were a disaster,came off them asap. Then awful side effects from the hydroxychloroquine.
Off both. Where to look now?

harbinger it's still early days yet. The bad news is that it's often a process of trial & error with RA meds. The good news is there are still loads of treatment options out their for him. I would expect them to try him on sulphasalazine or methotrexate next, which are slightly stronger, have different side effects (I don't tolerate hydroxychloroquine or sulphasalazine, but am absolutely fine with methotrexate)... If they don't settle it down they can try other drugs or drug combinations and if his markers are high enough and other disease modifying drugs don't work he may get referred for biologics (see my previous post)
I would suggest if he hasn't already that he checks out the arthritis care website - there's a fab discussion forum, helpline & loads of information about treatments, different types of arthritis and coping with life/work/kids/exercise etc

Hydroxycloroquine gave blisters where not wanted
Can't see Methotrexate as his stomach/digestive system is 'delicate' shot.
I'm sure he's read everthing but by doing that ......................God help me

If he has problems ingesting methotrexate he can get it injected. It is better for those who have stomach problems and a few people I know do this also as it reduces the nausea. He needs to discuss this with his dr but it might be worth a try as it really is an effective drug for many people. Learning to inject can be daunting but actually it gets easier very quickly especially if you are seeing a tangible benefit (I am on biologics which you have to inject)

It might also be worth him getting a referral for some counselling. I found it very difficult to come to terms with at the beginning, as well as frustrating and I felt helpless. Talking it through with someone completely unemotionally attached to me really helped. Btw I was a huge counselling sceptic before I went but it helped me get my head round it all, which is a big part of learning to cope.

harbingerofdoom and wonkylegs

I'm due to see my rhumatologist at the end of September.

I reacted to sulfasalazine and after a number of years on methotrexate I couldn't stand the side effects any longer.

I've been on antinflamatories and cocodamol for the last few years, but have to cut down (GP wants me to cut out) the antiinflamatories as I now take medication for high BP.

So basically I will be asking about disease modifiers, I'll come back with any results. My arthritis is psioritic, bt similar to RA.

Sashh - there are a few DMARDs they might change you to - but as you've 'failed' on 2 DMARDs already they may consider you for biologics if your disease is active enough. There is a scoring system in the UK as to whether or not you are eligible.
I think I've been lucky with the mtx & side effects. However it wasn't effective enough on it's own after I had my DS so I now take it in combination with Humira. Together they have been absolutely fab, huge difference in my quality of life.
Hope you find something that works soon.

Hello, just marking my place for a good read later (brain a bit foggy ATM)

I am not finding any painkillers very helpful. I have got naproxen, cocodamol and diclofenac but they aren't denting it really. I have had a really bad couple of months which it turns out might be an acute episode of CFS (not got a dx yet but GP thinks it is and has referred me to a specialist). Really worried as I'm back to work next week and I stupidly forgot to ask the GP for something else to try. I did say diazepam helped (had it the other day for a smear test) but he was reluctant to prescribe it due to addiction.

Been wondering about vitamins as well but not sure it's a good idea as I may need more blood tests for deficiencies and it might mess up the results. They are very expensive too.

House is like a damn pharmacy already. DH takes 28 tablets on a good day (prolapsed disc). He gets really talkative on tramadol too!

Will stop ranting now sorry

I've had a cervical disc removed and have been left with chronic pain. Am off most pain relief now other than a little overnight as my neck tends to seize up. Things that have helped hugely are:

Regular exercise - jogging on a treadmill has made a huge difference, but I suppose would be very dependent on what your original illness is

Acupuncture - fab pain relief when its really bad

Traditional osteopathy - not the modern bone crunching clicking stuff, but the gentle original version which is completely different. This has been life changing for me.

Will be reading this thread with interest

I have hypermobility, fibromyalgia, facet joint disease (spinal arthritis) and looks like i also have arthritis in my hips.

I have been in chronic pain since the age of 13 and have only had a limited amount of NSAID input due to asthma, however, I have gone down the amitryptiline/nortriptiline/pregabalin/gabapentin route and whilst they are VERY effective painkillers for neuropathic pain I have put on a LOT of weight with them and I think that it is this coupled with my propensity to being arthritic that means my hips have gone . I'm not yet 30.

I would LOVE to find a natural route to pain relief and I have tried EVERYTHING, dietary alterations, eliminating aspartame, acupuncture, yoga, pilates, homeopathy, kinesiology, hydrotherapy, physiotherapy, TENS, meditation, exercise, rest, mind over matter, heat, cold... to the point my pain clinic didn't know what to do with me as I was suggesting things to them and saying "done that"

Currently I am on 80mg nortryptiline, 4 doses a day of paracetamol, and a dose of codeine at night if I can't sleep (which is once every couple of weeks, I try not to take it!). I was on Meloxicam for a while but that landed me in hospital with my asthma.

Best thing I've found is to just keep going. Don't stop. I still work full time, my home life suffers as a result mind, but I do it. I wish there was a magic wand that could be waved because I am, to be frank, bloody fed up and, after 16 years of chronic high level pain, i'm ready to throw the towel in

Oh yeah the current thing i'm on is Naproxen as my anti-inflamatory, seems to not affect my asthma but also doesn't seem to work.

Napraxen made me vomit and think, for a brief moment i was going to die. Honestly, I was soo sick! But, then very recently also sick in the Same way on tramadol and was less worried that time!

sirchris it's the getting on with it that is hard isn't it? I am on the start of this journey of chronic pain and already I often feel I would like to go to bed and just stay there. The motivator for me is the children, I want them to see that live is good and happy and not shit and painful. I don't want them to look back and think of their childhood it mother who could not be arsed, who spent all day in bed, was moany, and complained all the time. But, right now, that is what they got!(apart for staying in bed, not a chance!)

I have tried gabapentin but I cannot work on it, talk in sentences even! It slows me right down and makes me incoherent. Have not tried the others (yet). It is the nerve pain that nothing works for, there is no let up when it decides to hurt. Apart from a foot rub actually, that helps a little.

Ok, I think you guys have worse pain and conditions than I experienced- I had a rather disabling RSI injury for a while. I did Alexander technique and it is AMAZING. If you haven't tried it, try it. It's expensive- you take lessons from a teacher (bit like a therapist) at about £20/30 a time, but the results can be amazing. No drugs involved and has been known to help arthritis and all sorts of disabling back pain. Worth a go?

I have actually been reading a little about the Alexander technique, good to hear some positive thoughts on it. And RSI pain is horrendous and very difficult to treat the pain from it so don't belittle the level of suffering you would have experienced. Do you still suffer from it or did it improve with the Alexander technique or is it that you have it still but it is manageable now?

I would say I don't have it any more, but actually I think I just got really good at managing it. I know how to use my body (Alexander speak), so that if I get any pain I go through the techniques and start practising more regularly (you need to do it every day ideally) to sort myself out. Also, it opened my eyes to a lot of other stuff re emotional pain etc. It was a life changing experience for me.

All I would say is that if you decide to try it, commit to at least 6-10 lessons as it takes this long to get going normally, and might take longer the older you are (I was in my mid twenties at the time and bodies are generally quicker to learn when younger). Don't be put off though, it can help 80 year olds... .

My mum thinks that cod liver oil helps her, she stopped taking everything once and reintroduced things one at a time to see what was helping.

If you find ice packs work, you can buy Deep Freeze in a spray or a rub, its handy to use if you havent got time to sit with and ice pack on.

Interesting thread

When I had back pain I was worried about my NSAID use so I switched to natural alternatives. It's hard to say if they actually worked as I was getting better through physio anyway. This book covers supplements etc:
www.amazon.co.uk/Food-Better-Medicine-Than-Drugs/dp/0749927976/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1345934055&sr=1-1

and has a chapter on pain medication. If you bought everything recommended the supplements could be quite costly. This is an extract from a similar article:

The easiest way to supplement all these natural anti-inflammatory agents is in various combined herbal formulas. Since their effect is probably synergistic, this may prove more effective than just taking one ingredient alone and also requires lower doses. These can also be found in creams which can be applied locally, reducing pain and swelling in specific joints.
Anti-inflammatory nutrients Dose from to
Omega 3 ? EPA/DPA 500mg -1000mg
Glucosamine 1,000mg 2,000mg
MSM 1,500mg 3,000mg
Curcumin 500mg 1,500mg
Boswellia 400mg 1,200mg
IsoOxygene 500mg 1,500mg
Olivenol 40mg 100mg
Quercitin 200mg 500mg
Ashwagandha 300mg 600mg
Ginger extract 500mg 2,000mg
Bromelain 250mg 750mg

I also took Devils Claw.

Good luck!

Been on large doses of codeien for the last year - made such a difference in all aspects of life. Was terrified doctors would stop me taking it asI had got used to being able and not disabled if that makes sense.

Anyway, at recent pain appointment have bene given low dose of amitriptyline to get used to and then wean off the codeine.

Had a day last week where I didnlt need half as much codiene... but then began to withdraw to back to doing it gradually.

As for doing it naturally.... hmmm...

I had tried for years the ' natural journey' of chronic pain. And its shite... so I take the pain killers. Hoping it will be eventually just medium dose of something once a day rather than having to rememebr codiene every 4 hours.

More I read about amitriptyline the more I like it....