Alternatives to naproxen

[Summerrabbit]

I’ve now been prescribed this twice by GP for shoulder pain/ inflammation but it honestly does nothing for me. Ibuprofen doesn’t seem to do much either. Paracetamol takes the edge off a bit as does Tramadol but it knocks me out. Codeine doesn’t seem to do anything sadly.
Anyone have any other suggestions for pain meds that work for inflammation?

What mg on the Naproxen?

Following as naproxen always makes me sick.
I am fine with all other pain meds except that 🙁

It’s 250mg x 2 daily. The first time it was 500mg x 1 daily. I’ve given it a week each time to allow it to build up but have felt no improvement whatsoever.

@Summerrabbit

i was taking it for a few months, alongside Panadol/paracetamol. I didn't think it was doing much either, until I couldn't get it prescribed again, then I realised it was actually doing a lot behind the scenes.

it was prescribed after an accident & surgery for my shoulder.

the thing I noticed most though was how much better my knees were when I was taking it.

Codeine plus ibuprofen ( nurofen plus or boots own ) is the only thing that helps my mucked up rotator cuff

That’s interesting @Walking2024now24days, I did wonder if it was doing more than I realised but I’ve stopped taking it now as I found it a pain having to take the lansoprazole too & can’t say I’ve noticed any difference.
Ive never tried codeine with ibuprofen @MsRosewater, I don’t seem to have any effect from just codeine but maybe ibuprofen would enhance it. The best thing for me seems to be Tramadol but it makes me feel so spaced out!

Might be a silly thing to say but Naproxen shouldn't be taken on an empty stomach.. Doc never told me this but a nurse did.. Seems to work better when taken with food too... It didn't really do much for the foot pain I was prescribed it for.. No drugs seem to work.. Best thing is Ice or cool therapy and physio.. It did take away the back pain though... Hope you find something that works ❤️

Same here. I get the projectiles

I was given another pill to take alongside naproxen that protects your stomach. You should also not take it on an empty stomach.

OP was given lansoprazole to do that.Though I once got told if you need reflux medication you shouldn't be taking NSAIDS. You could try Celebrex OP. Its another anit inflammatory but its a cox 2 inhibitor so its gentler on your stomach. As PP said take with food. I know paracetamol has been shown to help things like codiene work better I don't know if it has the same effect on anti inflammatories.

Thanks all, yes I was prescribed lansoprazole to protect my stomach. I think you’re right that ideally if you need reflux medication to take the naproxen it’s probably not the best thing! But if it seemed to work I would persist. I haven’t heard of celebrex @EliflurtleAndTheInfiniteMadness, thanks I’ll see if the GP could try that instead. So far the best things seem to be the wheat bag, the ibuprofen gel with levomenthol & paracetamol/ Tramadol. But I still get a lot of breakthrough pain. Sorry others don’t get on with naproxen either.

I persisted with it for a long time @Summerrabbit until the side effects got to bad, only once did a pharmacist question it. I understood their point, but really it's only in an ideal world and it's fairly common to end up needing extra mediation to treat the side effects of the medication you do need.

If ibuprofen gel helps you might find voltarol gel even better. I used to use it a lot before i went on celebrex, it seems to be a bit stronger than the ibuprofen one. Corticosteroid injections might be an option to ask your GP about. They didn't help me but my pains chronic and works a bit differently.

I found 500mg twice a day did help with my shoulder pain.

Unfortunately I can't take it anymore as my stomach has had enough

Volterol gel is good too but you have to apply it 3 times a day like clockwork.

I have wondered about trying a higher dose of ibuprofen (obvs would check with GP first) as someone recommended that on another thread. I’ve tried the Voltarol gel but don’t seem to get any relief from it- it’s very strange. But I think you can get diclofenac prescribed as tablets. It’s funny what works & what doesn’t! Thanks for all your input, it’s very draining being in pain isn’t it?

You can take higher dosesof ibuprofen but should take a PPI with it as it's as bad for the stomach as Naproxen.

I can't take NSAIDs any more as they gave me gastritis but I did take Naproxen for a rheumatoid flare. I thought it wasn't helping much until I stopped taking it and realised it had actually made a big difference.

Just to update that I had stopped the naproxen but decided to give it another go after having an awful night of sleep. Anyway I then noticed blood in my stool & remembered I’d had that before when I was taking the naproxen but hadn’t connected it. But I’ve never noticed fresh blood in my stool before so I’ll def stop taking it again as it freaked me out! I know it might not be connected but it can occasionally cause that to happen.

Arcoxia is another NSAID but is much more effective for me without any side effects at all. They stopped giving it out for a while but I've got it no problem recently from my consultant and GP.

Thanks so much @mynameiscalypso, I’ve never heard of Arcoxia but it looks much better in terms of side effects. I wonder if it’s more expensive to prescribe but I’ll ask my GP.

I find anadin extra way better than naproxen. I traded prescribed naproxen for that and it helps most types of pain too. Used to be able to get generic versions but now only anadin seem to do the paracetamol/asprin combo. Taking the 2 medicines separately doesn't work either for some reason

@Summerrabbit It shouldn't be more expensive; it's a generic medicine now (when I have been prescribed it privately, I pay the same as the NHS standard charge). My GP has always been happy to give me a new script too. Good luck! I hope you find something that works and is tolerable. Pain is the absolute pits.

Thanks @liveforsummer. Funnily enough I always used to find aspirin good for headaches but it seems to have fallen out of favour in recent years. It seems that a lot of medications work better when combined. That’s a good tip.