Backache medicine

[rtroxel]

I turned 80 this year, and have a severe backache problem. It began about 3 years ago while I was undergoing immunotherapy. The therapy was a success, but now I've got these backaches and have been taking prescribed oxycodone for them. I am interested in knowing if there are any over-the-counter remedies for this affliction. I will be discussing the problem with my physician soon, but I'd like to do some research beforehand, so I can get his opinion of specific products.

So...is anyone here familiar with OTC remedies for backaches?

Thanks, as always,

Roy

 

[GrayHare]

Doans pills have been around a long time. Never tried them myself. Physical therapy or chiropractic is often the next step.

 

[Koolau]

I have spinal stenosis and occasional back muscle spasms. OTC Tylenol (1000 mg at a time up to 4 times/day - but no more) helps quite a bit. BUT check with your doctor about dosage as acetaminophen is a liver toxin which could lead to real problems if your liver is compromised. Age might also be a "no-no" for 4 gm/day acetaminophen.

I only use when my back really bothers me - I don't take it unless I need it as I'm paranoid about liver toxicity - probably not an issue but check with your doc.

 

[USGrant1962]

Doans pills have been around a long time. Never tried them myself. Physical therapy or chiropractic is often the next step.

I've tried Doans for chronic back pain and found them no better than Aleve, but not as long-lasting.

 

[Walt34]

I'm in the same boat, having been on prescribed oxycodone for several years now. Nothing else even touches the pain. I've tried all the OTC stuff that I'm allowed to try (I'm also on an anti-coagulant so anything with aspirin in it is strictly off-limits) but no joy.

I'll be watching this thread with interest.

 

[JoeWras]

As a long term back problem survivor, I literally feel your pain. I had to have back surgery.

But this isn't always necessary. It was my absolute last resort.

Definitely wean off the oxy. I find that generic naproxen sodium (Aleve) from Walmart is incredible. 2 per day at most, but I try to keep it less than that. As a generic from Walmart, the cost is cents.

Still I don't do it all the time to give the kidneys a break. But if you haven't tried Aleve and its generic equivalent, give it a shot. Someone up thread also mentioned it.

I'll add one more thing. For prescription, I also find that "baclofen" is also useful. This is a muscle relaxant than has none of the "ahhh... this is good sh.....t" feeling. I.e. not very addictive. Read the link I mentioned above, it can also help you wean off Oxy. I use it very occasionally (every few days) and won't cause issues in that case. If you can get the muscles to not clamp, that is half the battle if your issue is muscles. Even if it is spine (in my case it is), then letting the muscles de-link from the pain is still useful.

Not all doctors agree with baclofen for this purpose (it is usually for MS). My doctor is open to it.

 

[Texas Proud]

Now this was a LONG time ago but my neighbor had really bad back pain... the thing that helped him was some kind of electric stimulation...

Not sure how it worked or helped, but he said it made a big difference..

 

[SecondCor521]

Some other ideas, may not work for severe back pain:

Gentle stretching
Core strength exercises
Heating pad
Warm showers / hot baths
Weight loss if you're overweight
Cortisone shots

I've known a number of people who have had back surgeries of various types. They can be excellent cures, or do absolutely nothing - my rough guess from my anecdata is about 50/50. Many spine surgeons will recommend spinal surgery because, well, they're spine surgeons.

 

[rtroxel]

All,

Thanks for the quick replies. At this point, I will be trying several methods daily: stretching, hot showers, electric stimulation. Mixing these with Excedrin or Aleve, plus oxy after several hours' driving, house work or sitting at the computer..

As Walt34 suggested, let's keep this thread going, since back pain seems to be a widespread issue for people our age.

Roy

 

[Al18]

I suggest physical therapy in addition to the items already mentioned. Discuss with your doctor, as a prescription for physical therapy will probably be required.

 

[tutan]

Also roll on a hard foam roller and try a deep tissue massage gun.

 

[calmloki]

Just read about combining or alternating Ibuprofen and Advil - claim was it was more effective than either alone. Sounded bogus to me, so I looked and found this:

Advil (ibuprofen) & Tylenol (acetaminophen) together, is it safe?

Official answer: Yes, it is safe to take ibuprofen (Advil) and acetaminophen (Tylenol) together if you need to for extra pain relief...

www.drugs.com

"Yes, it is safe to take ibuprofen (Advil) and acetaminophen (Tylenol) together if you need to for extra pain relief, such as for a dental extraction. Taking ibuprofen and acetaminophen together works better to relieve pain than taking ibuprofen and acetaminophen separately. This is because they work in different ways with few side effects."
"There are several studies that show that taking ibuprofen and acetaminophen together is more effective than taking either one alone.

A combination tablet that contained 200mg of ibuprofen and 500mg of paracetamol and a combination tablet that contained 400mg of ibuprofen and 1000mg of paracetamol were much more effective in providing sustained pain relief in adults with moderate to severe acute dental pain than separate doses of ibuprofen or paracetamol.1

Combining ibuprofen and acetaminophen in the same tablet was just as effective as some opioids (oxycodone, hydrocodone, or codeine) at relieving moderate to severe pain (baseline score of 8.7) in 416 adults.2,3"

My bold

 

[GrayHare]

if the pain is localized, lidocaine patches can help

 

[Jenna]

Have you tried cupping? or Acupuncture? Many times lower back pain is endotoxin in the body. I have found gycine tand taurine to be very helpful too. Just find a brand that doesnt have all the additives. There;s a website i use that doesnt sell anything-thye just review vitamins for their extra ingredients. It's called toxinless.

 

[aaronc879]

I have spinal stenosis and occasional back muscle spasms. OTC Tylenol (1000 mg at a time up to 4 times/day - but no more) helps quite a bit. BUT check with your doctor about dosage as acetaminophen is a liver toxin which could lead to real problems if your liver is compromised. Age might also be a "no-no" for 4 gm/day acetaminophen.

I only use when my back really bothers me - I don't take it unless I need it as I'm paranoid about liver toxicity - probably not an issue but check with your doc.

My Doctor says 1000mg of Tylenol 4 times a day is only for short term use. She said I can take 3000mg per day as long as I need to which is probably for life unless I switch to something stronger at some point. I wake up after about 5 hours with bad back pain and rarely get back to sleep. I'm only 45 so that's going to not be fun for the next 30+ years.

 

[aaronc879]

I'm surprised people are getting Oxy for chronic back pain. I was under the impression they didn't do that anymore. I wish I could get Oxy for my back pain. I take 1000mg of Acetaminophen and 800 mg of ibuprofen any time I do any physical activity and before bed and it doesn't help as much as one 5mg pill of Oxy would. When I had my hip surgeries Oxycodone was the only thing that touched my pain. If I could get it for my back pain it would allow me to get some decent sleep for the first time in years but too many people abused that medication in the past so no one around here gives it out for chronic pain issues even though it's often the best option. All I want is 5mg 2-3 times per night(it only lasts 3-3.5 hours for me)

 

[RetiredHappy]

I have spinal stenosis and my husband had severe lower back pain. We haven't had back pain issues for the past few years and we attribute to golfing 4 to 5 times a week since retirement. Moral of the story is that having PT to strengthen the muscles around the back may help.

 

[motley]

I'm surprised people are getting Oxy for chronic back pain.

So am I. Thanks to the media, people/doctors are so freaked out about it, I'm surprised it isn't simply illegal.

I know this is for milder pains, but I've had success with Icy Hot (the ol menthol treatment basically). It might be worthwhile to supplement other treatments.

 

[jim584672]

Naproxen Sodium (Aleve) is a good pain pill.

 

[Alan]

I'm in the same boat, having been on prescribed oxycodone for several years now. Nothing else even touches the pain. I've tried all the OTC stuff that I'm allowed to try (I'm also on an anti-coagulant so anything with aspirin in it is strictly off-limits) but no joy.

I'll be watching this thread with interest.

Same here.

I used to use Aleve (naproxen) but now that I am on blood thinners no NSAIDs are allowed including aspirin and ibuprofen.

I now use Tylenol (acetaminophen) but as mentioned above you definitely need to stick to no more than the daily recommended limit as it does do liver damage at higher doses.

 

[Koolau]

Before I got my implanted back stimulator, my PCP had me try Gabapentin. It is "officially" an antiseizure medication. IIRC people with epilepsy sometimes take it. My doc couldn't say why off-label use of Gabapentin should w*rk for back pain but it often does.

I did use it for several months on a daily basis and it did help quite a bit. I had to take large doses - up to 2000 mg/day. Biggest side-effect was just a little bit of "buzziness" which was worth the pain relief. My PCP thought I should take it at night for that reason but that's not when my pain is an issue. So, I eventually got the back stimulator which is only partially effective. I'm thinking about trying Gabapentin again.

IIRC the biggest issue with the drug is suddenly quitting which (in people with seizures) can trigger seizures. Since I don't have that issue, I never noticed any issues with stopping Gabapentin but just be aware and let your PCP be your guide. In any case, Gabapentin is strictly a prescription med. As always, YMMV.

 

[Murf2]

Advil & Motrin both sell products combining both drugs in one tablet. You might give them a try. Some people have good results with them.

Good luck!
Murf

 

[Tadpole]

I, too, can't take NSAIDs, and Tylenol gives very little relief. I live in WA state where we have access to CBD products. A niece, who is a nurse, brought me some Dragon Balm Super CBD 500mg salve and, though I was initially dubious, it is the only thing that gives me relief. CBD seems to help some people and do nothing for others. This is what she gave me:
Dragon Balm CBD

 

[jgrdarrash]

I, too, can't take NSAIDs, and Tylenol gives very little relief. I live in WA state where we have access to CBD products. A niece, who is a nurse, brought me some Dragon Balm Super CBD 500mg salve and, though I was initially dubious, it is the only thing that gives me relief. CBD seems to help some people and do nothing for others. This is what she gave me:
Dragon Balm CBD

I also use CBD for chronic pain. It works for me but you have to take it daily. It's not like an Alleve that works quickly and I use as needed. If you're still working or have drug tests for a pain management doctor you will be positive for THC. So I prefer to take CBD isolate (no plant material) so I will be negative on drug tests.

 

[njhowie]

You might also try Voltaren cream, which is readily available. Walgreens, CVS, and even Costco have their own generic versions for lower cost.