Which Pain-Reliever Works Best for You?

[Moemg]

I take two Advil when I have pain but my Mom who has bad arthritis swears by extra strength Tylenol . After her joint replacements she took Tylenol rather than narcotics and did fine .Al, sorry to hear about your accident . You probably need to take the pain killers regularly for a few days to get the inflammation down plus make sure you ice the area and keep your leg elevated .

 

[Dawg52]

I rarely take pain med's, other than my liquid ones. When I do, it's usually for sinus relief. Ibuprofen normally does the job.

 

[Nords]

I've read that the particular mechanism NSAIDS have for relieving inflammation actually inhibits your body's optimum healing of injuries and also inhibits the healing of the micro muscle trauma that weight training causes (normally such inflammation triggers the body's healing mechanism and as a result your muscles repair and get stronger. As I understand it, NSAIDS alter this process.)

I couldn't have gotten through the recovery from tearing two ACLs without ibuprofen. The "optimum healing of injuries" doesn't work so well when you can't bend your knees...

 

[powerplay]

Ibuprofen is my favored pain reliever.

 

[Leonidas]

Naproxen works well for me, but while I'm working on improving my blood pressure I've switched to Ibuprofen. My personal experience has been that Naproxen works better on joint and muscle pain than Ibuprofen - and by that I mean its effects seem to last a lot longer.

 

[stargazer08]

I had to check other because you could only choose one option. I take Tylenol (1000 mg) and Advil (400 mg) at the same time. That is the only thing that will hit my jaw pain (caused by a partial dislocation years ago). Thankfully this pain has gotten better over the years learning how to better manage stress and to limit my time in the dentist chair.

If I take too much of that combo I will get a weird ringing thing happening in my ears. Certain sounds will feel funny in my ears. Like a metallic vibration of some sort. That will take a few days to subside.

 

[Cato]

If you take all OTC candidates in placebo-controlled trials, they are about the same. So individual experience counts for a lot.

NSAIDs can cause gastric, platelet, and kidney problems, usually when used in excessive doses. Acetaminophen can cause liver problems with higher doses, esp with alcohol.
Probably best not to mix aspirin with NSAIDs due to accumulative platelet problems.

I use ibuprofen very infrequently and find that 400mg (2 tabs) is usually enough.

+1 . Ibuprofen gives me tinnitus after 2-3 days (dose dependant). I get the odd attack of migraine (500mg Tylenol does the trick and I'm usually back to work after 30minutes after my vision settles). Aspirin is a NSAID and I'm surprised it is still sold in North America other than as an anticoagulant. Codeine phos has its uses but can be terribly constipating.
Acetaminophen can be deadly but is dose dependant and you really have to be dedicated to swallow enough to kill your liver.

 

[Ally]

I didn't vote since I try and avoid using any. I used to use inprp

 

[Ally]

Sorry, I hit reply before I finished. I try and not take anything because I developed kidney disease and they told me I can only take Tylenol, which doesn't work much. They said that NAISDs can make your kidneys worse, so I avoid them.

 

[SteveL]

I didn't vote because none of them do much for me. I have bursitis in one hip, and have tried all. Nothing helped.

 

[HFWR]

Ibuprofen is the only OTC pain reliever that works for me.

 

[harley]

I chose other because I didn't read the first post in time to see OTC. Given that qualifier, acetaminophen for headaches and general pain, naproxen when I hurt my back. I think the reason most people don't get relief from the various meds is because they don't read the instructions. Use of alcohol may intensify the effect.

 

[cats2books]

The endorphins released during sex are great pain relievers. At least that is what my spouse tells me.

 

[eantos]

I have mild RA in my knees mostly and at some point need to have a hip replaced. I take 800mg Ibuprofen 3x/day with food along with 200mg Placquenil 1x/day. The doctor keeps an eye on any kidney problems with regular bloodwork. When I don't take/miss the Ibuprofen, I feel like I've been hit by a bus.
This combo keeps me on an "even keel".

 

[Nuiloa]

Best thing I've found for long-term arthritis relief is MSM. That stuff is pure magic.

 

[Redbugdave]

What is MSM?

I found that information interesting on the NSAIDS. It looks like the only pain reliever which relieves pain and allows recovery is Tylenol...acetaminophen.

 

[Walt34]

The endorphins released during sex are great pain relievers. At least that is what my spouse tells me.

It's true. About 23 years ago DW had a headache and after sex she said "Hey, my headache's gone!"

Ever since, every time she gets a headache I remind her "Well, you know what's good for a headache..."

Unfortunately her understanding of cause and effect isn't as good as mine.

 

[bubba]

Advil is my pain killer of choice, and unfortunately, I take way too many of them. Left hip hurts with an odd pain running down my leg to the knee (nerve maybe??) a lot of the time and Advil works like a charm. NSAIDs (I think) caused a rash on my legs so I stopped that. I do switch off with Tylenol once in a while when I get worried that I'm taking too many Advil, but it's not nearly as effective.