Pain Relief w/o Narcotics

A recent randomized study reports that pain patients in emergency room setting taking Advil and Tylenol together got the same relief as those taking a narcotic pain reliever.

News:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/08/well/live/alternatives-to-opioids-for-pain-relief.html
Study:
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2661581

 

I read recently that surgical patients who didn't use opioids were less likely to end up back in the hospital with complications.

 

Possibly coz they were too scared to move

 

For the Brits who are confused like me, I just looked them up:
Tylenol is paracetamol.
Advil is ibuprofen.

 

I know, and anyone who thinks they can be used to replace morphine has no experience with the levels of pain morphine is used for, or with the types of pain it is used for.

NSAIDs may help with pain caused by some types of inflammation, by reducing the inflammation, they have little effect on other types of pain.

 

Like most other people I have used paracetamol and ibuprofen individually. Occasionally, when they weren't enough on their own I was told to use both together and they were pretty effective.

However for certain types of pain - migraines for example they just don't work even taken together. Then I use tramadol (an opioid in case it's called something else in other countries).

 

We call it Tramadol in the US

 

Advil and Tylenol together are hard on your stomach, kidneys, and liver. A combination of opioid and acetaminophen/paracetamol called Hydrocodone or Norco is more effective at controlling pain and less hard on your body. I found it very useful for controlling the pain of a herniated disc.

That might not be an entirely bad thing. For short-term pain/injury, it might be better to stay in bed and let the body heal that to take pain killers. Since I got off of the Hydrocodone, I always have some on hand. I have yet to take it (or acetaminophen or ibuprofen). Whenever my back starts to bother me, I modify my behavior.

 

Medicinal cannabis?

 

Not a replacement in my case, either to adequately control pain enough so I can sleep or on cost grounds (in short I can't afford the amounts I would need to take).

.....and for some bizarre reason, even though I know it doesn't contain THC, I eat more when taking it.

 

Reminds me of The Big Bang Theory episode when they go camping!

 

Anyone who thinks paracetamol and ibuprofen could substitute for opoids has obviously never experienced chronic pain.

Like much of the propaganda around opoids, it sounds like a cost cutting exercise to me.